Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Chicken Marinara with Millet

While trying to clean up my diet and find some alternative's to what I normally would eat, I discovered Millet!
This is a wonderful grain that I encourage you to read up on.  Here is a link for you to see all the benefits!

I love chicken marinara almost better than my normal meat sauce.  There really isn't much to making it, but time.  I love the taste of roasted chicken, falling apart in almost anything.  In this dish, I substituted the normal bed of rice or pasta for millet and was surprised by the result.
I had never prepared millet before so it was all a new experience, but the pasta sauce part is still the same.
Start with about 7 chicken tenderloins and place in the crock pot.  Top with your favorite jar pasta sauces.  Im just not that "from scratch" yet that I don't love a little convenience.
My favorite combo of sauces include a roasted garlic and basil sauce with a cheese blend sauce.  I also like the garden combinations with chunks of veggies.  You could get so creative with this dish.  I think that roasted zucchini would be amazing with this or tossed into the crock pot towards the end of the cooking.  The possibilities are truly endless. But for the sake of time on this particular day - my marinara was simple. 
I cook this in the crock pot on high for 4 hours and then turn it to low, for a couple more.  If you are going to be gone all day at work, you could cook it on  low all day long and it would probably be perfection by the time you got home! 
To prepare Millet, some say its best to soak this overnight or for 8-24 hours before cooking to cut down on cooking time.  I didn't know about this trick the first time preparing it.  I just followed the pkg directions for 2 parts water 1 part millet.  Millet expands 2 times it size.  You cook it just like rice, but for a longer time.  30 - 40 minutes until it has absorbed all the water.
For more Recipes with Millet, you can check out Whole Living Magazine online.  The article in the January issue about all the benefits of Millet and several other grains is what turned me on to trying it.  This is going to become a regular part of my diet!
Its Gluten Free, Hydrates the digestive system, full of awesome minerals, the list goes on and on!  I hope you try it and enjoy!

1 comment:

  1. I wish I lived across the street from you so I could come eat at your house.

    ReplyDelete

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