Creamy Butternut Chickpea Millet + Cool News

So, I have something pretty cool to share. It's my vegan story! The beautiful Kristy over at Keepin' It Kind is so wonderful to have provided me with the opportunity to share my journey to vegandom. Is that a word? Vegandom. I think it should be. Well, it is now. If you've ever wanted to know more about my little story, now you can! So head on over and check it out. Plus, there's a few pics of me with some pretty sweet pups.  Just about every night I have a pretty intense internal battle about whether to make dessert for dinner or an actual, proper dinner. Last night it was a particularly harrowing spar. However, dinner won. It usually does, but only because I know if I don't make any dinner then I'll have to eat falafel chips and hummus for lunch the next day...which I totally did yesterday. I'm not complaining about such a delicious lunch, but really, it's more of a snack. Then, I'm so hungry by the end of the work day that I come home and binge on a downright shocking amount of Endangered Species chocolate. They have these new ones that are creme filled you guys! And VEGAN! Actually, now that I think about it...maybe I should just do this everyday. 

Completely unrelated to food or being vegan, Todd and I watched Frozen last night. New favorite movie! Well, I dunno. Could I demote Monsters, Inc.? I'm entirely not sure. But, we laughed throughout the entire thing and also Josh Gad is my favorite person to ever walk the Earth so ya' know, pretty much best movie ever. Plus it's all about snow and winter and that's kind of my jam...living in Alaska and all, ya' dig?

Okay, back to this dish.

You know how everyone loves chickpeas and buttersquash? Yes. And you know how everyone's getting on all up on the millet bandwagon? Yes. Well now combine those three luscious ingredients! Bam! Fluffy millet soaks in a warm, herbed butternut squash sauce dotted with protein-packed chickpeas. All ready to go in about 30 minutes. Now that's a dinner worth forgoing dessert for. 

Creamy Butternut Chickpea Millet

Serves 6

• Millet:
• 1 1/2 cups millet, dry
• 3 cups water
• pinch of salt
• Aromatics:
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium carrot, diced small
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced small
• 1 whole dried bay leaf
• 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 1/2 Tbsp. whole cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp. ground sage
• 1/4 tsp. ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• grating of nutmeg
• Sustenance:
• 32 oz. butternut squash soup
• 2 15 oz. cans of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• 1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Notes: Quinoa, rice, or couscous can be used in place of the millet if you wish. If you don't have whole cumin seeds, feel free to use about 1/2 tsp. of ground cumin. I used Pacifica brand of butternut squash soup. 

In a medium saucepan, toast the dry millet over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until fragrant. Stirring occasionally. Then, add the water and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover partially and reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes, then stir and remove from heat. Keep covered and let sit until ready for use, at least 10 minutes. 

While the millet is cooking, in a large soup pot heat the oil over medium then add the aromatic ingredients. Saute for about 10 minutes, until the carrots are tender and the onions are browned. 

Meanwhile, in a blender combine 3/4 cup of the butternut squash soup, 3/4 cup of the chickpeas, as well as the nutritional yeast and the vinegar. Blend on high until smooth. Add this mixture to the sauteed vegetables as well as the remainder of the soup and chickpeas. Stir well to combine, and remove the bay leaf. 

This dish can be served two ways. Either place a scoop of the cooked millet into a shallow soup bowl and a ladle of sauce around it or, combine the millet and sauce and serve that way. Serve hot. 

Come jam with me. Don't deny yourself...

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/106878552" params="color=88d0ab&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]

"He stares so politely I'm best behaving when he's walking with me, walking with me Oh, he likes taking photos in black and white They're upon his walls, on his walls"

German Word of The Day: Millet --> Hirse (pronounced: hillseh)

Good Deed of The Day: For real? Ugh. Sign this petition to tell UK labs to stop puppy and kitten experiments. Only takes 5 seconds, promise. 

Oh and also...

Dang that was a pretty involved post today. Lots of stuff going on, but guess what? It's pretty much Friday, peeps! 

