Millet and Brown Rice Patties with Tahini and Tamari

Grains Millet Rice Vegan Friendly

Millet and Brown Rice Patties with Tahini and Tamari

Sometimes the easiest dishes are the most satisfying, especially when you are pressed for time but don't wish to sacrifice flavor or nutrients. Take these deliciously nutty baked millet and brown rice patties with creamy tahini and salty tamari sauce. With hardly any ingredients at all, they need little adornment to satisfy the palate and appetite. I've always maintained that millet is an under-appreciated grain, and there is no reason for that. It's always a staple in my pantry, along with the more popular grains such as rice, quinoa and oats.

Notes: I would not recommend using soy sauce in place of the tamari in this recipe. Tamari usually contains little or no grains and is much less salty than soy sauce. Usually made as a byproduct of miso paste, it's thicker and richer than most soy sauce with less of a harsh bite. Depending on the brand of soy sauce you may have in your kitchen, it might not even be fermented and sometimes contains corn syrup and preservatives. Once you have tried tamari sauce, there is no going back after experiencing its more subtle essence.

These do not have to be baked, as they make a delightful and nourishing grain side just as is. If you have the time though, baking them adds a nice outer crunchy layer and brings out the natural nuttiness of the grains. I served them with refried beans and they would also go nicely with a side salad. Because of the protein in the grains and tahini, they would also make a pleasant and balanced light meal along with some thick tomato sauce or salsa.

Millet and Brown Rice Patties with Tahini and Tamari

Recipe by Lisa Turner Published on September 25, 2015 Easy, hearty and nourishing baked grain patties seasoned with tahini and tamari Print this recipe Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked millet 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice 3 cups water 1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed 2 shallots or 1 onion, finely chopped 3 tablespoons tamari sauce 1/2 cup tahini Instructions: Thoroughly rinse the millet and rice. Soak for 8 hours or overnight in a medium saucepan in 3 cups of water. Add the celery seed and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until all of the water is absorbed — about 35 to 40 minutes. Quickly stir in the shallot or onion during the last 10 minutes of cooking time. Remove from heat and let sit for about 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir in the tamari and tahini. Taste for seasoning and add more tamari if desired. At this point, you can serve as is, or you can shape the mixture into patties, like I did here. To bake, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat an oven to 425°. Shape the mixture into 1 1/2 inch patties, transferring to the baking sheet as you go. If the mixture is too dry, add a bit of olive oil. If it is too moist, sprinkle in a bit of chickpea flour. Bake for 15 minutes, gently flip, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Makes 10 to 12 patties

Other millet recipes to enjoy from Lisa's Kitchen:
Indian-Style Millet with Browned Onions and Green Beans
Northeast African Millet Patties
Millet and Chickpea Flour Crêpes with Spinach
Red Lentil, Chickpea and Millet Patties

On the top of the reading stack: Vegetarian Comfort Foods: The Happy Healthy Gut Guide to Delicious Plant-Based Cooking

Audio Accompaniment: Steve Roach

Red Lentil, Chickpea and Millet Patties

Beans and Legumes Chickpeas Grains Lentils Millet Vegan Friendly

Red Lentil, Chickpea and Millet Patties

We vegetarians don't have to give up on some classics from the meat eating days. For example, burgers. As an alternative, consider the ever popular vegetable and bean burgers. I think part of their popularity is because they're a quick solution to feed a guest who is a vegetarian if you aren't sure what to serve. In addition, many vegetarians enjoyed burgers before giving up meat. I remember eating veggie burgers, the store-bought variety, shortly after I gave up meat. Partly that was because I was only just beginning to explore the rich culinary options available, and veggie patties were easy, even if they didn't really taste all the wonderful some of the time.

Once I started cooking more and learning about world cuisines, veggie burgers weren't on the menu all that much. Even when I dine out, over the years restaurants have developed a wider range of offerings for vegetarians, so I usually choose something else.

However, sometimes there is nothing quite like a burger, especially when they are packed full of protein and flavor like these spiced up patties. There's nothing bland or boring about these. And certainly substantial, as lentils, chickpeas and millet are the shining stars. They really are a complete meal, even without bread.

A new favorite, these burgers would please even your most carnivorous friends.

