Curried Millet with Raw Apple Relish {vegan, gluten-free}

Curried millet with raw apple relish has bright fresh flavors reliable for year-round meals. It is vegan, gluten-free, and frugal.

Are you vegan? Do you eat dairy? Or eggs? Are you following a Paleo diet? What do you think about eating grains?

It’s not surprising that I’ve been getting these questions from readers lately. A cursory glance at my posting history may lead to the conclusion that I am serial flip-flopper; at least as far as recipe development is concerned.

My explanation is plain: I love to play in the kitchen! I also relish a culinary challenge. For example is it possible to make cut-out “sugar” cookies free of grains and, well, sugar? Can vegan muffins taste as good (or better?) as traditional egg and dairy muffins? Or, can I convince my husband that cookies made from chickpeas are both edible and satisfying?

Sometimes the answer is a resounding “no,” but more often than not, it’s a bold “yes!” I can be quixotic in my recipe aims, but it’s so satisfying when an experiment works (especially when the experiment is something I can serve for dinner).

Millet: The Frugal & Versatile Especially Grain

Moving on, let’s talk ancient grains. Namely, millet. With Christmas fast approaching, I’m trying my reliable to tighten my grocery shopping belt and cook from my pantry as much as possible. I’ve had a bag ofBob’s Red Mill milletsitting on my shelf for more than a month; today’s the day to open it!

Have you tried millet? It does not have the popularity of grains like quinoa or farro, but it should: it’s naturally gluten-free, high in protein, incredibly versatile, satisfying, quick-to-prepare, and inexpensive (about 1/4 the price of quinoa). The cooked texture will remind you of couscous (the small round seeds are about the same size as couscous), but you can also toast it and use it in place of nuts in baked goods like cookies and muffins (like myVegan Toasted Millet Banana Muffins).

In this recipe I treat millet much like rice or quinoa, adding a double punch of flavor fresh ginger and curry. B

e sure to warm up the curry powder in oil before adding to the millet–it takes away the “raw” flavor of the spices and increases the depth of flavor. The crunchy apple and walnut relish on top is fresh and straightforward counterpoint to the boldly flavored millet–a reliable lunch or dinner.

To millet!

More Great Vegan & Gluten-Free Millet Recipes to Try:

1. 1. Flourless Apple Millet Muffins
   2. Vegan Millet Kale Quiches
   3. Millet Apricot Energy Bars (no-cook, 5 ingredients)
   4. Toasted Millet Banana Muffins
   5. Carrot Cake Millet Breakfast Bars {Low Fodmap}