Dinner for One: Millet Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

 Previous incarnation: Millet Salad

This post and the next few posts will be variations on recipes I have already shared. I am going to repeat myself: one trick to cheap cooking is to create variations of favorite, frugal recipes. For me, I start with the foundation. That may be a grain from my pantry or produce that is on sale and make it the star of the recipe. Working around the star of the recipe, I add fresh ingredients (the more colorful the better) and lots of flavor. When I make a variation of a favorite salad, I like to play around with combining cooked vegetables and raw vegetables. Not only does this add different textures, I find this opens up a whole new world of flavors. Sometimes I like raw red onions; when I only have yellow onions, I might cook them first. Or in other cases, the variety of veggies I can use grows. I just prefer some veggies cooked over raw. Yams, for instance.

I this case, I was craving one my favorite grains and wanted to dress it up. Thanks to one of my favorite blogs, I discovered how amazing yams and oranges are tog ether. I had heard of dressings made from orange juice and decided to try out a recipe. I knew it would go well with the millet because while millet is delicious, it would allow the yams and orange vinaigrette to really shine. Then, I just added veggies that sounded like a great addition to complete the meal.

Searching the internet I found the basically the same orange vinaigrette recipe over and over. Here is pretty much the same recipe from Giada, Dine and Dish, and La Kocinera. Recently, I even found the same recipe in the cookbook Heirloom Cooking with the Brass Sisters. Make this dressing (with the Dijon)! There is a reason it is shared repeatedly. The orange creates a bright, fresh flavor that complements the complex pepperiness of the Dijon. Do add some red pepper flakes to balance the sweetness of the orange and honey.

In this case, I would use the zest from only half an orange for this small amount of dressing. The zest of a whole orange in my case was overpowering. I love both white balsamic and the dark variety but I suggest using white balsamic in this recipe. White balsamic has a bright, balsamic flavor that is not too astringent. Plus, the color will remain bright orange. Rice vinegar would be a good alternative. I loved the dressing in millet salad but it would also be delicious over spinach. I will be trying orange vinaigrette with salmon. Enjoy!


Millet Salad with Orange Vinaigrette, serves 2-3

Millet Salad

1 cup millet
2 cups water
1 yam, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1-2 cups kale, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeds removed and chopped
1 jalapeno, seeds removed and minced finely
Cilantro, chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, divided


Orange Vinaigrette

Zest of 1/2 orange
Juice from 1 orange, about 1/4 cup orange juice
1-2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste

1. To make orange vinaigrette, combine all vinaigrette ingredients thoroughly in a mixing bowl. Season to taste with kosher salt and red pepper flakes.
2. To cook millet, bring 2 cups water to a boil in a pot with a lid. Add millet, lower heat, bring to a simmer, cover the pot. Cook until the millet is tender, about 15-20 minutes. If there is liquid remaining, turn the heat off, remove the lid, and let the pot of millet sit on the warm burner. Allow to cool.
3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
4. In a large bowl, toss yams with enough olive oil to coat. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Spread evenly in a baking dish. Roast until tender, stirring halfway through, about 20-25 minutes.
5. In a saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-low to medium heat.
6. Add the kale, stirring occasionally, cook 3-4 minutes, before adding the garlic. Continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant and warmed-through and the kale is tender, about 3-4 more minutes.
7. In a large mixing bowl combine the millet, roasted yams, kale and garlic mixture, red bell pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, and enough vinaigrette to dress the salad. Season to taste with kosher salt and red pepper flakes.
8. Enjoy!