It may look like a long list of ingredients and instructions, but really they are easy to make up, even if a bit time-consuming. I boiled my grain and legumes the day before, and fried up my vegetables and spices. Stored covered in the fridge overnight, all I had to do when I wanted to make dinner was to add the remaining ingredients, shape into patties and bake for about 20 minutes.

I didn't actually build a burger with them though. I served them on homemade whole wheat sweet potato flat breads with salsa and chunks of avocado on the side. Feel free to serve them with burger buns with your favorite condiments. The patties hold together well with an almost succulent texture, so they would work well served like that.

Red Lentil, Chickpea and Millet Patties

Recipe by Lisa Turner Published on February 4, 2015 Spicy and flavorful, these patties made with chickpeas, millet and lentils make a hearty, substantial and nourishing burger alternative Print this recipe Ingredients: 1/2 cup dried chickpeas (1 1/2 cups cooked or 1 14 oz can) 1/2 cup millet (1 1/2 cups cooked) 4 to 6 sun-dried tomatoes 1/2 cup red lentils 1/2 tablespoon olive oil 1 small onion, diced 1 medium carrot, diced 2 to 3 fresh chilies, seeded and minced 1 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon paprika 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon asafetida (optional) 1/3 cup hemp seeds 1/4 cup rolled or steel-cut oats 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1/4 cup chickpea (besan) flour 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons water (or 1 egg) 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste fresh ground black pepper Instructions: Rinse the chickpeas and millet separately. Cover the chickpeas with water and soak for 8 hours or overnight. Cover the millet with 1 cup of water and soak for 8 hours or overnight in a small saucepan. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then transfer to a medium saucepan and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour or until soft. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, bring the millet and water to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. While the chickpeas and millet are cooking, rinse the lentils and place in a small saucepan with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, soak the sun-dried tomatoes in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes, then drain and chop finely. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the millet, chickpeas and lentils. Heat the olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and carrot and sauté for 5 minutes or until the vegetables soften. Add the chilies, sun-dried tomato and spices and asafetida if using. Cook for another few minutes. Add this mixture to the bowl and stir into the millet, chickpeas and lentils until well combined. Next stir in the hemp seeds, oats and mustard. Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or longer. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat an oven to 350°. To make the patties, stir the flour into the mixture and then the flax seed or egg. When everything is well combined, shape into patties roughly 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Press firmly while doing to make sure they hold together. Transfer the patties to the baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Gently flip the patties and bake for another 10 minutes until they turn a nice golden color. Serve warm on flat breads or buns. They are also delightful on their own with some salsa and avocado. Makes 9 to 10 patties

Other patties to enjoy from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Potato Patties Stuffed with Spiced Green Peas (Aloo Matar Tikki)
Quinoa Goat Cheese and Parmesan Cakes
Chickpea Pumpkin Burgers
Chickpea Quinoa Vegetable Burgers

On the top of the reading stack: Food and Drink Magazine

Audio accompaniment: Robert Rich

Millet and Brown Rice Patties with Tahini and Tamari

Grains Millet recipe Rice Vegan Friendly

Millet and Brown Rice Patties with Tahini and Tamari

Sometimes the easiest dishes are the most satisfying, especially when you are pressed for time but don't wish to sacrifice flavor or nutrients. Take these deliciously nutty baked millet and brown rice patties with creamy tahini and salty tamari sauce. With hardly any ingredients at all, they need little adornment to satisfy the palate and appetite. I've always maintained that millet is an under-appreciated grain, and there is no reason for that. It's always a staple in my pantry, along with the more popular grains such as rice, quinoa and oats.

Notes: I would not recommend using soy sauce in place of the tamari in this recipe. Tamari usually contains little or no grains and is much less salty than soy sauce. Usually made as a byproduct of miso paste, it's thicker and richer than most soy sauce with less of a harsh bite. Depending on the brand of soy sauce you may have in your kitchen, it might not even be fermented and sometimes contains corn syrup and preservatives. Once you have tried tamari sauce, there is no going back after experiencing its more subtle essence.

