Millet pumpkin, chickpea and feta salad

Millet isn’t exactly what you would call newfangled, but its popularity has soared with the growth of the gluten-free movement. It is one of these ancient seeds that has been used in many parts of the world from the Americas to Africa and Asia. In fact, I’ve often seen millet-based “raji” flour here in Dubai as Indians sometimes use it to prepare dosas, rotis and other delicious flatbreads. As for little old me, I’m ashamed to say that for years I associated it with birdfood – literally. Back in Canada as a kid, I had a budgie and that’s what he ate: see image. Luckily I’ve learned more about it over the years and have had the opportunity to taste and test a multitude of recipes with this wonderful little seed.

Here I share with you one of my favorite salads where millet brings together the caramalized taste of roasted pumpkin, the freshness of aromatic herbs, the slight acidity of feta and nuttiness of toasted pecans to make an unforgettable autumn salad.

Note: I once saw a millet recipe where they added tamari or soy sauce to it after cooking: it was one of the best hacks ever. You won’t actually get a amari taste but it will impart a slightly buttery flavor to the millet. See the asterisk (*) at the bottom to see how I prepare it.

Ingredients

Salad

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups of pumpin, cubed
• 1 tbsp rosemary, dried and cut up
• 1 cup of chickpeas, cooked or from a jar or can
• 1 – 2 tbsp cumin powder
• 1 cup of dry millet – prepared as per package instructions or mine*
• Handful of dried cherries or cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups of chopped cilantro
• 20 mint leaves, chopped
• 3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 cups of baby spinach, rinsed and dry
• 1/2 cup of pecans
• Salt, pepper to taste

Dressing

• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Salt, pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Place pumpkin cubes on a baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil, rosemary and season with salt and pepper
3. Cook in heated oven for 30 minutes or until it is golden on all sides, tossing around every 10 minutes
4. Take out of the heat and set aside to cool
5. Put chickpeas in a bowl and toss with cumin and a pinch of salt, making sure the chickpeas are evenly covered in cumin
6. In a large bowl, mix the millet with cilantro, mint, dried cherries, cooled pumpkin, cumin-coated chickpeas and feta. Set aside covered in fridge until you are ready to serve.
7. In a small bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients
8. Just before serving, toss the baby spinach leaves and pecans into the millet salad along with the amount of dressing you like. I usually pour half and serve the rest of the dressing on the side.

*I mix one cup of dry millet with 2 1/2 cups of salted water. Bring to a boil on high heat then reduce to low qnd cook, covered at a simmer until liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let rest, covered, for another 10 minutes. Fluff up with a fork and spread it on a large plate to cool. Add 1 tbsp of tamari or 1/2 tbsp good quality soy sauce and mix well.