Author Notes: This salad was inspired by a trip to Whole Foods Market for lunch. I wandered around and around the prepared foods counter until I finally settled on the salad with raisins. Immediately, I knew I needed to recreate the recipe. I changed the ingredients up a bit by using millet and adding the summer squash. If you do not have millet, feel free to substitute quinoa or couscous. Don’t skip the raisins; they add the perfect counter balance to the Middle Eastern-inspired spices. —Rebecca Fallihee | Eggplant + Olive
Serves: 4
Ingredients
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juice of 1/2 a lemon
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1 1/2
tablespoons olive oil plus more for saute pan
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1/2
tablespoon honey plus 1 tsp.
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1/8
teaspoon ground allspice
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1/4
teaspoon paprika
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1/8
teaspoon cumin
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1/8
teaspoon ground coriander
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1
garlic clove, crushed
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1/4
teaspoon sea salt
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3/4
cup millet, uncooked
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1 1/2
cups water or vegetable broth
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1/2
red bell pepper, diced
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1
medium zucchini, diced
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1
small yellow summer squash, diced
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1/4
cup raisins
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1/4
cup golden raisins
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ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
- To begin, bring water and bouillon powder in heavy saucepan to a boil. When boiling, gently stir in millet and cover with a lid. Lower heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes. When done, set aside.
- While grain is cooking, stir together the lemon juice, honey, olive oil, spices, and garlic. Set aside.
- Dice onion, bell pepper, and summer squashes into a medium dice. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high. Pour in enough olive oil to lightly coat bottom of pan. When hot, add the onion, and saute for 15-20 minutes, until slightly caramelized. After about 15 minutes, stir in the bell pepper. Add a dash of water and remaining honey to sweeten and help caramelize.
- When onions are sweet and golden, stir in the zucchini, summer squash, and raisins. Saute for 5-10 more minutes until squash is slightly soft. Stir in the cooked millet and the dressing. Adjust seasoning with pepper and spices to taste.
Photo by Rebecca Fallihee | Eggplant & Olive