Millet Bowl with Rosemary Mushroom Gravy and Kale

Here today, gone tomorrow.

A high of 22°C on Sunday, but only a high of 3°C yesterday. Ouch!

Let me share with you something that will not be disappearing so fast… my lovely surprise from the garden:

KALE! My kale is back! I swear, it is almost bigger than when we harvested it in the fall and it is not even April yet. I thought we had removed the roots, too, but I guess not, because little kale plants are popping up all over the garden. The Vates Blue Curled Kale is definitely a keeper. 🙂

Sadly, the kale will be our legacy gift as we won’t be able to enjoy it this summer (moving!), although I may be able to eat baby kale salads before we leave.

Now, the question for the gardeners out there. What is this plant? Is it a beet?

Last year, Rob and I diligently watered a plant all summer, thinking it was kohlrabi. We waited until the plant was nice and big because we thought it was a root vegetable. I eventually pulled it out to see what magical vegetable was hidden underneath….. except there was nothing there. We had been watering a weed!! We were very sad. But this doesn’t look weed-like to my virgin garden eyes (too pretty, no?)… and I don’t want to pull it out yet. We planted heirloom beets and kohlrabi in that area last year but nothing really grew. Our chioggia beets were gourmet: baby beets, not more than an inch in diameter in the fall (hehe). Please let me know if you have any ideas because it doesn’t really look beet-like or kohlrabi-like to me.

Back to the kitchen: Once I had the energy to cook after returning from Vancouver, the cold weather had me wanting a warming and comforting savoury dish. Angela’s Cozy Millet Bowl certainly hit the spot. Filled with sauteed rosemary mushrooms and kale overtop millet, this tasted rich without any heaviness. My changes were simmering the millet in broth, omitting the oil (since I was using a nonstick pan), decreasing the rosemary (just because I didn’t want to pick my plant clean), decreasing the tamari (1 tbsp of tamari is salty enough with the broth) and omitting the cornstarch. It wasn’t thick and creamy like a typical gravy but it was rich and savoury without hurting my belly (no grease, please). If you like a thicker sauce, add the cornstarch. I loved the thinness so that it trickled down to coat the millet. The worst part about this recipe? I wish I had made more!

Anyways, please help me with my garden query… else I may just rip it out in a month due to curiosity. Unless you tell me it is a weed, and I will rip it out tomorrow. 😉

This is my submission to Ricki’s Weekend Wellness and to this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by Terry.

Millet Bowl with Rosemary Mushroom Gravy and Kale
Adapted from Oh She Glows

1/2 cup uncooked millet, rinsed (or your favourite grain-quinoa, rice, etc)
1 cup vegetable broth
1 large onion, chopped (2 cups)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms (227 grams, 1 pack)
1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp low-sodium tamari (or soy sauce)
1.25 cups vegetable broth
1 cup kale, stemmed and thinly sliced (5-6 leaves of dinosaur kale)
Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt, to taste

1. Place a  medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the rinsed millet and toast until fragrant, around 5 minutes. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes without lifting the lid. The water should all be absorbed. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, place over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until beginning to soften, around 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and add garlic. Stir until garlic is fragrant, around 3 more minutes.

3. Add the mushrooms and saute for 12 more minutes, stirring occasionally so they don’t stick. Cook until mushrooms have released their juices. Add the rosemary, nutritional yeast and tamari. Stir to combine and saute for another minute.

4. Deglaze your pan with the vegetable broth. Stir in the kale and cook until the kale is a nice green and slightly wilted.

5. Serve mushroom mixture overtop millet.

Serves 2-3.