millet salad with sun-dried tomatoes, kale, and beans

I love collaborative dinner with friends.

Don’t get me wrong, though, I also enjoy hosting and cooking the entire meal on my own.  But there is something slightly more fun about hodgepodge-ing together an impromptu dinner with friends.

This happened yesterday.  I get the text.  “Want to do dinner later?”  me: “YES!  What can I bring? Where? When?”

The menu quickly came together:

They had barbeque sauce.

We had tofu + tempeh.

They were going to make the veggie salad.

I was going to make the grain salad.

They had sweet potato fries.

Aaaand. Done!

I sliced + pressed the tofu and took it to their house to marinade in the barbeque sauce.  They decided on slaw, and I decided to make a hearty millet salad.  Something that would work as a side or even stand alone as a meal…with an egg on top of course.

Next came the “what,” of what was going to be in the salad.  I believe you aware of my current enthusiasm for kale, so I’m sure you knew that would be included.  Next, a little more protein.  Beans!  Now, something with a little flavor.  Sun dried tomatoes + feta!  And to top?  A nice bright dressing finished with sliced almonds.

This salad has crunch + chew in all the right places.  The kale was baked into bite-sized kale chips and then gently stirred in with the other ingredients.  If serving right away, they retain their crispiness and are not tough to chew through, which can sometimes be the case with raw kale.

While chomping away at our delicious dinner spread, our friend Megan said, “sun-dried tomatoes are nature's pepperoni!”

SO TRUE.  I absolutely loved that description!  Flavorful, soft, bright in color, and good in just about any savory dish.

Print this!

Millet Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Kale, and Beans 

gluten-free // yields 4-6 servings

for the salad:

• 1 1/4 cups uncooked millet, rinsed + drained
• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil, divided
• 1 1/2 cups low/no sodium vegetable stock
• 1 cup water
• 6 cups well-chopped curly kale, stemmed + washed
• 1/2c+ oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped + blotted
• 1c+ cannellini beans, rinsed + drained
• 3oz feta or goat cheese, crumbled
• salt/pepper
• sliced almonds

*I used a rounded 1/2 cup of sun-dried tomatoes and a rounded 1 cup of beans.

for the dressing:

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon brown mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon salt + pepper

1. Place all dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until fully combined.  Taste and add more salt, pepper, and/or honey if desired.  Set aside in the fridge. 
2. Preheat your oven to 350*.
3. Heat a large pot over medium and add 1/2 tablespoon of oil.
4. Once hot, add the millet and toast for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until it starts to turn golden brown and smells nutty.
5. Slowly add in the veggie stock and water. Be careful, it will spatter.
6. Bring to a boil, stir, then cover the pot + reduce heat to simmer.  Cook for 18-20 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Do not stir while it cooks.
7. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. 
8. Measure 4 cups of lightly packed millet and spread onto a baking sheet, then place in the fridge (~1hr) or freezer (~20min) until fully chilled.  Turn a few times to release the heat.
9. While the millet is cooking, pat the kale dry, then place on a large baking sheet and rub 1/2 tablespoon oil and a sprinkling of salt + pepper into the kale.
10. Bake for about 20 minutes, turning once or twice, until just starting to crisp and lightly brown.  Let cool.  Don’t over-crisp the kale or it will fall apart in the salad.
11. Place the chilled millet, kale, beans, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta in a large mixing bowl.  Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, then pour about 1/2 of the dressing overtop of the salad.
12. Gently toss until well combined.  Taste and add more dressing, salt, and/or pepper if desired and toss again.
13. Place in a serving dish and garnish with more feta and sliced almonds.  Or, store covered in the fridge until ready to serve.

If you haven’t explored cooking with millet yet I highly recommend it.  It’s much cheaper than quinoa and offers close to the same nutritional profile.  I actually prefer it to quinoa, as it’s quite a bit heartier and nuttier in flavor. 

Our spontaneous dinner turned into quite the success!  And can I just say that barbeque-grilled tempeh is my new favorite thing?  Oh yes it is.

