Give Millet a Chance

Long time, no write.

To be completely honest, I've been feeling really uninspired lately. I have come up with some really good recipes I guess. I've made some amazing GF baguette and some scrumptious GF almond flour banana bread. There have been some scary scones (they didn't taste too bad though) and some perfect pancakes (almond flour again and oh so good). I made tremendously tasty tuna cakes as well as perfecting my chili recipe with my own seasoning concoction. I haven't felt up to writing about them...or really writing at all. Actually, I take that back. I've felt like writing, but as I've been feeling very melancholy I have only felt like writing about melancholy things. No one wants to read that stuff, so I didn't bother to write it.

On top of that, I've been through a philosophical writing crisis. You see, there are so many amazing bloggers out there who make more interesting food, take way better pictures of it, and often have the most amazingly witty things to say. As the internet seems to be full to the brim with bloggers such as those, why should I fancy myself to be nearly as interesting or engaging as them? And, if I am not, what is the point in my writing these words here for you all? Is it that these words are actually for myself? Could this time be no more than a self-indulgent, narcissistic dream of self-importance that I occasionally allow myself to partake in?

I haven't come up with any good answers to those questions. I don't write because I think I have anything to say that hasn't already been said (and, I'm certain, been said so much better). I also have no illusions that the food I make or the things I write about food or philosophy or religion are original, terribly interesting, or perhaps even remotely noteworthy. I don't mean this to sound self-deprecating at all. It's simply that I'd prefer to make an honest assessment about motive and purpose before I proceed any further. I'd be loath to devote my time to something that feeds some illusion about myself or my own pride (which is so very often, if not always, misplaced). So I find myself sitting here writing this because I simply feel I have something to say. It's nothing more than that. Oh wait...it's also this amazing little grain I've just discovered last night. Millet.

Is there a grain on earth that has a less glamorous name than millet? As the word rolls off your tongue I doubt you start salivating as you may if you were instead saying "steak" or "chocolate." Tonight, being night number two of millet experimentation, I had a conversation with Jordyn that went something like this:

Jordyn: Mommy, what are you making?

Me: Millet and Lentil Curry with Pak Choi.

Jordyn: MMMMMMMMMMM...that sounds so good.

The conversation sounds strange even now. Anything involving the word millet just doesn't sound appitizing, so the fact that my 7 year old got so excited about it just seems super weird. The thing, however, is that millet really is "all that"...as is pak choi. If you haven't tried either of these culinary gems, you're seriously missing out. Big time. Even Maddy who, upon trying pak choi for the first time last night, fell in love with it, asked to have it again tomorrow, and said that she was surprised because she thought it would be gross. Hey, at least she's honest.

And you should try these things too!

Besides the fact that millet is totally yummy, it has an amazing nutrient profile. Just look at those amino acids!! Pak Choi is also a winner, nutritionally speaking at least. Speaking of healthy stuff, I'll go ahead and point you to turmeric as well, which I make use of in the following recipe. Oh, oh...and, since we're on the topic of nutritional value of food and the like, the recipe I'm about to share does not skimp on the fat. Now, I know it goes against everything the government will tell you, but fat, even saturated fat, is actually good for you! I am going to tell you to please use coconut oil as well as all the creamy goodness of coconut milk. Coconut oil has these amazing medium chain fatty acids, you see. You should really check these puppies out! Yes, I'm aware that they are *gasp* saturated fats, but just calm down for a second and take a moment to read all the fantastic info. Additionally, I'd really like to point everyone toward this amazing and very informative video about sugar. We should all be as well informed as possible as we make food choices for ourselves and our children. This video is absolutely amazing in that it takes one of the most common notions in the fitness industry (the whole calories in versus calories out being the determining factor in weight loss or gain as well as why we exercise) and totally rips it to shreds. It will show that not all calories are equal. It will talk about fructose and glucose and how your body actually uses these two carbohydrates and why this is so vitally important. It shows a lot of amazing things, so I'll just give you the link and hope you watch it and hope it changes the way you view food, processed food, and the way you feed your family (particularly our poor kids who are brought up in a culture in which eating all the processed, sugar laden, fast food crap is some kind of "right," meaning that a parent who is so horrible to deprive their children of these childhood classics is quite obviously a bad parent!!).

Whew, anyway, now that I've hopefully convinced you that you should give millet a chance (and also cut sugar from your diet and start enjoying some healthy fats), I'll share with you the recipe I created tonight. It's not perfect, but it was good. I hope anyone who decides to try it will enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 cup millet grain

1/2 cup red lentils (or any color for that matter)

A few TBSP coconut oil

1 cup or so of water

1 14 oz. can coconut milk (please, please resist the urge to get the "reduced fat" stuff)

2 bunches of pak choi (bok choy), rinsed and chopped if desired

1 onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp mild curry powder, plus extra for sprinkling

1 tsp turmeric, plus extra for sprinkling

salt and pepper to taste

So, here's your pak choi, all ready to go. Hold on, though. We'd better get that millet going.

Saute your onion with some sea salt and some fresh cracked pepper in a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil over medium heat. After 5 minutes or so, add your bell pepper as well as a little more salt. After a few minutes add the garlic. After all those have started getting all cozy and gorgeous smelling, throw in your millet and lentils and allow to saute for a minute or so. Add curry powder and turmeric. Maybe a little more salt and pepper would be nice here too. Add 1 cup of water and the can of coconut milk. Cover and allow to simmer on low heat until the millet is completely cooked (roughly 30 minutes). You may need to add a little water toward the end of the cooking time if it begins to get too dry. Keep in mind that the mix is supposed to be creamy, so don't let it dry out. Once this is finished, move off of the heat and allow to set with the lid on while you cook up your pak choi.

Throw the pak choi into a frying pan heated to medium heat with a tablespoon or so of coconut oil. Sprinkle them with some turmeric, curry seasoning, salt and pepper and allow to cook until the leaves wilt a little. I like leaving mine whole, but you're more than welcome to cut them up so that the base will cook through a little more.

Now, doesn't that look yummy?

Once those are done, it's time to eat!! Plate up and enjoy a curry-liscious and very healthy meal!!!