Toasted Millet meets Creamy Avocado in a Tropical Salad Bowl for an easy and quick vegetarian or vegan gluten-free and low-calorie lunch or dinner idea..
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A couple of weeks ago, I had plantain on the menu, and I stand by what I said then. Feeding plantain to a kid as part of a kiddies meal plan is an easy challenge. You see, growing up, plantains were the fussy-eaters pièce de résistance, and many-a-frazzled parents’ last key to sanity. The conversation in my many Nigerian parents 1970s and 80s kitchen usually went something like this:
Mum to Fussy Eater: It’s dinner time soon. Are you hungry?
Fussy Eater to Mum: Not really (albeit rather unconvincingly).. What’s for dinner?
Mum to Fussy Eater: Plantain
Fussy Eater to Mum: Yea! I’m very hungry!
You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure this one out – it has a lot to do with the natural sugars in plantain, which kids are just naturally drawn to.
So this week, I am going to increase the intensity of my challenge to feed my kids nutritious African-fusion food by going on a savoury march. Let’s face it. You didn’t think I was going to cheat my way through this objective of feeding the kids wholesome meals by relying on sweet potato and plantains alone… You did, didn’t you? Although I won’t say the thought hasn’t crossed my mind more than a few times..
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The first time I crossed paths with millet, it was courtesy of my high school friend Aishatu. Aishatu was from the Northern part of Nigeria and her mother was well known for making the finest Fura de Nono, that side of the River Niger. The Fura in Fura de Nono comes from millet.
Millet is an ancient grain that is native to sub-saharan West Africa. It is a small round grain and comes in a variety of colours; white, yellow, grey and red, and millet is highly nutritious. In addition, millet is gluten-free and non-allergenic, so it is a great alternative for those on a gluten-free diet.
millet is gluten-free and non-allergenic, a great alternative for those on a gluten-free dietClick To TweetFor this quick and refreshing salad, I have paired millet with sweet mangoes, creamy avocado, and oven-roasted beets. And with all those flavours, all you need is a simple vinaigrette dressing to pull it all together! So for your next salad, before you reach for couscous or quinoa as a base, why not try millet?
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- 100 g millet
- 100 g beets
- 1 mango medium
- 10 g cilantro
- 4 tsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 200 ml vegetable stock
- Rinse the millet till clear, and then drain away all the water.
- Heat a skillet on medium heat, and when hot, toast the millet, stirring frequently till dry and aromatic.
- Add 200 ml of vegetable stock, then reduce heat to low. Cover the skillet and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed. This should take about 20 - 25 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Keep covered and when ready to serve, fluff with a fork before serving.
- Wash the beets, and then dry with a paper towel. Drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil over the beets, and some salt.
- Place the beets in a foil and bake in oven at 180 degrees fan-assisted or 200 degrees for 45 minutes or until the beets are cooked.
- Remove from oven, and allow to cool. Then peel the beets and dice. Set aside
- Peel, and dice the mangoes. Then combine the millet, beets and mango with the rest of the ingredients. Toss with 3 tsps of olive oil and lemon and serve immediately.
Beets are cooked when a fork goes through them easily.
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Is this recipe right for you?
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Do let me know how you get on. Leave me a comment below!
Laters,
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Emem..xo
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Angolan Muamba de Galinha Recipe (Chicken in Muamba sauce)
Afro-fusion Food Lover.
Sustainable Food Advocate.
Completely nuts about Avocado.
