Check out how I use my local produce to make easy whole food vegan meals. As part of a CSA (community supported agriculture) I get a box of produce each week from a local farmer. In this week, I took almost everything I got and made a delicious Chickpea Millet Salad. Watch the video and find the full recipe below!
Chickpea Millet Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked millet (about ¾ cups dried)*
- 1 cup yellow wax beans cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 yellow squash, diced
- 1 cup leeks, chopped
- 2 inch piece of fresh ginger
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 small red bell pepper
- 1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
- Large handful fresh basil cut into ribbons
- 2 or 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon date syrup
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
- Black pepper to taste
- Optional: salt or salt-free seasoning to taste
Directions
- Steam the yellow wax beans for about 5 minutes, add the zucchini and summer squash and steam another 5 minutes or until it is to your desired doneness.
- Meanwhile, sauté the leeks in a dry pan until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Use splashes of water or vegetable broth to prevent sticking as necessary.
- Add the ginger and garlic to the pan and sauté another minute or two. Then add the bell pepper and sauté for a couple more minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients and mix well.
- Enjoy this salad warm or cold. It will last 4 or 5 days in the refrigerator.
*I usually take 1 cup of dried millet, add it to the instant pot with 1¾ cups water, cook at high pressure for 10 minutes, allow a natural release, then fluff the millet. This will yield about 4 cups cooked millet.
Pickled Peppers
I don’t have an exact recipe for these. I looked at a few different recipes online and modified to better fit my whole food vegan diet.
Most recipes I looked at called for equal parts water and vinegar along with lots of salt and sugar. My understanding was that the sugar wasn’t actually necessary for the pickling process, but that it could be helpful in making the spicy peppers a little milder. I don’t like tons of spice, so I added a little date sugar. Of course date sugar is a whole food (ground up dried dates), so it will not dissolve, but it did add a nice bit of sweetness.
I also avoid salt, but decided to go ahead and add a bit to get that traditional salty pickle flavor. I simply added a little less than called for and it turned out great!
I boiled the water and vinegar with the salt and sugar, whisking to dissolve the salt, and then added my sliced peppers and a couple cloves of garlic. After simmering for a few minutes, I transferred this to a couple jars and stored in the fridge for about a week. These were great for adding to salad, pizzas, nachos, or simply for snacking!
