The millet with vegetables is a recipe I made some time ago when I was in Italy for vacation and took a stroll in the “healthy” section of the supermarket. It makes me laugh a bit because if that section is healthy, then I must conclude that everything else is not! Well, indeed: aisles and aisles of cookies, snacks, chips, etc… and 4 shelves for healthy cooking. I won’t add anything more. So, what did I find in my cart? Besides various types of dried fruits, cereals, and legumes, also many types of whole grains (those that retain bran and germ), and one in particular: millet, which is also gluten-free.
So, determined to use it, I thought of preparing a one-pot meal in oriental and vegan style, with vegetables, dried and fresh fruits, and plenty of fragrant Indian spices. The millet with oriental vegetables is a slightly laborious dish to prepare, but you can cook and chop some ingredients in advance, even the day before, and keep them ready to use.
The result was truly spectacular, very fragrant and full of many different flavors that perfectly blend together. The Dutchman fully approved, and even my son enjoyed it, once he discarded the eggplants, which he really doesn’t like. In short, health and taste in one dish! Let’s prepare it together…
You can find some other similar recipes here:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stove, Air Frying
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Summer, Autumn
Ingredients
- 3.2 oz millet
- 4.2 oz cooked, boiled chickpeas
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (3 measuring teaspoons)
- 1 shallot
- 1 eggplant (large or 2 small)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 bell pepper
- 20 cherry tomatoes
- Half pomegranate
- 0.35 oz pine nuts
- 1.4 oz dried apricots
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- to taste parsley (or mint)
- to taste salt
- Points per serving = 10 WW points
Tools
- Pan
- Air Fryer
Steps
First, prepare the eggplants in cubes as in the first part of the recipe for Eggplants alla Funghetto: use one teaspoon of oil for the eggplants.
While the eggplants are roasting, prepare the millet according to the package instructions. In my case, it was hulled, so I boiled it in double the volume of lightly salted water for 5 minutes, drained it, and then let it rest covered for half an hour. Then, fluff the millet well with a fork and let it cool.
Prepare all the other ingredients: deseed the pomegranate, toast the pine nuts for a few minutes in a pan, drain and rinse the chickpeas well, chop the apricots, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes into small pieces, and slice the shallot and garlic.
Now it’s time to flavor and cook all the ingredients…
Fry the shallot with all the spices in a pan using a teaspoon of oil, then add the roasted eggplants and let them flavor well for a few minutes. Remove from heat and let cool in a dish. In the same pan, fry the garlic in the last teaspoon of oil, then add the bell peppers and a little salt. Sauté for a few minutes, remove from heat, and let cool.
And now all the ingredients are ready to be mixed together: let everything cool well or wait until they are at least slightly warm.
First, mix the millet with eggplants and bell peppers, then add chickpeas, apricots, and pomegranate. Adjust salt if necessary.
Finally, add the cherry tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, and chopped parsley or mint for decoration. If you have time, let everything rest for at least half an hour.
And here is our millet with oriental vegetables ready to be served at the table! The portion is really abundant and is a complete meal with all the nutrients. If you want, you can add a green salad but honestly, it is already very filling as it is.
This dish is also ideal for picnics or as a takeaway meal for work: just pack it in a sealed container. And you can also prepare it the night before… A lot of taste, fragrance, and color at the table!
Enjoy your meal!
by Giovanna Buono
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
I can’t find millet
If you can’t find millet but still want to use a gluten-free carbohydrate, I recommend using quinoa, which might be easier to find. Another alternative is sorghum, but it might be even harder to find than millet! If you don’t have gluten intolerance, you can replace millet with rice or any other cereal: farro, barley, or even couscous.
What can I use instead of pomegranate
Pomegranate is available only in the fall. To make this dish in the summer, you can simply omit it or replace it with 2 tablespoons of raisins. But be careful: in that case, the WW points per serving will be 11 instead of 10.
How long does it keep?
Once prepared, the millet with vegetables keeps in a container in the fridge for 4 days. But you can also prepare millet, eggplants, and bell peppers in advance and freeze them separately. Once they are well thawed, you can add them to the other ingredients.
