Black Bean and Millet Salad
Prepare this flavorful Black Bean and Millet Salad as a side dish or main meal. The fluffy and buttery flavor of millet with black bean, bell pepper, cilantro, green onion, and a tasty lime dressing makes this dish a hit.
Millet is the oldest grain that humans have cultivated over the years. It is a very healthy, nutritious, and gluten-free grain that is easily digestible and least allergenic. In modern cooking, the main thing that appeals to millet is its warm buttery, nutty taste and soft texture that can easily go with any sweet or spicy flavor. It is very rich; you will enjoy fluffy millet that has a slightly tangy and mostly spicy texture from adding lime juice and fresh spices.
The beauty of this recipe is the simplicity of ingredients and richness of flavors. Hopefully, your family, relatives, and kids will love to have this fantastic recipe. Try this amazing millet recipe today!
If you love millet, these millet recipes are a must-try: Millet Tabouli and Coconut Millet.
What is Millet?
Technically, millet is an ancient seed that is a perfect gluten-free alternative for couscous or even pasta. It is originally from Africa and northern China, and it mostly remains in the diets of the third most popular food worldwide.
It is rich in minerals, vitamin B, iron, and calcium. Also, it is alkaline, making it much easier to digest. You can find many types of millet, but you can mostly easily find yellow proso millet in your nearby local grocery store.
Millet has a slightly nutty, mild corn flavor and makes an easy side dish with curry, beans, breakfast cereal. These yellow beads have a delightful and light texture when cooked. You can quickly cook it because it is small in size and an incredibly versatile side dish that you can have from breakfast to dinner.
Black Bean Health Benefits
Turtle bean is another name for black bean, because of its shell-type appearance. Black beans are categorized as legumes, and they have amazing health benefits. Nutrients such as fiber, antioxidants, protein, and carbohydrates in black beans make it so valuable. Black beans have an amazing texture with a mild sweet flavor.
It is a very healthy addition to your diet that gives multiple vital minerals, nutrients with minimal fat and sugar. Here are some of the important health benefits of black beans, Read More.
Lowers Blood Pressure
Black beans are usually very low in sodium and have calcium, potassium, and magnesium, which are known to lower blood pressure. Sodium can drastically increase blood pressure, and that is why black beans helps not increase your blood’s sodium levels.
Bone Health
Calcium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, magnesium, zinc, and copper in black beans are known to maintain good bone strength and structure. Phosphorus and calcium are essential for building bone structure. Also, zinc and iron have their roles in maintaining the strength of the bones.
Manages Diabetes
You can achieve lower blood glucose levels with high-fiber diets. Many individuals with type 1 diabetes are known to get better results after consuming black beans.
Decreases The Chances of Heart Disease
Potassium, fiber, folate, phytonutrient content, and vitamin B6 of black beans are known to support heart health. Additionally, black beans have low cholesterol that can help with good heart health.
Prevents Cancer
Black beans have a mineral called selenium, which is not common for many fruits and vegetables. That mineral has a huge role in liver enzyme functionalities, and assists in detoxifying some compounds of the body that can cause cancer.
Weight Loss
Black beans have dietary fiber that heavily influences the digestive system in a way which is necessary for weight management. Foods with high fiber are known to increase the fullness feeling after eating. That is directly related to decreasing the weight of overweight individuals.
How to Cook Perfect Millet?
- If you want to have a fluffy, light millet, you need 1 part dried millet and 2 parts water (the instructions on your millet packet may vary from our suggestion, but we prefer this ratio).
- I wash the millet using a fine mesh strainer. Drain the millet, and dry excess liquid with a clean towel or paper towel. Toast it in a large saucepan at medium temperature for a few minutes until fragrant. After toasting the millet, add water and a pinch of salt.
- Bring the water to boil, then reduce the temperature and cover the pot. After that, the millet will be required to bubble away for 20 minutes, or until the millet is tender. I know you may want to look at the millet, but it is best to keep the lid seal, because the steam will cook the millet.
If you want to make your millet creamier like mashed potatoes, then add more water and stir the millet frequently while cooking. Creamy millet is also an excellent substitute for oatmeal, or you can mix it with some fresh herbs, beans, and vegan butter, and serve it alongside your lunch or dinner.
How To Prepare Black Beans and Millet
Ingredients
- Millet
- Black Bean
- Red Bell Pepper
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Cumin
- Garlic
- Lime Juice
- Cayenne Pepper
- Cilantro
- Green Onion
Preparing Millet with Black Beans
- Wash and dice bell pepper, cut the green onion into thin slices, and set aside.
- In a small bowl, start mixing olive oil, cumin, garlic, lime juice, and cayenne.
- Place cooked millet in a large bowl.
- Rinse and drain the black beans.
- Add black beans, bell peppers, green onions, and fold.
- Add the dressing and cilantro and stir.
- You can keep the black beans and millet refrigerated until serving. You can serve warm or cold.
Millet Recipe Tips
How do you make millet not mushy?
For perfectly fluffy millet, measure the ingredients accurately and cook according to the directions on the package. Excess liquid is usually the culprit for mushy millet. Also toasting your millet like popcorn in a dry skillet helps.
What can you add to millet to make it taste better?
When cooking millet, try substituting vegetable broth or vegan bouillon cube —it will make your millet more flavorful.
Should I rinse millet before cooking?
The package will indicate if the millet has been pre-rinsed. If not, you should rinse the millet to remove any dusty grain particles.
Other Vegan Salad Recipes To Prepare
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Black Bean and Millet Salad
Equipment
- 1 saucepan
Ingredients
For The Millet
- 1 cup millet
- 2 cups vegetable broth
Black Bean Millet
- 2 cups cooked millet
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 medium red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
- 2 green onion thinly sliced
Instructions
Cooked Millet
- Wash millet using a fine mesh strain: drain millet and dry excess liquid with a clean towel or paper towel.
- Heat the saucepan over medium-high heat, add millet, and cook it, stirring until the millet starts popping.
- Cook until edges are golden brown, but be careful they don’t burn.
- Add vegetable broth, then bring to a boil. Cover saucepan, and reduce heat to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until millet is fluffy.
Assemble Millet Salad
- In a large bowl, add millet, black beans, bell pepper, green onion, and cilantro.
- In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin, cayenne, and salt.
- Pour dressing over millet and toss to combine. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
To me black beans is thee best beans.