Millet is an ancient food that you should bring into your rotation of foods. I tend to eat more millet this time of year and into the winter, where I like having the grounding qualities of this gluten-free grain.
Though it combines as a starch (rather than a concentrated protein), it contains a great deal of amino acids to build protein in the body. It also contains the important nutrient manganese, which may help with healthy hair and maintaining hair color, as a deficiency of manganese is linked to grey hair. A few of my clients have told me they have naturally seen the restoration of their natural hair color on the Beauty Detox program to varying degrees, which is of course super exciting! Millet also contains magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron, B vitamins, vitamins E and K, omega fatty acids and fiber.
This recipe is a delicious take on the classic version which is made with bulgur wheat. You can top salads with it (as I do) or eat it along with cooked vegetables. Another one of my favorite recipes to serve alongside this one is the tabouli salad recipe.
Makes about 6 servings
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups millet
- 2 large zucchini diced
- 10-12 cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 large sweet onion diced
- 1-2 cups finely chopped fresh basil depending on how much you like. I like a lot!
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh mint
- 1 ½ Tbs. olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- High quality sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Pre- Prep: Be sure to soak the millet overnight in water and rinse 3 times.
- In a saucepan over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Reduce heat, then add the millet and simmer until the millet has cooked to a softer texture- around 15-20 minutes. Pour through a strainer and set to the side to let it cool down.
- In a large bowl, combine the zucchini, tomatoes, onions, basil, mint, oil, sea salt and black pepper and the lemon juice together and mix well.
- Stir in the millet, and mix the total mixture together again really well. Adjust seasonings to taste. This is meant to be served on the cooler side, so it is a good idea to refrigerate for an hour or two before serving, or at least cool to room temp. Great on salads!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was on Instagram!
sounds good I am going to try it this week by the way I just got your book and cannot put it down it is so helpful and filled with such wonderful tips everything just makes sense… Kimberly you have inspired me to be my best in so many ways since I discovered your website I have made some changes in my diet some are: cut out all dairy except a boiled egg occasionally I haven’t had a single morning without the GGS and I have been eating almost raw food for the past two weeks also trying to be careful on how I combine my food and it has made me feel so good and light and just much more energetic I have also made almond milk by your recipe which anyone who was skeptic to try it actually loved it slowly but surely I am trying to follow the beauty detox solution I want to say a big thank you and please never stop sharing your knowledge
Hi Denitsa,
You are welcome. And thank you so much for sharing with us! That is amazing to hear, and I am SO happy for you and your improvements!! You should be very proud of yourself.
Eggs (preferably local) are okay to have sometimes, but do avoid all cow’s milk and cheese, etc.
As we go into the colder seasons don’t think you have to be 100% raw- you can and should adjust for what your body tells you, while still pairing foods properly.
I enjoy lots of soups, cooked veggies (like baked squash and sweet potatoes), and quinoa in the colder months.
Keep in touch! Love, Kimberly
Thank you so much for writing back I have enjoyed a lot of quinoa lately and at dinner I try to eat vegetables like potatoes often I bake them but your book is just full of recipes to try and just experiment with different ingredients to my likes and taste for the past year I have eaten very clean and as I said cutting out dairy including milk and cheese and eggs(recently) as well as meat which I would have daily before has helped a lot and to be honest I do not miss it at all I am just craving fruits and vegetables and anything in season now my body is begging me to eat healthy food that I actually enjoy sooo sooooo much I am originally from a Bulgaria and before I moved to America where I lived me and my family used to raise chickens pigs other animals and grow our vegetables and fruit trees in our garden so naturally I have had healthy eating habits but here in the states is so scary to have any form of meat and dairy and again I want to thank you for guiding me in the right direction and eat carefully
Hey Kimberly would bulgar work in this recipe?
Hi Heidi,
Yes it would. But I avoid it myself b/c of the gluten contained in bulgur, and because I think millet has so many amazing properties to favor using it in this recipe. But if you have no gluten sensitivity or issue and eat bulgur in other recipes, you can certainly use. xx
Love this recipe! I’ve been making this from time to time since I first saw the recipe in your book. It’s also good with bragg’s liquid aminos lightly sprayed on top, instead of the sea salt. I know I’m weird.
Hi Amanda, that’s not weird. I’m glad you modify the recipes as you like, to make them really suit you. 🙂
When I make this, I’ll probably sub cilantro for the mint (don’t like it).
Sure!
My Millet is already soaking – yum!
Thanks Kimberly for fine tuning my healthy diet. Your Detox Solution is brilliant and just what my body has been craving since I gave birth to my two babies. I now have more then enough energy to keep up with them. Thank you! If you ever do consults to Australia let me know as I would love to chat.
Your welcome Margo, and thanks or sharing with us!
Keep up the great work and stay on the Beauty Detox program. All my very best!! xx
What are some of the other functions of manganese in the body?
Also, does millet have as many amino acids as quinoa? Which is better?
Manganese has many important functions- brain and nerve function, helps the body form connective tissue, bones, blood clotting factors, and sex hormones.Low levels of manganese in the body can contribute to infertility and bone weakness. It also plays a role in fat and carbohydrate metabolism, calcium absorption, and blood sugar regulation.
Manganese is a component of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD), which helps fight free radicals.
It’s good to rotate your foods, including quinoa and millet, which are both good.
Thanks Kim, I enjoy reading your blog.
Dear Kimberly,
Thank you for every written word and every video!
I live in Chicago and still have a hard time to find places to buy raw seeds, nuts and spices. Do you shop at Whole Foods? Is there a website you trust?