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Sesame Kale Salad with Millet and Sprouted Beans

I have a secret and I feel that I am compelled to confess.  First, let me start by saying I love me some kale. I'm on that damn kale bandwagon, people. Seriously. I'm vegan...how could I not be? Well, here goes, I am kind of embarrassed to tell you that I am not all that into kale salads. What!? Oh, for shame! I know, I know...I have at least a handful of kale salad recipes here on my very own site.

It's true though, you know. They're just not really my bag. I will sometimes enjoy the occasional kale salad, however, I am very particular about them. They have to be pretty exceptional for me to really enjoy them and let's just say that this Sesame Kale Salad with Millet and Sprouted Beans blew my socks clean off, you guys! 

This is the best freaking kale salad I've ever had. Scratch all those other kale salad recipes you've got floating around and make this one instead. It is sooooo good. A new staple in our house for sure. Even Todd, Captain Vegan Junk Food Man, liked it. Todd...enjoying a kale salad...what is happening?! 

Creamy millet, hearty beans, sweet carrot ribbons and a flavorful sesame dressing with toasted sesame seeds all mingle with salted, massaged kale to make up my new favorite kale salad.

Hey, I think I actually do like kale salad afterall...

Sesame Kale Salad with Millet and Sprouted Beans 

Makes 6 large servings

Inspired by the lovely Scandi Home

• --For The Salad--
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• 1 1/2 cups sprouted bean trio, dry
• 4 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup millet
• 1 cup water
• 1 bunch of kale, de-stemmed and chopped
• 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 large carrot, peeled into ribbons
• --For The Dressing--
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sugar or erythritol 
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 green onion, sliced

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spread the sesame seeds on a baking sheet and when the oven reaches temperature, bake them for about 10 minutes or until just browned and fragrant. Careful not to let them burn.

In a large saucepan bring the dry beans and 4 1/2 cups water to a boil. Then cover, and turn down to a simmer. Allow to cook for about 20-30 minutes. Test the beans for your preferred doneness. Drain, rinse and set aside for later.

In a small saucepan add the millet only and toast over medium heat for a few minutes. Then, add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil.  Cover, and turn down to a simmer. Allow to cook for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to sit, covered for about 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside for later. 

Add the kale to a large salad bowl and sprinkle it with the salt. Massage the kale for a minute or two. This will make it a little more tender. Add in the carrot ribbons and the sesame seeds and toss to mix. 

Combine all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl or pitcher and whisk well to combine. 

Add the cooked beans to the kale and toss well to mix. Then, drizzle in the dressing and add the cooked millet and toss well to combine. Make sure to break up any millet clumps. Break it up, millet!

Serve at room temperature, then refrigerate any leftovers. 

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Sage Maple Chickpeas + Creamy Pumpkin Quinoa & Millet

This is the most delicious shit I've ever had. Yes, expletives were absolutely necessary here. I won't apologize. I just won't. This blog is PG-13, okay? What does crispy roasted sage, sweet maple syrup and creamy pumpkin add up to? Toasted caramel. Yes. That's exactly what this dessert dinner tasted like. Even Todd said so! I wish we had some left...

Before the dish though, I'd like to take this moment to discuss James Cameron. Yes, the man behind Aliens, Titanic, Avatar, etc. The man is a genius. Everyone knows that. There's a few interesting things that I didn't know about him though. For example, he states that he is a "converted agnostic". He's an atheist, and says he's sworn off agnosticism which he now refers to as "cowardly atheism", source. Interesting. Also, he applied for American citizenship, but revoked it after Bush won the presidential election in 2004, source. He's from Canada. Just sayin'.

Oddly enough, my favorite vegan quote happens to be from him, "...all of human consciousness is five years old emotionally. It's not a requirement to eat animals, we just choose to do it, so it becomes a moral choice and one that is having a huge impact on the planet, using up resources and destroying the biosphere." source. That pretty much sums it up, don't you think? It's not a requirement, it's a moral choice that has huge negative impacts on our lives, animals lives and the planet.

Well said, Sir. Well said, indeed.