These do not have to be baked, as they make a delightful and nourishing grain side just as is. If you have the time though, baking them adds a nice outer crunchy layer and brings out the natural nuttiness of the grains. I served them with refried beans and they would also go nicely with a side salad. Because of the protein in the grains and tahini, they would also make a pleasant and balanced light meal along with some thick tomato sauce or salsa.

Millet and Brown Rice Patties with Tahini and Tamari

Recipe by Lisa Turner Published on September 25, 2015 Easy, hearty and nourishing baked grain patties seasoned with tahini and tamari Print this recipe Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked millet 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice 3 cups water 1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed 2 shallots or 1 onion, finely chopped 3 tablespoons tamari sauce 1/2 cup tahini Instructions: Thoroughly rinse the millet and rice. Soak for 8 hours or overnight in a medium saucepan in 3 cups of water. Add the celery seed and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until all of the water is absorbed — about 35 to 40 minutes. Quickly stir in the shallot or onion during the last 10 minutes of cooking time. Remove from heat and let sit for about 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir in the tamari and tahini. Taste for seasoning and add more tamari if desired. At this point, you can serve as is, or you can shape the mixture into patties, like I did here. To bake, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat an oven to 425°. Shape the mixture into 1 1/2 inch patties, transferring to the baking sheet as you go. If the mixture is too dry, add a bit of olive oil. If it is too moist, sprinkle in a bit of chickpea flour. Bake for 15 minutes, gently flip, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Makes 10 to 12 patties

Other millet recipes to enjoy from Lisa's Kitchen:
Indian-Style Millet with Browned Onions and Green Beans
Northeast African Millet Patties
Millet and Chickpea Flour Crêpes with Spinach
Red Lentil, Chickpea and Millet Patties

On the top of the reading stack: Vegetarian Comfort Foods: The Happy Healthy Gut Guide to Delicious Plant-Based Cooking

Audio Accompaniment: Steve Roach

Red Lentil, Chickpea and Millet Patties

Beans and Legumes Chickpeas Grains Lentils Millet recipe Vegan Friendly

Red Lentil, Chickpea and Millet Patties

We vegetarians don't have to give up on some classics from the meat eating days. For example, burgers. As an alternative, consider the ever popular vegetable and bean burgers. I think part of their popularity is because they're a quick solution to feed a guest who is a vegetarian if you aren't sure what to serve. In addition, many vegetarians enjoyed burgers before giving up meat. I remember eating veggie burgers, the store-bought variety, shortly after I gave up meat. Partly that was because I was only just beginning to explore the rich culinary options available, and veggie patties were easy, even if they didn't really taste all the wonderful some of the time.

Once I started cooking more and learning about world cuisines, veggie burgers weren't on the menu all that much. Even when I dine out, over the years restaurants have developed a wider range of offerings for vegetarians, so I usually choose something else.

However, sometimes there is nothing quite like a burger, especially when they are packed full of protein and flavor like these spiced up patties. There's nothing bland or boring about these. And certainly substantial, as lentils, chickpeas and millet are the shining stars. They really are a complete meal, even without bread.

A new favorite, these burgers would please even your most carnivorous friends.

It may look like a long list of ingredients and instructions, but really they are easy to make up, even if a bit time-consuming. I boiled my grain and legumes the day before, and fried up my vegetables and spices. Stored covered in the fridge overnight, all I had to do when I wanted to make dinner was to add the remaining ingredients, shape into patties and bake for about 20 minutes.

I didn't actually build a burger with them though. I served them on homemade whole wheat sweet potato flat breads with salsa and chunks of avocado on the side. Feel free to serve them with burger buns with your favorite condiments. The patties hold together well with an almost succulent texture, so they would work well served like that.