Thank you so much!
Lana
Just search raw organic nuts and seeds. Learn about the company and get a feel for who they are and who you want to support. I like therawfoodworld.com Check em out. They have a great personal story to tell too.
It is so refreshing to read followers on your Blog! I have been struggling against family members who oppose your diet. Your book blew my mind, but of course they won’t touch it. It is painful to watch them consuming their meat products without limit and the obesity, diabetes and heart disease that is their reward. Most days I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone. Being a food snob is a new experience for me, I used to hate food, hated to cook, hated to shop. Once I went organic I had no idea food could taste so good or make you feel so good. It is a process but I finally kicked my cheese addiction. (Mostly because if I cheat and eat it now it wreaks havoc and so we are no longer friends.) I am embracing my new found life with this knowledge of foods I’d never heard of before. I’m gonna press on and make some millet tonight! Thanks Kimberly
Hi Sarah it seems like I am going through the same thing you are I have shared tips and ideas with my family to get them to eat a little better but very little luck I guess the one thing I am happy about is that they are not pressuring me to eat something I wouldn’t want I’m just 21 years old but so lucky to have better eating habits thank almost everyone around me as long as you are happy and healthy I guess that’s all it matters for others all you can do is try to share ideas and knowledge but believe me it is going to pay off in the long run for me personally what I want is to live a long life that I will enjoy
Sarah, I know where your coming from its hard to watch your family and loved ones not know or care to change there eating habits to improve their health. I am new at this, being very sick has caused me to take the leap to try and change, I have not been well enough to take care of my parents whomever are needing me, I feel so awful about it, that is why I’ m changing. Without your health you have nothing!
Thanks for reminding me I’m not alone
I HAVE READ ALMOST MOST OF YOUR HEALTH TIPS . MOST OF THEM HAVE WORKED OUT VERY WELL ,BUT I HAVE ONE MAIN PROBLEM- PIMPLES.I HAVE SO MANY OF THEM AND I HAVE TRIED SO MANY THINGS BUT THEY NEVER GO PERMANENTLY.I WILL BE GLAD IF I GET A REMEDY FOR THIS PROBLEM
Hi Lia,
I’m a big fan of inside-out beauty, but there’s something to be said for the right cleanser too. i had your same problem before I got married – I got a tip to start washing my face with a homemade cleanser of equal parts dried goats milk and rolled oats (I grind these up to get a dried mixture that will easily wash down the drain.) I saw results almost immediately – and now I rarely get a pimple these days, and usually it’s after I neglect my skin routine or start eating really badly. Hope you’ll try it – and have the same success. (It’s also incidentally the cheapest cleanser I’ve ever used, by a LOT!)
Lia,
I was having breakouts too and one of my friends from Russia told me about this trick (minus the goat’s milk, since I’m vegan) and it worked immediately. I even give my friends and clients small bags of it just so they believe me, best cleanser ever and I save so much money!!!
Kimberly, this looks great, and I will definitely try it. Have you thought about starting a restaurant with all your lovely salads? Preferably in New York? (pretty please?). It would be so wonderful to be able to try your food without always having to cook it myself!
Hi Kimberly,
Today is the first day that I am starting the Beauty Detox Solution (Happy New Year to me!). I am wondering if you have a recipe for making bread out of millet flour? I bought some, but am not sure which recipe to use to make the bread- as I want to try to keep with the program. (I was unable to find a pre-made bread.) Any direction would be greatly appreciated!
Hi
Hi Kimberly ,
I am 67 years young, a big fan of healthy eating for many years, as I was diagnosed with EB about 30 yrs ago.
Lately, Although I eat a clean diet, I was not feeling as well as usual and was extremely lethargic.
So as per usual turned to the Internet to start tweaking my diet, vitamins,etc. , when I came upon your first book and it turned me totally around! I swear on your Green smoothie diet! I have a smoothie every morning and when ever I feel the need for an energie boost. I no longer eat meat of any type. I still eat fish in limited quantities, and always wild caught. I have lost 20 lbs., my energie is thru the roof, and I look and feel great. I have since bought your new book. I love most of your recipes and so does my husband.
Thankyou
Hello Kimberly!
Keep informing us about healthy diet and what can be done to stop the aging process. I’ m 62 and feel like 16,
really! Since I discovered your blog I have been eating more avocados and beets and I actually lost some weight which was not my main purpose in the first place. I find it a bit sad that most people get interested in food only because they want to slim. It seems they don’t realise how important a healthy diet is for your body in general, and that you are what you eat. Thank you anyway! You are doing a good job and your videos are ever so refreshing.
Mireille.
thank you so much for blogging those amazing tips you are so amazing,keep it up,u really really help me a lot,
pls dont stop helping other people by doing this.God bless u.
pls help me to manage my severe insommia.
So glad you’re a fan of millet! Not that quinoa isn’t a nutritional powerhouse, but millet is an ancient grain that’s been used by farming cultures for eons. It’s gluten-free, nutritionally dense, versatile, and really delicious – especially if you toast it before cooking –> toast, soak, cook. And it has anti-aging properties. Win-win all around!
I like your program. I am a vegeterian and I want to buy one of your recepe book. Can I buy from you?Thank you. Love
I made this a couple weeks ago! It saved me from starving, ha ha. I just moved into a new place and couldn’t cook everyday b/c I was just too busy. It was fresh and delicious and HEALTHY! I will make it again. I added some cayenne and some avocado.
Thank you again Kimberly!