July 19, 2013
(last updated January 30, 2021) 
Hello, friends. It’s been a long, steamy, sweaty, melty week, and I’ve been feeling under the weather, so I apologize for being a little scarce here at CR.
Oh, summer in D.C.. It’s my third July in the District, and I’m starting to think that being stuck in a lab for the first two might have been a blessing in disguise. (OK, I take that back — summer physics was never a blessing in disguise.) Fortunately, I have matcha banana soft serve, carob chia pudding, and loads of salads to keep me cool and refreshed. And now I also have this delightful millet tabouli.
This recipe is part of my vegan lunch series for Food52, where I highlight some of the vegan lunches I throw together on any given day. It’s a little bit like some of the lunchbox posts I used to share when I was on campus each day, but now that I’m a working again, sometimes from home, I don’t always need the lunchbox!
I’m sure you’ve all seen quinoa tabouli recipes galore on vegan blogs, and rightly so: quinoa tabouli is very delightful, and it’s a good, gluten free option for those who don’t eat bulgur wheat. Because quinoa cooks quickly, it’s almost as easy to make as the traditional version.
This week, though, I wanted to think outside the quinoa tabouli box, and it just so happened that I had a big bag of millet at home. It didn’t take me long to put this millet tabouli together, and I am so happy I did! It’s delicious, and in some ways, I think it’s a little closer to the traditional dish than is quinoa tabouli; millet has some of the firmness and bite of bulgur wheat, whereas quinoa tends to be quite tender.
Anyway, go ahead and make this with millet, or make it with quinoa, or make it with bulgur wheat. However you make it, I hope you’ll enjoy the dish as much as I have. Keep in mind that, though I used a combination of three herbs (basil, parsley, mint) you could use whichever one or two of these you have. It’s an easy recipe to modify.
Millet Tabouli
Recipe Type: salad, side dish
Cuisine: vegan, gluten free, soy free, tree nut free option
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup millet, dry
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 2 cups tightly packed parsley
- 1 cup tightly packed basil
- 1 cup tightly packed mint
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: 1/3 cup cashew cheese of choice (you can use [url href=”https://www.thefullhelping.com/go-to-cashew-cheese-recipe/” target=”_blank”]my go to cashew cheese[/url], my [url href=”https://www.thefullhelping.com/raw-pizza-with-rosemary-cashew-cheese-arugula-and-balsamic-marinated-cherries/” target=”_blank”]rosemary cashew cheese[/url], my [url href=”https://www.thefullhelping.com/zesty-orange-cashew-cheese/” target=”_blank”]zesty orange cashew cheese[/url], or my Italian [url href=”https://www.thefullhelping.com/collard-wraps-with-italian-pizza-cheese/” target=”_blank”]”pizza cheese”[/url])
Instructions
- Place the millet and water in a medium sized saucepan or pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer 20-25 minutes, or until the liquid has absorbed and millet is tender. Fluff the millet with a fork and then allow it to cool to room temperature.
- Transfer the millet to a mixing bowl and add the tomatoes. Use a food processor fitted with the S blade (or a mini chopper, or a knife) to mince all the herbs and the garlic together finely. Transfer them to the mixing bowl.
- Whisk together the olive oil, lemon, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour it over the millet/tomato/herb mixture and combine well. Serve with a dollop of cashew cheese, if desired.
Notes
Leftover tabouli will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
On that note, I’m off. I hope to be a little more engaged next week, and in the meantime, I wish those of you who in similarly melty climes as cool a weekend as possible. Make some vegan ice cream!
xo
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Leave a Comment
Nov. 23 2013
Hello Gena,
On Friday, after hearing a chiropractor mentioned he makes millet ice cream, I bought a pound of millet. I am now searching for an ice cream recipe? Please help!
Keith
Oh my, I’ve no idea! I’ll have to look it up!
