It’s another busy week in the Portland food world! New places are opening, we’re celebrating Oregon Wine Month and the Portland Culinary alliance had our annual networking event! Dave and I have barely been home to cook this week – today was the first day since…. Sunday?  where we made ourselves dinner. That happens sometimes! It’s a lot of fun to be all over town, but eventually you get really excited about cooking in your own kitchen. And when you finally get back into the kitchen, it’s time to cook up some healthy whole grains and veggies!

I’m so glad that spring produce is back. I missed … basically everything that wasn’t a root vegetable I’m even buying cherry tomatoes at the store. A few, anyway. I know it’s not the same as what we’ll have in a few short weeks! We’re using them all the ways we can think of – stir fries, pizzas and dinners like this one!

It’s recipes like this grain bowl that pull double duty for me – they’re easy enough that you can make them when your brain is totally dead. But they’re nourishing and healthy in addition to being convenient – they’re not exactly chicken nuggets! So I tend to cook like this even on the days when I don’t “need” something easy.

And of course, there’s endless combinations. We’re using asparagus now, but in a month, it will be something totally different! What do you like to put in your grain bowls?

Ingredients

• 1 lb. asparagus, stiff ends snapped off
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 white/yellow onion, cut into wedges
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 cup dry millet
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. hemp seeds (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. toasted pepitas
• 2 cups mixed greens
• For the sauce:
• 2 Tbsp. tahini
• 1 tsp. sriracha or comparable hot sauce
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. creme fraiche (in a pinch, use sour cream)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Toss asparagus, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes and onion with oil and salt liberally. Roast all together on a sheet pan for about 15-20 minutes – simply keep an eye on the veggies for your desired level of doneness.
2. Meanwhile, boil 2 cups of water and add the millet to the boiling water. Cover and turn the heat down to a simmer, cooking about 20 minutes, or until the water is all absorbed and the grains are tender.
3. Finally, mix tahini, hot sauce, lemon juice and creme fraiche/sour cream in a small bowl.
4. When the veggies and millet are done, build the bowls by starting with the greens and cooked millet, following with the roasted veggies and sauce, and topping with the seeds