Spring Bounty Bowl With Lemon Cumin Vinaigrette

Contributor: Ashley Neese
Photographer: Ashley Neese

Bowls are my favorite. I love mixing and matching beans, grains, and veggies. The combinations are endless and they always make for such beautiful and flavorful meals. This one is my new favorite combo. The other day I ate it for lunch AND dinner. Yup. That’s how amazing it is.

If you haven’t gotten into millet yet it’s awesome. I’ve been eating it as an alternative to quinoa. It’s got a nutty flavor and can be cooked soft into a porridge or more like rice. Millet isn’t a grain, it’s actually a seed and is gluten free. It’s like half the price of quinoa too which is a bonus.

For most folks millet is easy to digest and works as a great prebiotic. Millet is high in magnesium, phosphorus and antioxidants. It is alkaline and non-allergenic. Millet also contains serotonin which calms our moods.

Millet has goitrogens in it which is something to be aware of if you have hypothyroidism. “Goitrogens are those substances in food that suppress thyroid activity and can lead to goiter, an enlargement of this very important gland which resides in the throat.” – The Healthy Home Economist.

In the original dressing recipe I used more garlic but it was so intense. If raw garlic isn’t for you, 1/2 tsp of garlic powder is an option, you can use roasted garlic (would be amazing), or you can just omit it all together. Play with the recipe and adjust the taste to suit you. Remember that it’s going on all of the bowl ingredients so they will soak up the flavors.

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SPRING BOUNTY BOWL WITH LEMON CUMIN VINAIGRETTE

serves 2

I n g r e d i e n t s //

For the bowl:

  • 1/2 c. millet

  • 1 c. vegetable stock (or water)

  • 1/8 tsp. sea salt

  • 2 Tbsp. coconut oil

  • 2 spring onions, diced

  • Heaping pinch of sea salt

  • 1 c. broccoli, chopped into small pieces

  • 1 c. green cabbage, sliced thin

  • 3 c. fresh spinach, rinsed well and dried

  • 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

  • 1 c. cooked adzuki beans

  • 1/2 c. pea shoots

  • 1 ripe avocado

  • 1/4 c. sunflower seeds

For the dressing:

  • 3 Tbsp. lemon juice

  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil

  • 1  1/2 tsp. ground cumin

  • 1/2 clove garlic minced

  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt

  • Fresh ground pepper

 

M e t h o d //

  1. Toast the millet in a small pot over low heat for a few minutes until fragrant and golden brown. Careful not to burn it.. Add the stock and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and reduce heat to low.

  2. Simmer for 15 minutes until most of the water is absorbed. Turn off heat and let stand covered for another 10 minutes.

  3. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

  4. While the millet is cooking make the dressing and cook the vegetables.

  5. To make the dressing whisk all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

  6. Melt the coconut oil over medium heat in a medium sized skillet.

  7. When melted add the onions and salt. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.

  8. Next add the broccoli and sauté for for 2 minutes. Add the cabbage and continue to sauté for a few minutes.

  9. Add the spinach and apple cider vinegar. Sauté until the spinach is just wilted.

  10. Turn off the heat.

  11. Cut avocado in half. Remove pit and slice.

  12. In a large bowl or plate add 1/2 c. of millet. Add 1/2 of the remaining components: adzuki beans, vegetables, pea shoots, avocado and sunflower seeds. Drizzle with some of the dressing and serve warm.

  13. Left over millet can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for several days.

recipeSaffron & SageSaffron & Sagefood, recipe, vegetables, bowl, spring, lemon, bounty bowl, cuminComment