Thank you for posting this! I needed a reminder to make tabouli- I love it so much. I made a version of this with mostly parsley, only a few tbsp mint (I don’t like lots of mint), and a couple handfuls of cilantro that I needed to use up- I wasn’t sure about parsley and cilantro together but it was great! I also added white AND green onion AND garlic because I am that kind of girl that loves the stinky foods ๐ And I used part lemon juice part red wine vinegar for the dressing along with the olive oil. I LOVED the millet in it! I see all these recipes for quinoa tabouli but it just grosses me out- I hate how mushy quinoa gets, this was perfect since I undercooked the millet a touch ๐ Served over greens with cucumbers, extra tomatoes and a dollop of hummus.
Hi Gena
What a great idea to use millet rather than bulgur for tabouli. I’ll definitely try this recipe maybe subbing cilantro for mint, as I tend to find that mint can make dishes taste like toothpaste unless used in tiny amounts. But that’s just down to personal taste. Millet is also fantastic when part of a millet mash with cauliflower, seaweed, miso, olive oil and onion all mashed up in a food processor. But that’s probably more of a winter dish.. (oh and served with a tahini orange sauce, drool….).
V envious of your heat. Here on the East coast of the UK, we had a 4 or 5 days of late 20s before heading back to grey, cloud cover and the mid teens… Oh well… saves on air con bills.
Hope you are well and enjoying your summer.
Take care
Kate
I love trying out new recipes here. It gives my great ideas and my family loves them too. That recipe loooks pretty good too! I want to try this out tomorrow and see how my family likes it!
ahhhh! perfect. my mom suffered from a bout of diverticulitis a couple months ago and has decided to go gluten and dairy free. she also avoids red meat so this would be perfect since she def is missing her ‘grain’ intake. she adores mediterranean style foods but obviously traditional pasta is a big no no for her inflamed gut.
Sorry to hear about your Mom! Diverticular disease is common in middle age, and thankfully, not too hard to manage. Great to be eliminating allergens, but fiber is the big key to staying free of it, so those gluten free grains are important! Oats, rice, millet, quinoa, buckwheat–whatever. And psyllium may help if she’s not in the middle of a flare up. (I’m sure you know this already.) Best health to her!
On the topic of deliciously mediterranean vegan dishes – any chances you could ponder a vegan-take on Spanakopitas? ๐
Well, hmmm. I hate working with phyllo, but I bet I could figure something out ๐ Stay tuned!
There is one in Vegan with a Vengeance. It needs quite a bit of seasoning up, but with a shed load of nooch it does the job.
Lovely! Fresh herbs can really make a dish!
Tabouli is so yummy and I love experimenting. Must agree that it’s a great food to have when the weather is hot. Never tried millet in this way, but it looks appetising, not to mention that it is really good for you as well.
Looks like a very achievable recipe! ๐
Millet is such an underutilized grain, but I don’t know why. It is so tasty and versatile! I learned about it when I was studying the African country of Mali where it is a staple. This recipe looks like awesome, and I can’t wait to try it. I would serve it with black-eyed peas and some baked plantains (going with the African theme). Thanks for the inspiration, Gena!
You’re so welcome! And I agree that it’s underutilized — including by me. This is a good reminder to use it more.
I wish cool weekends were in my future, but sadly it will remain 112 degrees here in Scottsdale for quite a while. I will rely on this delicious looking tabouli to cool me off. ๐
Oof. Good luck, Christina!
I love millet! I don’t have any in my pantry right now, so I haven’t made it in a while. My favorite vegan restaurant makes a quinoa-millet combo, so that’s been the source of my millet consumption recently. This tabouli would also be great topped with hummus!
I like where you’re going with this millet tabouli… I love millet but tend to use it for creamy, warm dishes rather than pilaf-type dishes.
Lookin forward to trying it, it looks light and refreshing for a super sweaty week in NYC.:)
My friends say NYC is just as hot as DC right now! Hope it cools you off, Blaine.
Looks delicious! Luckily since I am now in the southern hemisphere not having to deal with sweltering heat as it is slightly cool right now (but not too cold) – of course January’s down here are hell. Also it would probably be a lot easier down here to substitute hemp seeds. ๐
Hemp tabouli is one of my favorites. Enjoy ๐