If there were such a thing needed as a walking won’t-stop-talking-about-it One Woman Advisory Council On The Wonders of Millet, I would be it. In fact, I hereby nominate and appoint myself to the position. You may have read me tout these wonders in Millet: Gluten Free Fat Free Comfort Food or Midwinter Soy Free Miso Soup: My New Favorite or Happy Healthy Heart Chakra Lunch, but I’m going to do it again, because it bears repeating. This recipe gives millet a cool simple summer remake that doesn’t have to be layered in a jar like the salad in Happy Healthy Heart Chakra (but it could).
If you’re looking for a gluten free grain you can digest easily that doesn’t break your bank, millet is it. At my co-op, it’s about half the price of bulk quinoa. If you are mindful of carbon footprints, it’s grown in the USA, not on another continent. Even though it’s grown here, it’s underappreciated in the US, and often thought of as “for the birds” (as in bird “seed”). But it’s not a seed; it’s a grain that actually aids in the digestive process, so it’s great for people with sensitive tummies. And I find it has definite anti-inflammatory effects in general, making it a great food to eat when my fibromyalgia pain happens to flare due to a fall, bump, pull or some other stress that sets it off. In fact, this One-Woman Advisory Council On The Wonders of Millet believes folks with fibromyalgia might benefit by feeding themselves with it regularly. You can read about it in 12 Health Benefits of Millet. . .The Alkalizing Grain. Here are a few of them: it has a high antioxidant profile. It acts as a prebiotic. It hydrates the colon. It’s alkaline and easy to digest. It has high levels of tryptophan and magnesium, which raise serotonin and help relax muscles, respectively.
I’ve also included pineapple in this recipe, which has strong anti-inflammatory effects coming from micronutrients in the core of the fruit. This One Woman Advisory Council on the Wonders of Millet also moonlights as a One Woman Committee on Why Women (and Men) Should Eat Pineapple Every Chance They Get. In addition to its wonderful nutritional profile, pineapple just plain tastes good with millet (Try them together for breakfast, maybe with a small dab of molasses and a splash of almond milk. Hot or cold. You pick). You can read more about where my love affair with pineapple started, and try a no flour or sugar recipe for delicious cookies in my post Power to the Pineapple (and Hawaiian Holy Shadow Cookies).
The other anti-inflammatory heavy weight in this recipe is turmeric powder. That’s another ingredient I use regularly, as it helps ease that oversensitive pain response. Plus, I like its woody earthy taste.
Those of us with fibromyalgia are often dismayed when pain returns, seemingly mysteriously. We start combing through our recent actions, what we ate, what we did, hoping to nail the cause and address it. But I’ve found that rather than worry too much about finding a single cause or hoping a supplement will address the problem, it’s more effective for me to nurture myself as a matter of course with whole food that is especially easy to assimilate and that literally reduces my inflammatory response. So that’s why these three ingredients are part of this salad. The green onions and mushrooms in this recipe run a close second in this capacity to the millet, pineapple and turmeric powder. And of course greens. So if the world is treating you “sorely,” make sure you have some dark greens on the side with this salad. Or toss it in with some.
Millet Salad with Mushrooms and Pineapple
This makes a large one person salad, or enough for two people to share who are eating it with something else. If you’re feeding more people, double or triple the recipe.
1 ½ cups cooked Millet (there are directions for how to cook millet in Midwinter Soy Free Miso Soup)
1 cup choppd green onions
1 cup chopped sugar snap peas or snow peas
1/3 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1 cup sliced sautéed mushrooms
½-1 tsp lime zest
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
1-2 tsp grated ginger
Tahini Mustard Lime Dressing
1 tsp tahini or ground sesame seeds
1 tbs no salt added mustard
1 ½ to 2 tbs of lime juice
¼ tsp garlic granules
Mix dressing together in a small cup or bowl with a fork.
Saute mushrooms on medium heat in a non-stick pan until they exude their juices and are browned. You can dry sauté or add a splash of coconut aminos.
Toss millet with onion, peas, pineapple and lime zest. Add the dressing and combine. Sprinkle with turmeric and ginger. Top with the mushrooms. Dig in.
Fresh corn kernels are a nice add-in to this salad. Millet also goes well tossed with fresh parsley. Come to think of it, that’s a whole other amazingly easy salad: millet, corn kernels and lots of Italian Parsley tossed in lemon juice-based tahini-optional dressing, with seasonings of your choice. Some halved cherry tomatoes would be awesome. They’re in season right now. Or maybe a few slices of Kalamata olive as a splurge. See how easy it is?
