millet – Lisa's Project: Vegan

This recipe started out as a pilaf but there was so much leftover, I turned it into croquettes or veggie burger, if you prefer. Millet is such a great grain to use and this is a fantastic way to incorporate it into the rotation. Click to find out how to make perfect millet every time.

Nutty Vegetable Millet Croquettes/Burgers (makes 6)
1/2 cup uncooked millet
1 cup water
1/2 small onion
1 carrot
1 parsnip
2 shallots
1 clove of garlic
1 bunch spinach
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
Salt, to taste

2 tablespoons quinoa flakes
1 flax egg

Add the uncooked millet to a skillet and toast for 5 minutes. It will start to smell delicious and pop. Then, add the water and bring to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until the water is absorbed, 5 to 8 minutes. Let sit covered until ready to mix with the vegetables.

Organize the vegetable mise en place. Dice the onion, carrot, parsnip, shallots and mince or press the garlic. Chop the spinach. Sauté the onions in a dry pan until they start to brown. Add a splash of water to deglaze the pan. Then add the carrots, parsnips, shallots and garlic and cook until soft adding water as necessary. Season with a pinch of salt. Add the spinach and wilt at the last minute.

Toast the pecans and pumpkin seeds in a 325 oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until fragrant and browning.

Combine the millet, vegetables, seeds and nuts.

Stop here and serve this as a great side dish!! Or move onto the croquettes.

Make the flax egg and mix into the millet mixture along with the quinoa flakes.

Use a 1/2 cup measure and press the mixture together to form burgers. Fry on the stove top until both sides are golden brown and then place on a lined baking sheet. Rest the croquettes for 30 minutes. Freeze now or bake in a 350 oven for 20 minutes.

Lemon Mustard Dressing
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup filtered water
The juice of 1 lemon
1 clove of garlic
2 tablespoons stoneground mustard
Salt, a pinch

Place all ingredients into the Vitamix and let it rip until smoooooth.

Serve cakes over a nice piece of Romiane and top with a dollop of dressing. Enjoy!

I love the way this millet looks and smells. Beautiful fluffy millet, mixed with a rainbow of vegetables, and the secret scent of saffron. Yum!

But I have made some bad millet over the years. Too crunchy, not done. Eeeew. So I have discovered a way to perfect millet every time. I use a large skillet that has a cover so that the millet has a large surface area over which to toast!

Perfect Millet Every Time Cooking Method
(1 cup uncooked millet : 2 cups filtered water)
Heat the skillet over medium heat. Pour the cup of uncooked millet into the skillet and toast the millet for a few minutes, mixing it around a bit, until it is fragrant and getting brown. But don’t walk away, millet burns easily so watch it! Pour in the water, bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until the water is absorbed. When the water is absorbed, turn the flame off and let the millet sit covered for a few minutes. Then fluff with a fork.

Now to today’s rainbow vegetable saffron croquettes. Just so yum! The outside gets crispy and the inside stays soft. In love with this creation! Today, I served these alongside a salad of chopped Romaine with a light dressing made with olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, freshly squeezed lemon juice and a pinch of salt.

To make these croquettes for an appetizer, make 12 croquettes using a 3 tablespoon ice cream scooper!

Makes about 4 cups / 6 croquettes
1/2 red onion
1 clove of garlic
1 carrot
1 parsnip
1 zucchini
Big pinch of saffron
1 cup uncooked millet
2 cups filtered water
Pinch of salt
High heat oil for sautéing the croquettes

Cook according to the Perfect Millet Every Time Cooking Method adding the saffron when it’s time to reduce the millet to a simmer. Crush the saffron in your palm and drop it into the millet.

In the meantime, organize your mise en place: dice the vegetables and mince the garlic. Water or oil sauté the vegetables until they are soft, starting with the onion, adding the garlic and a pinch of salt, then the carrot and parsnip and lastly the zucchini. Only cook the mixture for a few minutes more so that the zucchini stays bright green.

Mix the vegetables into the millet. Stop here to enjoy as a side or main dish.

To make the croquettes, place the vegetable millet mixture into the food processor and let it rip until the vegetables are finely processed. Form six equal sized croquettes. Heat up a non-stick skillet and add a small amount of oil (like one turn of the pan.) Cook until the first side is nicely browned. Flip carefully and cook the second side. Let the croquettes rest on a towel to drain the excess oil and then serve. Enjoy!