millet – Arise and Shine

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

November 20, 2017November 7, 2019
by Patricia Thigpen

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a heavy-bottomed skillet, sauté the onion and garlic in water over medium heat until fragrant.

Remove pan from heat and add millet, raisins, and dill.

In a large pot of boiling water, submerge the cabbage and allow to boil for 5 minutes, or until the outer leaves are softened and may be removed.

Peel off 12 outer leaves and blot dry.

Chop enough of the remaining cabbage to measure 3/4 cup.

Add to millet mixture in pan.

Remove tough stem of each cabbage leaf, if necessary.

Then place ¼ cup millet mixture in the center of each leaf, tuck ends in, and roll to form a neat little package. (You will find that cabbage leaves are very forgiving and easy to work with, but you can use a toothpick to hold them together, if needed.)

In a baking dish, place the cabbage rolls in a single layer. Combine tomato sauce and tomatoes and pour over the cabbage rolls, cover the pan, and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, until bubbly.

Place on a serving platter, and remove toothpicks.

Pour tomato puree over cabbage rolls before serving, drizzle with olive oil.

Main Dishes - Moderation

Greek Stuffed Zucchini

November 20, 2017November 7, 2019
by Patricia Thigpen

Wash zucchini thoroughly and cut in half lengthwise.

Then, using an instrument such as an apple corer, empty the pulp of each zucchini into a saucepan, being sure to keep outer shells intact.

Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, 1 cup of water, parsley, and dulse or kelp.

Simmer until only a little liquid remains, then add millet and simmer until all the water has evaporated.

When cool, add currants and almonds.

Stir with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Stuff zucchini shells carefully with mixture.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Place stuffed zucchini shells in a glass baking dish.

Sprinkle with seaweed to taste.

Cook 1 hour in preheated oven.

Drizzle with olive oil

May be served hot or cold.

Main Dishes - Moderation

Basic Millet

November 20, 2017November 7, 2019
by Patricia Thigpen

To Soak: rinse the millet in a fine-mesh strainer. Place the millet in a medium saucepan with 3 cups of water and optional vinegar or lemon juice. Soak for a minimum of 8 hours. Overnight soaking is fine. Rinse well again after soaking.

To cook; add enough water to fully cover the soaked and rinsed millet – about 1½ cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook covered for 15 – 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and let stand with the lid on, for 5 minutes. No peeking!

Main Dishes - Moderation

Important note about consuming Quinoa, millet and lima beans…

November 20, 2017November 7, 2019
by Patricia Thigpen

Soaking releases the growth inhibitors inherent in seeds that keep them from sprouting. Quinoa is exceptional in that it starts to sprout in as little as 6 hours. Dried beans require longer soaking times (12 to 14 hours) and are always best set to soak the night before, rinsed in the morning and then soaked again until cooked later in the day.

Soaking grains, nuts, beans and other seeds is simple. Rinse in a fine-mesh strainer, look for any foreign matter. (It is rare but sometimes small pebbles are found in dried beans and grains.) Place the required quantity for your recipe (or other seed, grain or nuts) in glass or stainless steel and cover with twice as much warm or room temperature purified water; for example for one cup of quinoa add two cups of water. The grain or seeds will swell during soaking, thus requiring less cooking water. Once the grain has soaked for at least 8 hours, rinse well with pure water. Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to simmer, cover and let simmer until tender. Usually about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, without removing the lid for another 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

*Lima beans generally take 30 to 40 minutes to cook and once cooked are ready to eat or blend with vegetables for a hearty main dish.