This One Woman Advisory Council On The Wonders of Millet is open to new membership, although it would require a name change. Interested parties need only “out” themselves about how much they like millet and how good it is for them. It may be a Paleo World out there these days, but don’t let that silence you. We (I mean me–that’s my “royal we” talking, so far, anyway) are here to stay. And with no small help from humble millet.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve never tried millet. I just added it to my shopping list, and I’ll let you know if you should add me o the council! 🙂
Thank you so much for this post! The recipe sounds pretty good. Over the years, I have read much about how millet is good for you and should be eaten, but, I have yet (until now) seen a recipe I would like to use with it. So, outside of a few soups, and one time when I substituted it for bulgur wheat in Tabuli, I have not had good experiences with millet.
I think this will be a recipe that will be a very good experience. Plus, I appreciate the twists on it, and other suggestions, that you wrote about at the end. They sound very tasty, too.
Last, but not least, I really enjoyed reading your post. Great sense of humor, you’ve got. You sound like a fun, nice person to know.
Have a lovely day!
Welcome, Arletta, and thanks so much for this lovely comment! It made my night. I really enjoyed writing this post as much as I now enjoy eating millet. I hope this recipe and the other ideas give you a good taste for it, too. 🙂
Dear Maria,
your other millet posts reminded me that I want to widen my repertoire of gluten free grains.
I bought it, I cook it for my dog (with fish) but I always had in mind that I didnt like it when I tried it years and years ago.
So this new post told me to get on with it and today I ate millet!
So far I can only say that so far I am rather neutral.
It probably was a mistake to cook it without salt. I try to accustom myself to the blandness but I hate it (and then put salt on top of thefood, bad idea).
But anyway, I will give millet a chance, definitely.
Hi Silvia,
Thanks for your comment and your willingness to give millet another “old college try” again. 🙂 Here’s a tip that might help with the blandness: toast it lightly in the pan before adding the cooking water or broth. Just for about 30-45 seconds until you can smell it. You can toast it longer as well, and the grains start to pop. It adds a flavor dimension. Also, you can cook it in broth, or saute an onion or garlic, and then add the millet to toast, then the liquid. It is very bland at first, but like, tofu or eggplant, it gladly accepts other flavors and seasonings.
I am working on it. I had another try today with roasting and broth.
It needs more experimentation but I am going to persevere!
Today I had the rest of yesterday’s millet together with the leftover vegetables as a soup for lunch. And I found I could use the millet like dumplings. I need to work on the taste (too bland) but the texture was really great!
Today it is quite different, not so firm, hmm. I really need to experiment.
Thanks a lot for your posts and kind answers!
Silvia in Germany
Maria,
I always look forward to your posts. I am amazed at your nutritional perseverance and the gradual healing of your body. Because of your site, I am becoming more aware of how food immediately affects my body. This recipe sounds interesting and I really am anxious to try the dressing.
Michele, thank you so much for this comment. It was just what I needed to hear this morning. I am so glad you are becoming more aware of how food immediately affects your body, and that I’ve helped in some tiny way with that very profound and useful awareness. The dressing goes well on other kinds of salads, too. Enjoy!
Look’s good. I am going to give it a try!
Thanks, Eric! So glad it looks good to you. Let us know how it goes.
Love the humble grain Maria…Way to go!! 🙂
Thanks, Donna!! 🙂
Thanks to you Maria – I am now using millet for breakfast, lunch and dinner and I love it! Ditto for your blog and facebook page 🙂
Hi Michelle–thanks!!–I am so glad to hear it’s working out for you, morning, noon and night!! 🙂 xo
I have recently started eating millet and I was amazed how good it tastes!! And a lot cheaper than quinoa too. I eat millet regularly now in salads and in soups. I had made this salad and it’s a keeper.
Hi Octavia! Thank you so much for letting me know how much you enjoy millet. I couldn’t agree with you more. So happy to hear my salad is a keeper!! That makes my afternoon. 🙂
my goodness this salad looks very good. I must try this one! And i’ve never heard of Millett – i’ll def have to try this also. Thank you so much.
Thanks, your reader from texas! I hope you like it, and that you come to appreciate millet as much as I have. 🙂