Spiced Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew with Toasted Millet
Millet is one of those grains that everyone, including myself, seems to forget about. When we consider grains to serve as a side dish to a meal we always think of rice or some type of pasta. But, millet is a fantastic change of pace when that tired rice pilaf recipe needs to take a sabbatical.
Millet is a very popular gluten free grain used in Indian and African cuisine. It has a somewhat nutty flavor and a nutritional profile that is very similar to whole wheat, making millet flour an excellent substitute in gluten free baking. It is super diverse and can be used in savory and sweet dishes. Admittedly, I’ve not taken full advantage of all the ways this wonderful grain can be used, but I’m so obsessed with it at the moment that I’m sure you will be seeing much more of it in posts to come.
So, now that I’ve gone on and on about the side dish of this meal, let me tell you that the stew itself is a healthy, comfort food knockout. I’m kind of a sucker for one pot meals with loads of veggies in them, especially when they have some sort of ethnic flare, so when I saw this recipe, I was totally on board.
The combination of millet and chickpeas contains all of your essential amino acids, so you vegans and vegetarians out there can eat this meal knowing that it is providing your body with complete proteins. Plus, with the addition of butternut squash and spinach you are getting tons of antioxidants and minerals to keep your body nourished and strong through these colder months of the year.
SPICED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CHICKPEA STEW WITH TOASTED MILLET
serves two hungry folks
adapted from a recipe by the Food Network Kitchen
For the stew:
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, small diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5 oz.) can crushed tomatoes (my favorite is Muir Glen Fire-Roasted)
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. cumin
1 small butternut squash, cut into 1 inch pieces (learn the easiest way to cut up a butternut squash here)
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 lemon juiced and zested
1/4 cup raisins
4 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup sliced almonds
For the millet:
1/2 cup millet
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, vegetable broth, or water
1 tsp. lemon zest
2 Tbs. raisins
salt and pepper, to taste
1. In a medium sized pot, saute the onion in olive oil over medium high heat. When it begins to soften, add the garlic. Cook for about 1 minute before adding the spices and crushed tomatoes.
2. When the cinnamon stick just begins to unfurl, add the squash, chickpeas, broth, lemon zest and raisins. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, covered, until the squash is soft, about 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring the broth for the millet to a boil in a small saucepan.
4. In a dry saute pan over high heat, toast the millet until it begins to smell nutty. Add the toasted millet to the boiling broth and lower the heat to a simmer. Add the raisins, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes or until the millet is fluffy and looks like cooked couscous. When the millet is done, stir in the lemon zest, season with salt and pepper and keep warm while you finish the stew.
5. When the squash is soft, stir in the spinach and add the lemon juice. Continue to stir the stew over low heat until the spinach is just wilted.
6. Serve the stew with the toasted millet on the side and garnish with sliced almonds.
Other Millet Recipes in the Blogosphere:
Vegan Pumpkin, Millet, and Chocolate Chip Mini-Muffins at Eat’n Veg’n
Grandma’s Grain at 101 Cookbooks
Allergen Free Pumpkin Waffles at Karina’s Kitchen
Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies at Karina’s Kitchen
Millet Pie with Spinach and Feta at Serious Eats
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Aloha Rachel!
Thanksgiving time is the perfect time for us to find each other and share our interesting relationships with food. Multiple Chemical Sensitivity makes buying, preparing, and eating food a challenge, and I know that my readers at The Canary Report and I will love learning from you. An ethical approach to food from source to tummy, coupled with attention to allergies and sensitivities, can be a daunting task, especially when not feeling well. So I’m thrilled to find someone with your talent and personal understanding of the struggle who is eager to share solutions.
I chose this recipe as the first to share with my readers; it’s so perfect for this particular holiday!
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge with us “canaries.” I look forward to a long and very fun collaboration!
Aloha,
Susie