Millet & Vegetable Pilaf With Almond-orange Sauce

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 tablespoons canola oil or 2 tablespoons almond oil or 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 medium leeks or 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1/2 lb mushroom, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups millet
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1/2 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup minced almonds, lightly toasted
• 1 cup almond butter
• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 2/3 cup orange juice (fresh, if possible)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• salt, if desired

Recipe

• 1 pilaf:.
• 2 heat the oil or melt the butter in a large, deep skillet or dutch oven over medium heat.
• 3 add the leeks or onions and mushrooms, and sautee for about 5 minutes, or until the leeks or onions are very soft.
• 4 add salt, millet, and garlic, and stir until the millet is coated with the juices from the leeks/onions and mushrooms. cook and stir for about 3 minutes.
• 5 add the boiling water, cover, and turn the heat down to a simmer. leave it for 5 minutes.
• 6 add the carrots and green beans. (don't mix them in„simply lay them on top.) cover again, and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes. (make the almond-orange sauce during this time.).
• 7 remove the pilaf from the heat, uncover, and fluff the millet with a fork, mixing in the carrots and green beans at the same time. serve hot, topped with warm or room temperature almond-orange sauce and a sprinkling of minced, toasted almonds.
• 8 almond-orange sauce:.
• 9 (if you can't find almond butter in the store, make some by grinding toasted or raw almonds to a paste in a blender.).
• 10 grate the orange zest before squeezing the orange.
• 11 place the almond butter in a medium-small bowl.
• 12 add boiling water, and carefully mash with a spoon until the mixture is uniform.
• 13 add the remaining ingredients and mix well. taste to decide if it needs salt.
• 14 serve warm or at room temperature over hot pilaf.