Last night I wanted to make a roasted beet salad for dinner, but a roasted beet salad is just a side dish. I needed something else for the “main dish.” I wanted something vegetarian. I did not want beans. I did not want pasta. I kept going back to those Asian flavored millet cakes that I last posted, but I did not think the Asian flavoring would go well with the beet salad. I thought mediterranean flavors would go better. So I decided to adjust the recipe I developed for the Asian millet cakes so that it would go better with the beets. There are lots of mediterranean flavors, but kalamata olives and capers say “Mediterranean!” to me. And I had a luscious home-grown tomato on my counter, which would go marvelously with the olives and capers. I used the idea of cooking carrots and onions in the water with the millet to impart a slightly sweet flavor, as it had worked well with the Asian millet cakes. I did not have feta cheese but I bet that would go well with these. If you have some in your refrigerator, try adding a little to the mixture if you are adventurous enough (I cannot vouch that it will work, since I did not try it, though I definitely will try it another time). Or you could just try sprinkling a little on top so that if it turns out not to be good you haven’t spoiled the whole batch. I am pretty sure the flavors will go well together, though.
1/2 cup millet, toasted
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 small red onion, chopped
2 TBS olive oil
1 carrot, chopped fine in food processor
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 small tomato, chopped
1 TBS capers
1/4 cup kalamata olives
2 TBS chopped italian parsley
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 eggs
2 TBS flaxseed meal
additional olive oil for frying cakes
Toast millet, stirring, in dry skillet over medium heat until it starts to brown and pop. Turn off heat. In a saucepan, saute onion in 2 TBS olive oil over medium heat until the onions begin to become translucent. Add carrots and cook for a few minutes, stirring, then add water and sea salt and bring to a boil. Add millet, cover, and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes, then turn off heat and allow millet to cool in pan.
Mix eggs in bowl, then add all other ingredients, including millet mixture. Mix well with hands, then form 6 patties. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and cook patties until golden brown on both sides, pressing gently with a spatula while you cook. Serve warm.
Makes 6 cakes
