Millet Patties

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I made these but had to try them.  I loved the bursts of color from the veggies, the lightly crunchy outside and soft inside.  I personally would probably half the amount of thyme next time. {heh, heh}  All in all, they were very mild and tasty and everyone in my family ate them up.  My little 11-month old really loved them.  We liked them with a little bar-b-que sauce on the side.  I served them with some oven roasted sweet potatoes and spinach salad.  I think a tasty salsa or pico de gallo or even Black Bean Avocado Salad would be really good on these, too.  These patties seem to be opposite of most burgers.  They're more of a "base" to add things on top of.  You don't want to put these in a bun that's for sure.  I did notice that the longer they sat the firmer they got.  Right off the griddle they are pretty soft.  And speaking of griddle, I just cooked mine on my griddle instead of in a skillet.  Recipe from Student's Go Vegan Cookbook by Carole Raymond.

Millet Patties

1/2 cup millet
2 cups water
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small carrot, diced (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup diced onion
3 Tbsp. toasted sunflower seeds*
1 Tbsp. cornmeal (I didn't have any ground and didn't feel like getting out my grinder for 1 Tbsp. so I left this out)
1/4 cup fresh parsley (I didn't have fresh so I used a tablespoon of dried.  Fresh would be much prettier!)
salt and pepper to taste

In a dry, heavy-bottomed, 4-quart saucepan, toast the millet on medium-high heat, stirring constantly until it becomes fragrant, for 3-5 minutes (the millet will begin to pop and smell like popcorn).  Carefully pour the water into the pot in a steady stream (heating the water before you add it to the pot reduces splattering).  Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat to low.  Add the salt, cumin, and thyme, cover, and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.  When the millet is ready, remove the pot from the heat and set aside.

In a medium skillet, heat 1/2 Tbsp. of the olive oil on medium heat.  Add the chopped carrot and onion.  Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.

Add the sauteed vegetables, sunflower seeds, cornmeal, and parsley to the millet.  Stir to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

When the millet is cool enough to handle, form the mixture into eight 3-inch patties.  (I just used a 1/4 or 1/3 cup measuring cup, scooped it out and then slightly flattened to 3 inches.  Gives you a nice round shape and you don't have to wait for mixture to cool first.)

Wipe out skillet that carrots and onion were cooked in.  Warm the remaining 1 Tbsp. of olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the patties and cook until each side is lightly browned.  Serve hot.

*Note:  In a small, dry skillet, toast the sunflower seeds on medium heat for 3- 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until they become fragrant and begin to pop.  Remove the seeds immediately from the skillet to stop the toasting process.