Toasted Millet and Confetti Vegetable Salad with Sesame and Soy Dressing

We used this recipe as a side dish instead of the main dish for last night’s dinner. Millet is a small round grain and The Other Williams and I felt it was a cross between couscous and brown rice. This recipe has an oriental flavor because of the sesame oil. It's very strong in flavor but very tasty!

Ingredients
Dressing:
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon cold water
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced

Salad:
1 cup uncooked millet
2 cups water
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper

Preparation
To prepare dressing, combine the first 8 ingredients in a small bowl.
To prepare salad, heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add millet to pan; cook 5 minutes or until golden, stirring often. Add 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Cool completely.

Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add nuts; cook 3 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring occasionally. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Cook carrot in boiling water 3 minutes or until tender. Drain; rinse with cold water. Drain. Combine millet, carrot, cilantro, bell peppers, onions, and jalapeño in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over the millet mixture; toss well. Top with walnuts.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups salad and 2 teaspoons nuts)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 238(28% from fat); FAT 7.3g (sat 0.8g,mono 1.7g,poly 3.9g); PROTEIN 7.3g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 35mg; SODIUM 587mg; FIBER 5.6g; IRON 4.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 42.1g

Marie Simmons , Cooking Light, JUNE 2007