This Mushroom Spinach and Cherry Millet recipe is a perfect vegetarian meal or side dish. It’s hearty and filling without the meat.
Have you ever cooked with millet?
If the answer is no, you’re totally missing out.
To-tal-ly.
Ok, I hadn’t even heard of it until about two years ago, but then I read a post on it and decided to give it a try.
Now, it’s my absolute favorite gluten-free grain.
Trying to describe it is hard. It’s kind of like brown rice meets wheatberry.
There’s a definite heartiness to it but the texture and chew is what won me over.
The secret to awesome millet is toasting it before pouring in the liquid and cooking it like you would any other grain.
Toasting it, especially with coconut oil, gives it an amazing fragrance and slight hint of residual flavor once it’s cooked.
It will smell buttery and almost like popcorn while its toasting.
Definitely not a bad thing.
Unless you have a popcorn obsessed dog.
Like so obsessed she knows not only the smell of it, but also the sound of it popping in the microwave and starts whining the second she hears the first kernel.
We don’t feed Ginger human food except for popcorn.
Don’t ask me why, but Ulysses started throwing her popcorn one day and now it’s like a game.
Half the bag for Ulysses, half the bag for Ginger.
It’s kind of funny actually until you make something that smells like it (toasting millet) and she comes running into the kitchen looking at me with those pathetic eyes, panting and dripping saliva all over my wood floors.
A-n-y-way, back to the millet because hopefully most of you don’t have weirdo popcorn dogs.
This was equally awesome as a side dish with a protein component and as a light vegetarian meal by itself.
It makes a pretty decent amount which is always welcomed around here for leftovers.
If you don’t have spinach on hand, tatsoi is basically its Asian cousin and makes a great replacement.
Arugula, watercress or any other baby greens will also do.
Need more ways to use millet?
Try my creamy millet porridge as a delicious breakfast alternative to oatmeal.
Or, using millet to make a gluten-free tabbouleh!
Mushroom Spinach Cherry Millet
Ingredients
For the Millet
- 1 cup millet
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 2 cups water
- 1 pound mushrooms, cleaned and chopped (I used 1/2 & 1/2 of shiitake and button)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon butter
- salt & pepper
- 1/3 cup dried cherries, chopped
- 2 cups baby spinach, chopped
For the Dressing
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
For the Topping
- handful of toasted, chopped pecans
Instructions
- Heat coconut oil in small sauce pan over medium high heat.
- Add millet and toast for 2-3 minutes until fragrant
- Add water, bring to a boil, cover and turn down to a simmer until water is fully absorbed.
- While millet is cooking, heat evoo and butter in saute pan over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and salt & pepper. Let saute until mushrooms are fully cooked and any water has cooked off.
- Combine cooked mushrooms, dried cherries and baby spinach in a large bowl. Add millet once fully cooked and toss to combine and wilt the spinach.
- Whisk together dressing ingredients in a separate small bowl and pour over millet mixture. Toss to combine. Season with salt & pepper to taste and top with pecans if using.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
tasty food and reminds me to use more millet and less chocolate in my cooking…this time of year :)
I never tried using this before! I kind of want to eat some now, though. Thanks for sharing your tips!
I love millet. It’s a most underused grain. I vote we give it its own holiday.
i’ve never cooked with millet! this recipe looks so delicious I’m definitely going to try it out! Does millet have a similar consistency to cous cous?
Kind of. A little chewier than cous cous…
Beautiful photos! The dish looks incredible (I’m pretty much on board with anything that includes pecans :) )
Bungee is TERRIFIED of popcorn. When it starts popping in the microwave, she runs and cowers in the living room until it’s done.
I’ve never cooked with millet, but this dish looks really good to me right now! And it’s only 8am!
I also really love millet. It’s great cooked in some veggie broth too.
My dog is the same way with chickpeas and sweet potatoes. Every time we eat them, she thinks they’re for her and will paw at us until we give her a few bites. She thinks everything is for her though. :)
I haven’t made millet yet. I also haven’t toasted my grains before cooking them. Thanks for the tip. I’ll have to try that.
Happy Friday!
Love this! Looks amazing!