Millet Garden Medley

This meal is great, it's gluten-free and vegetarian!!

My husband went to the farmer's market and came back with a bunch of sweet potatoes.  This is a meal that includes sweet potatoes, so it was perfect.

I *try* to follow recipes .... it just doesn't work!!!  I copied a grocery list right off the recipe and somehow missed buying several of the items.  : /  Here's the "official" recipe of what I made: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/1823

Here's what I forgot .... chicken broth!!  Garbanzo beans!!  Oops, hang on, forgot to put in the chili powder, be right back ....

I seemed to have recovered.  

I used my handy-dandy cheater chopper from Pampered Chef (no, I don't represent them!) to chop the carrots (a handful of baby carrots, or maybe three handfuls), a couple stalks of celery and an onion.  I sauteed it in some unmeasured olive oil.  When the onions were close to translucent, I added roasted garlic out of a jar (I don't like messing with garlic).  

I added the little chicken broth I had and two cans of kidney beans.  ALWAYS rinse canned beans!!!!  No, I didn't make them from dried beans, takes too long.  I added some water.  I chopped up things one at a time and added as I went along .... 3 sweet potatoes, 7 fingerling potatoes, a few kale leaves, a bag of corn, one broccoli top, but no tomatoes, I don't like them, and no parsnips because Whole Foods was out. Then I topped it off with enough water to cover.  Here's what it looked like:

Since I was low on chicken broth, I'm going to dissolve some miso in some water at the end and add it for flavor.  I'm not cooking the miso for hours because it is fermented and has beneficial properties that are destroyed by cooking it for too long.

I currently have the veggies simmering on the stovetop (Aga owners can put it inside the upper left oven, but I didn't because I like the veggies to soften.  To keep them crisp, put it inside the oven.).  I also have the millet cooking in my rice cooker.  If you don't have one of these, it's a must-buy!!!!  I have a Rival, but it's similar to this one: 

You need a rice cooker because it cooks things like rice, of course, but also millet and quinoa.  It makes grains a breeze and you don't have to worry about them becoming sticky.

This was great topped with some salt and Bragg's Liquid Aminos.

As you can see, you don't have to be a genius or super-organized to cook a good dinner, you just have to be willing to experiment!!  This is a great recipe ..... of course, I've never followed it to the letter!!!