Salad Days

This last week has been dedicated to the garden. While we planted a lot of vegetables and eagerly await the Summer months to help them grow, but right now we are up to our elbows in lettuce. This is a good thing, fresh salad nearly every night is a very good thing.

Next the Swiss Chard will be ready to harvest, The potatoes are starting to poke their leaves above the surface. I love growing potatoes. Later in the Summer we'll go treasure hunting for golden and ruby treasure buried in the soil.

A barrel full of mint is close to the kitchen door. it smells so lovely.

It is a lot of work and the weeds are always mocking us by spreading faster and growing taller than would seem possible, but at the end of a full day in the garden, it is absolutely worth it. To see our future dinners growing in our own back yard is pretty cool.

Oh and check out this handsome fellow, he and his friend came to visit after the fountain received a good cleaning. The first time we've had a Western Tanager in our garden. Hooray!

Happy weekend all!

Millet Salad

Goodness me oh my, I have fallen rather behind! This was supposed to be posted on Friday, but then...

Anyway, today's offering is of the foodie variety. As we head into summer, I try to come up with yummy, make ahead salads to keep on hand. I throw together some veg, grain and protein for a well rounded, healthy nosh. I thought I'd share a recipe for a Millet and vegetable salad that makes a lovely side dish, or if you are like me, you might like to eat it as a meal for lunch, or a late afternoon snack when you could use a little boost.

Millet seems to be a grain that has fallen out of fashion a little here in the US; I recall it being a big deal in the late 70's health food circuit. I keep it on hand for breads and cereal mostly, but it makes a wonderful grain for salad as well.

Broccoli, Cauliflower, Chickpea and Millet Salad with Tahini-Lemon Dressing

1 c millet
2 c water
1/2 head broccoli, broken into florets
1/2 head small cauliflower cut into florets
1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
3-4 scallions chopped
zest of 1 lemon


dressing:
1 garlic clove, minced
3 T tahini
4 T olive oil
2 T hot water (more if necessary)
juice from 1 lemon
salt & pepper
*1-2 T almond butter or peanut butter (optional)

Begin by draining and rinsing the chickpeas, set aside.

Toast millet in a small saucepan on medium heat, stirring often, until it starts to crackle. Add water, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until all of the water is absorbed.

Steam broccoli and cauliflower until just slightly tender or broccoli is bright green, drain and rinse under cold water. You could omit the cauliflower if you are not a fan, or use another combo of vegies altogether.

In a large bowl combine the Millet, steamed vegetables, chopped scallions, chickpeas lemon zest and toss.

Make the dressing by combining and whisking all of the ingredients together, add water as needed to get the right consistency. * Note: The brand of tahini I have on hand is a little bitter, so I added a couple of Tablespoons of almond butter to the dressing to smooth it out, adding peanut butter would have the same result. I suggest making the dressing without, and then having a taste to see how you like it. Oh, I also added a little over a teaspoon of honey to the dressing!

Add half of the dressing to the millet mixture and toss until incorporated.

You can add a base of baby greens with the salad and serve with a lemon wedge. Drizzle some of the remaining dressing over the top. I found it quite good with a dollop of plain yogurt on top too!

Enjoy!