Tuesday, March 5, 2013

sunshine millet

once in a while I stumble on a good idea. this was a good idea.

we've had a bag of organic millet shoved in the back of my baking cupboard for too long.  I found it last night while going through our pantry trying to come up with a menu for March (more on that later). with the cold temperatures I've been making overnight steel-cut oats with dried fruit and milk for breakfast, but something told me millet was going to be my grain of choice this morning.

well, now that I've made it, I think we'll keep millet as a staple, and not an extra, in the pantry. my goodness, this is just delicious. and it makes your house smell toasty and cozy. there are a couple pots involved so it's not a really quick-and-easy meal, but if you're like me and you have a couple hours from when you wake up til when you need to hit the road, then it's fine.

sunshine millet, adapted from every millet recipe I found on Pinterest:
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 c. millet, rinsed well
2 c. water
1 can unsweetened non-lite coconut milk (I used Thai Kitchen Organic)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 bananas, mashed
1 tbsp. chia seeds
2 tbsp. honey

in a medium pot toast millet in coconut oil over med-low heat until grains smell nutty and they become slightly tan.
slowly add 2 c. water to the toasted millet. bring to boil over medium heat, reduce to low, simmer for 10-15 minutes until all liquid is absorbed.

while millet is cooking:
in a small pot, stir together coconut milk, spices, mashed banana, honey, and chia seeds. warm over low heat until incorporated and smelling heavenly. 

add the remaining ingredients to the cooked millet and simmer over low heat until it reaches desired thickness.  
take off heat and serve.

let me know if you vary this recipe in any way...this is delicious, kid-friendly, and healthy!

4 comments:

  1. I was just thinking about your crockpot oatmeal this morning.... how is that turning out for you? Do you have a good recipe for that too?

    And here's another little silly ---- what's millet?

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  2. Hey girl!

    ok--millet is the little white seeds in birdseed! it's sold either bulk or by the pound; I found a bag of Arrowhead Mills millet on sale for $0.75--a real steal--and bought it to try. needless to say it'll be a staple in our house, it's very tasty and nutritious!

    my crockpot oatmeal, although delicious, just doesn't have the right texture yet. this is something I am playing with, and I think it has something to do with the chia seeds absorbing too much liquid. I like my oats more fluffy, and the oatmeal I've been waking up to has a different consistency, sticky and thick. I'll post a recipe when I perfect it! :)

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  3. Where do you buy the chia seeds?

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  4. I think they sell chia in the Health Market section of HyVee. I know health food stores also sell it--we get ours online at Vitacost.com (very fun website to shop and much cheaper than buying in-store!) or at Key Ingredients in Slayton.

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