Cucumber and Millet Salad with Chickpeas and Feta

Sage had such low expectations for this meal that he admitted afterwards that he'd actually wondered how many bites he'd have to try before he could let me know he didn't care for it and fix something else. The surprise in his voice was audible as he instead told me how good it was. In fact, he enjoyed it so much, he claimed the leftovers for lunch the next day.

I knew I was taking a risk with this one. Originally, the recipe was Tilapia and Quinoa with Feta and Cucumber. I saved it because Sage especially loves cucumber, and we all like feta, quinoa and dill. However, we only eat wild-caught fish (and if wild-caught tilapia truly does exist, it certainly isn't available around here), so I decided to swap out the fish for a favorite protein of ours, chickpeas. Then for no reason at all, I decided to use millet instead of the quinoa, and this is where my gamble really was. The only other time we've had millet, the recipe had been a bust and Sage wasn't exactly thrilled about trying it again.

While this recipe was perfect as it was, it would be great with the quinoa or couscous too, and if you wanted to serve it as a side instead of a complete meal, I think it would go nicely with shrimp, any mild white fish or even chicken. Since this salad is served more room temperature than hot, it is perfect for warm weather. And according to Sage, the leftovers were just as good cold. 

Cucumber and Millet Salad with Chickpeas and Feta

adapted from Everyday Food, April 2010

serve 2 as a complete meal (with a lunch-sized portion leftover)

If  you get the millet started first before you began prepping your other ingredients,  this meal will be ready to serve in just over a half an hour.

2 cups vegetable stock (or water)

1 cup millet, rinsed

1 (16 oz) can of reduced sodium chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

1/2 cup crumbled feta

1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh dill

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

In a medium saucepan, bring stock or water to a boil. Add millet, return to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Transfer to a medium sized bowl, add chickpeas and let cool for 5 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients, season with salt and pepper, and serve.