“Queen of Grains” Salad…Millet!

This article, photo and recipe is from “whole living: body and soul in balance” (a very nice magazine and website!) Original posting by: Posted by Frances Boswell. You can find out more about Frances on her lovely website, http://qiserasera.com.  F.Y.I. she is a self-declared foodie, was Martha Stewart Living Magazine Food Editor, and co-authored a book, Food Adventures. She then went on to learn about Chinese Medicine, and completed a four-year course of study in Traditional Chinese medical theory, acupuncture, tuina and western medicine and graduated from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. She now maintains a private practice, Qi Sera Sera Acupuncture, in New York City. Her “focus is on the branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine that uses food as the first line of defense in both the prevention and treatment of disease.  Food has its own energetic and spiritual role in our health which transcends food pyramids and an ingredients physical properties – vitamins, mineral, nutrient and caloric content. The mission of my practice is to teach this ancient wisdom, apply it to everyday cooking and to work with patients via diet modification, in addition to acupuncture, so to live, to eat, and to be well.” (words taken from her website.)

{Note from Liz: I must admit millet is not in my regular menus or thoughts. However, I feel I am missing out on some good health and so I am going to try this out. It sounds a bit out of my “norm” (i.e read food comfort zone) but I like mint, capers, cucumbers, lettuce and anchovies so, why not! For those of you that the even the word anchovies is offending, I would assume you can omit them. I believe what Frances says, and if she says try to eat millet well, in short- I will!}

“Millet, often referred to as the Queen of Grains, has been cultivated around the world for over 10,000 years. In fact, there is evidence, in the form of fossilized kernels, which suggests millet was more important than rice in the prehistoric diet.

According to Chinese dietary principles the grain is cooling in nature and is both sweet and salty in flavor, allowing it to target and strengthen the function of both the Spleen and Kidney. Here it is used as a replacement for either pasta or potatoes in a basic summer salad. It is paired with endive and cucumbers so to help clear summer heat, a common seasonal condition which may manifest as excess body heat, profuse sweating, parched mouth and throat, vexation, heart palpitations and digestive distress.

In addition the pesto-esque mint dressing helps to sooth and spread Qi, which given the importance of the free flow of Qi in our health and wellbeing, is always a very good thing.

P.S. A tepid millet bath is said to sooth sunburn.

Millet Picnic Salad
Serves 6-8

1 cup millet
2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups loosely packed mint leaves
2 tablespoons capers
2 anchovy fillets
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons flaked sea salt, plus more to taste
1 head red endive, thinly sliced
2 small Kirby cucumbers, thinly sliced

Place millet in a medium saucepan set over medium low heat. Toast gently until grains turn golden-brown, they will jump about in the pan. Shake constantly to prevent burning. Add water, cover and simmer until grains are tender and all the water is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Combine 1 cup mint, capers, anchovies, lemon and salt in jar of bar blender. Drizzle in oil and blend until smooth.
Combine millet with endive, cucumbers and remaining mint leaves. Add dressing and toss well to combine. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and squeeze of lemon.

Frances Boswell is a licensed acupuncturist at her practice, Qi Sera Sera Acupuncture, in New York City. She focuses on a lesser-known branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which identifies poor diet as a common cause of disease. Traditional Chinese Medicine understands that the importance of food goes beyond ingredients’ vitamins, mineral, nutrient and caloric content—food has its own energetic and spiritual role in our health. Frances’ aim is to teach this ancient wisdom, apply it to everyday cooking, and work with patients to modify their diets, in addition to acupuncture, to help them live, eat, and be well. Contact Frances here.