Clean Eating Thanksgiving | Millet Brussel Sprouts

The only thing more challenging than eating clean and healthy on a regular day is eating clean on Thanksgiving! The aggressive amount of butter, cream, and white foods makes everything harder. There’s also a significant lack of green - and when there is green it’s usually soaked in the above mentioned butter, cream, and salt. Or some kind of canned soup.

Millet is an ancient grain filled with iron, B vitamins, and is naturally gluten free. It’s the perfect grain for Thanksgiving because of it’s mild corn flavor with a little bit of crunch. Paired with sautéed brussel sprouts and onions and the sweetness of craisins, millet becomes an unexpected side dish that’s actually healthy. Obviously a dash of parmesan cheese is needed.

STEP 1

Bring a very large pot of water to a boil.  There must be at least four cups of water in the pan – eight is ideal.  Pour in millet and cook 15 minutes until tender.  Strain and set aside.

STEP 2

Sauté onion and garlic together in a pan with 2 tbs olive oil until onions are softened.  Add shredded brussels sprouts and cook, stirring often until wilted.  Season with salt and pepper.  

STEP 3

Toss brussels sprouts mixture with cooked millet, craisins and parmesan cheese.  

1 ½ cups millet

2 tbs olive oil

2 cl garlic

1 onion, sliced

1 lb Brussels sprouts

½ cup parmesan cheese

1 cup craisins

Because I know there will be questions:

Q: Why millet? Can I use something else?

Millet is great because it’s gluten free, petite, and has a tiny bit of crunch. You can substitute quinoa or barley. If you use quinoa, combine 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water in a microwaveable bowl. Cover and microwave five minutes. Fluff with a fork then resume the recipe from step 2. You can also use orzo if you’re looking for a pasta substitute.

Q: Brussel Sprouts are the worst! What else can I use??

Brussel sprouts are the worst when they are cooked wrong. These are sautéed and cooked with garlic and onions which make them delicious. It’s a similar to the flavor of cauliflower which everyone is loving right now so I say, give it a try.

Q: If I’m dairy free can I skip the parmesan?

Of course! There are several vegan options that you can swap out parmesan cheese for made with things like cashews and nutritional yeast.

You can make a complete clean Thanksgiving pretty easily - if you just think outside of the box (of butter). But don’t forget that it’s important to have a little balance so have a drink or a little cheese spread with your millet.