Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook: A Seasonal, Vegetarian Cookbook (15 page)

4½ cups water

1½ cups millet, rinsed

3 large carrots, sliced

1 cup coarsely chopped onion

Pinch of sea salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a large saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until all of the liquid is absorbed.

Variations

To use a pressure cooker with a rice crock instead of a saucepan, decrease the amount of water or vegetable stock to 3 cups and cook for about 20 minutes, following the method on page 36.

Millet Croquettes:
When the cooked millet is cool enough to handle, shape it into balls or patties and fry or deep-fry them.

Millet Veggie Loaf:
Transfer the hot millet to an unoiled standard loaf pan. When it cools, slice and serve topped with
Creamy Cilantro Sauce with Ginger
or
Mushroom-Leek Sauce
.

Leeks, celery, and mushrooms enliven this pilaf and give it a flavor reminiscent of a Thanksgiving stuffing. If you like, you can substitute other types of mushrooms for the shiitakes. White button mushrooms, criminis, or portobellos would all be great choices.

Serves 6 to 8

1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2½ cups chopped leeks (white and tender green parts)

2 cups chopped celery

1½ cups stemmed and sliced shiitake mushrooms

1¾ cups quinoa, rinsed

½ teaspoon sea salt

32 cups boiling water

Heat the oil in a medium-size saucepan or skillet (one with a tight-fitting lid) over medium heat. Add the leeks, celery, and mushrooms and sauté, stirring continuously for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables become fragrant and their colors brighten. Stir in the quinoa and salt. Lower the heat, then slowly pour in the water. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, until all of the water is absorbed.

This festive savory pilaf is perfect for Thanksgiving and other winter holidays. For a winning combination, serve it with
Butternut Squash and Tempeh Stew with Shiitake Mushrooms
and a dollop of
Cranberry-Cherry Sauce
.

Serves About 8

2 cups brown basmati rice

1 cup wild rice

2/3 cup chopped walnuts,
presoaked if you like

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1½ cups sliced celery

1 cup sliced onion or leek (white and tender green parts)

6 cups boiling water

1 teaspoon dried thyme, or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme

1 cup sliced scallions (white and green parts), for garnish

Toast the basmati, wild rice, walnuts, and salt in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring continuously, for 3 to 5 minutes, until the grains start to pop and have a nutty aroma. Add the oil, celery, and onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onion softens and the celery is bright green. Lower the heat, then slowly pour in the water. Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes, until all of the water is absorbed. Stir in the thyme. Taste and adjust the seasonings if desired. Garnish with the scallions before serving.

If you’re craving holiday fare but don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen, consider this festive pilaf. It’s quick and easy to put together, and the combination of sautéed aromatic vegetables, wild rice, and cranberries will hit the spot.

Serves About 4

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1½ cups wild rice

3 cups coarsely chopped leeks (white and tender green parts)

1½ cups sliced celery

½ cup sliced red bell pepper

1½ teaspoon sea salt

4½ cups boiling water

½ cup cranberries

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the wild rice, leeks, celery, bell pepper, and salt and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables take on a brighter hue. Lower the heat, then slowly pour in the water. Add the cranberries. Cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until all of the water is absorbed.

With green beans to complement the jade-colored rice and red onions for contrast, this is a beautiful dish—and delicious too. Sautéing the rice gives it a wonderfully rich flavor, and almonds add a nice crunch. If you can’t track down any Jade Pearl rice, it’s fine to substitute other varieties, such as long-grain brown, basmati, or Chinese black rice. If you like, soak the almonds overnight to make them easier to digest.

Serves 4 to 6

1 tablespoon sesame oil

½ cup chopped red onion

1 cup cut green beans, in bite-size pieces

2/3 cup raw almonds,
presoaked if you like

2 cups Jade Pearl rice

1 teaspoon sea salt

4 cups boiling water

2 bay leaves

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 3 minutes, until it takes on a brighter hue. Add the green beans, almonds, rice, and salt and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Lower the heat, then slowly pour in the water. Add the bay leaves. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, until all of the water is absorbed.

If you serve this sweet and satisfying pilaf topped with
Creamy Cilantro Sauce with Ginger
, it could definitely take center stage. Celtic Sea Salt is especially good in this dish, but regular sea salt will do. Goji berries are so healthful that they’re well worth seeking out, but if you don’t have any on hand, you could also make this with dried cranberries.

Serves About 4

2 cups water

Pinch of sea salt

1 cup brown jasmine rice

1/3 cup dried shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and broken into pieces

1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

2 tablespoons goji berries

Put the water and salt in a medium-size saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then stir in the rice, shiitakes, coconut, and goji berries. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until all of the water is absorbed.

Variations

If you don’t have goji berries, you could try currants or dried cranberries—or just leave them out.

For a great summer meal, serve this cumin- and ginger-scented rice alongside a bean salad. Madagascar pink rice has an enticing color and an unusual, almost tropical flavor, but if you can’t find it, basmati or brown rice would also work well. If you do have access to some of the newer, more exotic varieties of rice, you might also try this with Bhutanese red rice, which will imbue the dish with a deep russet red color. If you use Bhutanese red rice, increase the cooking time to about 20 minutes; for basmati or brown rice, increase to about 40 minutes.

Serves About 4

1 tablespoon
ghee
or extra-virgin coconut oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 cup Madagascar pink rice

½ cup raw cashews

2 cups boiling water

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ cup chopped scallions (white and green parts), for garnish

Heat the ghee in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the cumin and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, until the seeds smell fragrant. Add the rice and cashews and sauté for about 2 minutes.
Lower the heat, then slowly pour in the water. Add the ginger and salt. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until all of the water is absorbed. Garnish with the scallions before serving.

This dish is a good example of how you can mix and match not just ingredients, but also cooking methods. Although the method is similar to a pilaf, I start by stir-frying ingredients with an Asian flair, including a generous amount of fresh vegetables. The result is extremely flavorful and colorful, and not unlike fried rice. Bhutanese red rice imparts another layer of color to the dish, but if don’t have any on hand, you could also use brown rice; brown basmati or brown jasmine rice would be especially good choices. For any type of brown rice, increase the cooking time to about 40 minutes.

Serves 6 to 8

3 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 teaspoon dried chile flakes

1 cup sliced daikon

1 cup diagonally sliced celery

¾ cup julienned carrots

2 cups Bhutanese red rice

4 cups boiling water

1 tablespoon tamari

1 cup chopped scallions (white and green parts)