Millet Sunflower Croquettes with Carrot-Ginger Sauce

I enjoy a nice side of rice as much as the next girl, but it's easy to get into a rut when it comes to grains and forget about all the other options out there. Take millet for example. It's tiny and round (you've probably seen it in bird seed or spilling out of a ripped bean bag). It's slightly nutty and mild on its own, so it tends to take on the flavors of whatever is cooked with it.

These vegan croquettes make a nice, light meal (especially when baked). Plus the carrot-ginger sauce adds some fresh zing. If you don't have a vegetable juicer, try your local health food store (they might offer fresh vegetable juice or have carrot juice in the refrigerator). If not, these would taste great with other sauces too (like a nice mushroom sauce maybe).

MILLET SUNFLOWER CROQUETTES

Yield: 8-12 croquettes

1 tablespoon canola oil, plus more for frying

½ cup finely chopped onion

salt

1 cup millet

3 cups water

1/3 cup sunflower seeds, lightly toasted and finely ground

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

1.      Warm the oil in a medium sauce pan.  Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt and sauté 5-6 minutes over medium heat until soft and translucent.

2.      Add the millet, water and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer.  Lower the heat and cook covered until the millet has absorbed the water, about 30 minutes.

3.      Transfer the millet to a bowl and let cool.  Stir in the ground sunflower seeds and parsley.

4.      With wet hands, form the millet into croquettes.  Pan fry* croquettes in oil and serve with zesty carrot ginger sauce.

*To bake: Transfer croquettes to a lightly oiled sheet pan. Brush croquettes lightly with oil and bake at 400º F. until crispy, about 20 minutes.

Copyright © Peter Berley. All rights reserved.

cooked onions

raw millet
I forgot to snap a photo of my millet before
I cooked it (this one is from Wikipedia).

water and millet added

cooked millet

sunflower seeds

ground sunflower seeds

chopped parsley

mixing all the ingredients

mixed

formed millet croquette (not cooked yet)

baked millet croquettes

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CARROT-GINGER SAUCE

Yield: 2 cups

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

3 scallions (white parts), finely chopped

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon sea salt, plus additional to taste

2 cups fresh carrot juice

3/4 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 (2-inch) strip lemon peel

2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1.     In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the scallions, thyme, and sea salt. Saute for a minute, cover the pan and cook over the lowest possible heat for 5 minutes. Do not let the scallions brown.

2.     Add the carrot juice, ginger, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Raise the heat and to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes.

3.     In a small bowl dissolve the arrowroot in 2 tablespoons cold water. Add it to the pan and stir continuously until the sauce thickens. Remove and discard the lemon peel. Add the parsley and simmer for 1 minute. Serve immediately or cool to room temperature and refrigerate. The sauce will keep for up to 2 days.

Copyright © Peter Berley. All rights reserved.

Juiceman juicer and carrots (we used to watch a lot of late night television)

fresh carrot juice

thyme

carrot juice mixture (before arrowroot was added)

thickened sauce (after arrowroot was added)

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