Ashley

Kale Frittata with Millet Crust

With my undying love for eggs it is quite the mystery as to why I don’t make frittatas more often.  I mean, it has been at least a year—or more—since my last.  I guess I just don’t plan ahead.  When I want eggs, I want them now!

But this is worth planning for.

This millet crust was a total stab in the dark.  I knew once cooked it could be packed down into a pan and would possibly hold together.  But would it really not fall apart?

Answer: YES!

There were a few millet crumbs here and there but pretty much the same you’d have with any crust.

It sort of blew me away, but maybe you already knew it could do this?

I will no doubt eat this entire pan before Chris ever lays his hands on it.  I’m already 3 slices in and he still has no idea it exists.  I even put it on the main shelf in the fridge, plain as day.  But am I going to announce to the world that I made it?  Probably not…

While it may seem like a heavy dish with tons of eggs and a thick crust, it only adds up to 1 egg per slice and just over 1/3 cup of millet.  It also packs 1/2 cup of kale per slice! The perfect accompaniment to a large salad or eaten alongside a smoothie for breakfast.  Whatever floats your boat. 

Print this!

Kale Frittata with Millet Crust

gluten-free // inspired by baby spinach frittata with sweet potato crust from the Sprouted Kitchen cookbook

for the millet:

• 1 tablespoon unrefined coconut oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 cup uncooked millet, rinsed + drained
• 1 cup low/no sodium veggie broth
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt + pepper

*If using a full sodium veggie broth you may want to reduce salt content to 1/4 teaspoon.

1. Heat a pot over medium and add 1/2 tablespoon oil.
2. Once hot, add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds until just starting to brown.
3. Add in the millet and stir frequently for about 3 minutes until it starts to toast.
4. Add in the veggie broth, water, salt, and pepper, then stir and bring to a boil over med-high.
5. Once boiling, stir once then cover and reduce heat to simmer, cooking for 15-20min until the liquid has been absorbed from the top. Avoid overcooking and drying out the millet.  Do not stir while cooking.
6. Towards the end of the cook time preheat your oven to 350*F and grease a 9-10” pie pan or cast iron skillet.
7. Once the millet is finished, fluff with a fork and place 2 1/2 – 3 cups in the pan.
8. Spread around with a flexible silicone spatula and push about 3/4” up the sides. Be sure to pack the millet down firmly. You want about 1/4” thickness on the bottom and sides. Add more millet if needed.
9. Gently brush with a light coating of melted coconut oil.  About 1/2 tablespoon melted.
10. Bake for 10-12 minutes until just starting to brown.

for the kale egg bake:

• 8 large eggs
• 1/3 cup full fat ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or 2% milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt + pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon unrefined coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons minced shallot
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped sage
• 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
• 4 cups chopped lacinato/dinosaur kale, rinsed
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan [optional]

1. While the crust is baking, whisk together the eggs in a large mixing bowl.
2. Whisk in the ricotta, milk, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined.  Set aside.
3. In a large pan, heat the oil over medium.
4. Once hot, add the shallot and stir for 1-3 minutes until light golden brown.
5. Add in the garlic, sage, and rosemary, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds.
6. Stir the kale in and let cook for 2-3 minutes until lightly wilted.  Remove from the heat.
7. Whisk into the egg mixture then pour into the baked crust.
8. Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes, depending on your pan size.  I used a 10” pan and it took 33 minutes.  Bake until just set.  Give the pan a little jiggle to test and check every 1-2 minutes after 30min of baking to ensure it doesn’t overcook. 
9. Turn your oven to broil on high then sprinkle the top with the parmesan cheese.  Broil on the top rack until melted and starting to bubble.  Watch closely.
10. Let cool for 5-10 minutes then cut into 8 pieces with a serrated knife and serve with a small spatula.  Top with salt, pepper, and/or hot sauce if desired. 
11. Let cool completely before storing covered in the fridge. 

notes: Feel free to sub in other herbs instead of sage + rosemary.  1 tablespoon of basil and 1/2 teaspoon of thyme would also work well.

Two more slices are about to disappear. 

Enjoy + happy weekend!

Ashley