millet and vegetable patties, gluten-free and egg-free, and many thanks to my garden

Millet is a gluten-free cereal that tastes rather dry and is hard to shape into patties. Steaming it somewhat helps, but not totally. But my recent experiments with chia seeds (I posted two cookie recipes on my French blog, one of which egg-free, sorry, I haven’t had the time to translate them) have led me to try adding it as a binding agent, and it works ! These patties are made with millet and whatever vegetables you have at hand.

Ingredients, preferably organic ( for 2 servings)

– 50g fresh or frozen peas

– 1 red, green, or yellow bell pepper, or a mix

– 80g millet

– 2 tsp ground chia seeds

– pinch all natural sea salt (I personally do not trust very white salt)

– some olive oil for cooking and shaping the patties

How to:

1. Cook peas in about 250ml water (½ cup). Remove using slated spoon but save cooking liquid. Roast cut and seeded pepper under a hot grill, skin side up, so you can peel it easily before cutting it into small chunks.

2. Wash millet thoroughly, drain, and place in a non-stick pan, on low. When all the water has evaporated*, add 220 ml of the pea cooking liquid and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook on low for about 20 minutes, until millet is no longer crunchy.

*This method, which I use all the time unless I steam the millet, seems to remove the slight bitterness of the seeds.

3. Add ground chia seeds to cooked millet and mix well. The difference can be felt right away : the millet becomes sticky. Not to worry, dear neighbors: chia seeds do not add any flavor or funny texture ! Things might be different with flax meal though.

plain cooked millet…

… with added chia

Add cooked peas and chopped pepper, then shape patties (easily done with oiled hands) and place on an oiled plate (to prevent sticking).

The patties can now (or later) be pan-fried in a bit of olive oil, a few minutes on each side, just enough to make them golden and a little crispy.

Enjoy !

Spring is here, dear neighbors, and we finally got some rain over our vegetables and flowers ! The crawlers** we planted last spring took and spread. I seem to have a much greener thumb outside than indoors, where even cacti die in my care – which is why my husband is now in charge of them ! I never suspected I would have have such good luck outside. Had I known, I would have started gardening a long time ago !

**Help ! Is that the real name for plants that spread?