Millet Pilaf:
Rinse one cup of millet under cold filtered water, let drain in a strainer, toast it in a hot pan for 3-4 minutes until all the moisture evaporates and it begins to slightly brown. Hold toasted millet separately in a mixing bowl. Heat olive oil in the same pan, sauté the onions for one minute then add celery, carrots, sweet corn, sunflower seeds, ginger and garlic. Stir ingredients for two minutes then add vegetable stock along with mild salsa, toasted millet, salt and cracked black pepper. Bring to a boil then turn to low temperature and cook for 15-20 minutes. Turn off heat and let steam covered for 5 minutes additional minutes.

Curried Carrot Coulis:
Sauté diced onions, ginger, garlic, jalapeno and sweet corn in a sauté pan with 1 tsp. olive oil for 4-5 minutes. Pour in 1/2 cup fresh carrot juice and reduce for 5 more minutes. Puree in blender or food processor for about 30 seconds. Use your carrot coulis as a condiment for your cooked millet pilaf.

If you have leftover millet pilaf here is another way you can feature it:
Cut 1/2 inch cubes of a butternut squash, mix with little olive oil and salt and place in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until soft. Mix 1/4 cup cooled cubes of squash with 1/2 cup cooked millet pilaf, scallions and black sesame seeds. The squash will hold the mixture together so you can shape it like a crab cake. Place on a baking dish and heat for 10 minutes at 350 degrees, remove from oven and dollop each millet cake with 1 tsp. carrot coulis.

1/2 cup cooked millet pilaf
1/4 cup cooked cubes of butternut squash
Pinch of black sesame seeds
1 T. diced scallions
2 T. carrot coulis


This recipe yields approximately 6 millet cakes.

Courtesy of Chef Marko Ellinger