Red Lentil, Chickpea and Millet Patties

Recipe by Lisa Turner Published on February 4, 2015 Spicy and flavorful, these patties made with chickpeas, millet and lentils make a hearty, substantial and nourishing burger alternative Print this recipe Ingredients: 1/2 cup dried chickpeas (1 1/2 cups cooked or 1 14 oz can) 1/2 cup millet (1 1/2 cups cooked) 4 to 6 sun-dried tomatoes 1/2 cup red lentils 1/2 tablespoon olive oil 1 small onion, diced 1 medium carrot, diced 2 to 3 fresh chilies, seeded and minced 1 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon paprika 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon asafetida (optional) 1/3 cup hemp seeds 1/4 cup rolled or steel-cut oats 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1/4 cup chickpea (besan) flour 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons water (or 1 egg) 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste fresh ground black pepper Instructions: Rinse the chickpeas and millet separately. Cover the chickpeas with water and soak for 8 hours or overnight. Cover the millet with 1 cup of water and soak for 8 hours or overnight in a small saucepan. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then transfer to a medium saucepan and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour or until soft. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, bring the millet and water to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. While the chickpeas and millet are cooking, rinse the lentils and place in a small saucepan with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, soak the sun-dried tomatoes in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes, then drain and chop finely. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the millet, chickpeas and lentils. Heat the olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and carrot and sauté for 5 minutes or until the vegetables soften. Add the chilies, sun-dried tomato and spices and asafetida if using. Cook for another few minutes. Add this mixture to the bowl and stir into the millet, chickpeas and lentils until well combined. Next stir in the hemp seeds, oats and mustard. Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or longer. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat an oven to 350°. To make the patties, stir the flour into the mixture and then the flax seed or egg. When everything is well combined, shape into patties roughly 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Press firmly while doing to make sure they hold together. Transfer the patties to the baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Gently flip the patties and bake for another 10 minutes until they turn a nice golden color. Serve warm on flat breads or buns. They are also delightful on their own with some salsa and avocado. Makes 9 to 10 patties

Other patties to enjoy from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Potato Patties Stuffed with Spiced Green Peas (Aloo Matar Tikki)
Quinoa Goat Cheese and Parmesan Cakes
Chickpea Pumpkin Burgers
Chickpea Quinoa Vegetable Burgers

On the top of the reading stack: Food and Drink Magazine

Audio accompaniment: Robert Rich

Millet and Chickpea Flour Crêpes with Spinach

Beans and Legumes Chickpeas Grains Indian Indian Breads and Pancakes Millet recipe Spinach Vegan Friendly vegetables

Millet and Chickpea Flour Crêpes with Spinach

I've often noted that millet is an under-appreciated grain. And that's strange, because it has a unique and nutty texture that is a bit lighter than rice and a fine accompaniment to any meal requiring a grain side. In addition, it works well as part of a main entrée too.

A substantial meal accompaniment, chickpea flour, spinach, carrot and spice shine along with the millet in these Indian crêpes.

I served them up with a mushroom curry for dinner.

Millet and Chickpea Flour Crêpes with Spinach

Recipe by Lisa Turner Cuisine: Indian Published on January 20, 2015 Quick and easy, these soft thin savory Indian pancakes are made from a hearty millet, spinach and vegetable batter Print this recipe Ingredients: 1 cup chickpea flour (besan) 1 cup cooked millet or quinoa (1/3 cup dried) generous handful of fresh spinach leaves 1 1/2 tablespoons hemp or flax seeds 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 1/4 teaspoon asafetida 1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional) 1 teaspoon baking powder juice from 1/2 small lemon (1 tablespoon) 2 cups water 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 shallot, finely chopped 1 to 2 green chilies, seeded and finely chopped 1 small carrot, finely chopped sesame oil for frying Instructions: In a blender, combine the chickpea flour, millet or quinoa, spinach, hemp seeds, spices and asafetida, nutritional yeast if using, baking powder, lemon juice, water and salt. Blend until you have a smooth batter. Transfer this mixture to a large bowl and stir in the shallot, chilies and carrot. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and brush with a bit of oil. When hot, add about 1/2 cup of the batter with a ladle and quickly spread out to a thin 6-inch circle using the back of the ladle. Cook for about 5 minutes until the bottom is golden brown, then flip the crêpe and cook for another 4 minutes or the other side is golden brown. Remove from the pan. Repeat until all of the batter is used, keeping the cooked crêpes warm under foil wrap. Serve hot or warm with accompaniments of your choice. Makes 10 crêpes

Other Indian quick breads you may enjoy:
Fenugreek Leaf Dosa
Sri Lankan Coconut Roti
Makki Di Roti (Griddle Cooked Corn Bread)
Indian Rice Flour Pancakes

On the top of the reading stack: Food and Drink Magazine

Audio Accompaniment: 4 Years by Origami Sound