He apparently advocated a vegan diet during his speech at the National Geographic Society Gala, where he was being honoured. Cameron said,  "I've had an epiphany recently. I want to challenge all of you as people of deep conscience, people who are environment stewards of the earth and oceans … By changing what you eat, you will change the entire contract between the human species and the natural world." Source - The Huffington Post

Cameron talks about how much of an impact raising cattle has on global warming. Discussed in this article by The Examiner, "In 2006, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization released a report indicating that 18% of the world's man-made greenhouse-gas emissions come from livestock production. In reality, that figure is closer to 51%, according to a 2009 report by Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang of the IFC Environment and Social Development Department." Yikes! For more on that, you can look at the World Watch's PDF, here. Don't choose ignorance.

So, if animal rights or the health impact meat has on the diet doesn't tickle your fancy, how about the health of our planet? Besides, the whole hipster bacon obsession "thing" is sooo 2012. "Do what you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." - Maya Angelou

Sage Maple Chickpeas with Creamy Pumpkin Quinoa & Millet sounds better to me anyway.This dish would be great paired with a green, leafy salad. No meat or dairy necessary.

Sage Maple Chickpeas + Creamy Pumpkin Quinoa & Millet

Inspired by Season to Season Eating

Makes 4 smallish servings

• 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 16 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped (or 1 tsp. dried)
• 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped (or 1 tsp. dried)
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/2 cup dry millet
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
• 1 cup water
• 15 oz canned pumpkin
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp. canned full-fat coconut milk (or soymilk)
• 1 tsp. lite salt (or additional salt), to taste
• pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds), for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a medium bowl, mix the chickpeas, oil, herbs, salt and maple syrup.

When the oven reaches temperature, scatter across a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 350 F, stirring at 10 minutes.  

Remove when 20 minutes is up and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring the millet and 1/2 cup water to boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. Now add in the pumpkin and continue to cook on low for about 10 minutes, then remove from heat. The millet will still be slightly crunchy.

While the millet cooks, in another small saucepan bring the quinoa and 1 cup of water to boil over high heat.  Once boiling, cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. When the time is up, the water should all be gone. Fluff with a fork at set aside. The quinoa should be soft and fluffy.

Add the cooked quinoa, maple syrup, coconut milk and additional salt to the millet and pumpkin mixture and stir well to combine.

Serve warm with the roasted chickpeas (make sure to get all the crispy sage leaves too!) over the millet, quinoa, and pumpkin mixture. Garnish with additional fresh herbs and pepitas.

Sage Maple Chickpeas + Creamy Pumpkin Quinoa & Millet

 

Recipe Type: Entree

Author: Katie - Produce On Parade

Serves: 4

What does crispy roasted sage, sweet maple syrup and creamy pumpkin add up to? Toasted caramel.

Ingredients

• 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 16 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped (or 1 tsp. dried)
• 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped (or 1 tsp. dried)
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/2 cup dry millet
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
• 1 cup water
• 15 oz canned pumpkin
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp. canned full-fat coconut milk (or soymilk)
• 1 tsp. lite salt (or additional salt), to taste
• pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds), for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the chickpeas, oil, herbs, salt and maple syrup. When the oven reaches temperature, scatter across a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 350 F, stirring at 10 minutes. Remove when 20 minutes is up and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, bring the millet and 1/2 cup water to boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. Now add in the pumpkin and continue to cook on low for about 10 minutes, then remove from heat. The millet will still be slightly crunchy.
4. While the millet cooks, in another small saucepan bring the quinoa and 1 cup of water to boil over high heat. Once boiling, cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. When the time is up, the water should all be gone. Fluff with a fork at set aside. The quinoa should be soft and fluffy.
5. Add the cooked quinoa, maple syrup, coconut milk and additional salt to the millet and pumpkin mixture and stir well to combine.
6. Serve warm with the roasted chickpeas over the millet, quinoa, and pumpkin mixture. Garnish with additional fresh herbs and pepitas.

 

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