12.01.2014

BLACK BEAN AND MILLET SALAD WITH A CUMIN LIME DRESSING

black bean and millet salad with a cumin lime dressing // sevengrams

Around here, sunday afternoons always seem to play out in a similar way - I throw myself into the kitchen to prep lunches for the week, while a certain someone dives into the wonderful world of video games, or sunday afternoon football.

This past sunday however, after a wildly fabulous saturday evening, I found myself slightly unmotivated in the kitchen. This recipe, which has been sitting in my drafts for a little while now, seemed like the perfect solution in a moment of "eek, what do I make for lunch this week?!" Also, broccoli! I'm totally loving it these days -- crunchy, versatile and works equally well raw, steamed, sauteed or roasted -- the best!

black bean and millet salad with a cumin lime dressing // sevengrams

black bean and millet salad with a cumin lime dressing // sevengrams

BLACK BEAN AND MILLET SALAD WITH A CUMIN LIME DRESSING // serves 4

The beauty of this dish is that the ingredients can easily be adapted to whatever you have in the fridge, as the real star is the tangy cumin lime dressing. Don't have a sweet potato? Sub in some butternut squash. Not the biggest fan of broccoli? Replace with an equally crunchy veg, like brussels sprouts. Don't care for millet? Use barley, quinoa, or rice instead.

Preheat oven to 400.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup millet
1 cup water
2 medium sized sweet potatoes
1 T olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1 small head of broccoli, cut into mini florets
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
cilantro, to garnish

cumin lime dressing//
juice of 2 limes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp maple syrup

What to do:

Dice the sweet potato into cubes. In a bowl, toss with 1 T olive oil, salt, pepper and cumin. Lay on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast for 30-45 minutes.

Dry toast the millet in a saucepan for a few minutes, until brown and fragrant.

Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off, and let the pot sit on the burner for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked millet, raw broccoli florets, and black beans. The warm millet will steam the broccoli slightly.

Make the dressing by combining the lime juice, oil, cumin and maple syrup in a glass jar. Shake well.

Once the sweet potatoes are ready, add them to the bowl, along with the dressing. Delicately toss to combine. Garnish with fresh cilantro.