Curried Millet Casserole

Cleaning out my cupboards recently, I discovered a bottle of Trader Joe's Thai Curry Simmer Sauce about to expire. I hate letting things from Trader Joe's go to waste, so I did some tinkering and came up with this casserole. Two of my favorite things in the world are curry and casserole, so combining them was only logical. This dish is packed full of flavor, with tons of veggies for added nutrition. Plus it keeps really well in the fridge, so you can enjoy it for a week!

Don't have a Trader Joe's in your area? Well then, I feel bad for you. But no worries-- you can use any type of curry sauce in a jar. They're usually sold in the "ethnic" food aisles. Try experimenting with different types of curry! Just make sure it's actually a curry sauce, as opposed to the paste. Or, for the super-industrious types, try making your own curry sauce! This one looks good, as does this, this and this. Of course the different types of curry sauces do have different ingredients, so be sure to taste them first. You may have to adjust the lemon or the ginger called for in this recipe. Let your taste buds be your guide!





Bain taitneamh as do bhéil!





PREP TIME: 45 minutes
COOKING TIME: 25 minutes
SERVES: 6-8

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups millet
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3-4 large carrots, grated
1 small (finger-sized) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
3 cups curry sauce
1 lemon, zested and juiced
handful of baby spinach, washed and roughly chopped
1 cup raw cashews, chopped finely
olive oil, for cooking
salt & pepper, to taste


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large stock pot, bring vegetable stock to a boil. Add millet, reduce heat and simmer until stock is absorbed and millet is fluffy.

Heat up olive oil in a frying pan. Add onions and garlic, saute until just translucent. Add carrots, bell pepper and ginger, saute until pepper becomes soft. Turn off heat, stir in curry sauce, lemon juice & zest, spinach and millet.

Grease a large casserole dish and spread mixture evenly over the bottom. Top with raw cashews.

Bake uncovered for 25 minutes.


Serve with a nice cooling fruit salad.