Friends, I am pleased to introduce to you: Mexican Millet Power Bowls with Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette!
As I may have mentioned a few times before, Paul and I own a small, charming house that was built in 1910! We fell in love with its beautiful original oak woodwork that adorns the archways, base boards, and crown molding.
What does our oak woodwork have to do with Mexican Millet Power Bowls with Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette?
I’m getting there. As our house is 105 years old, it is not equipped with a central-air system. We are living old-school, with radiator heat and 2 window air conditioners.
Our quaint kitchen, where I spend a lot of my time creating recipes, kind of turns into this heat trap when the temps rise to 85 degrees and above. I learned quickly that if I turn on the oven, even for 30 minutes, the kitchen immediately turns into a sauna. The worst part is the heat remains trapped for hours after the oven has been turned off, even with ceiling fans on.
Why not install a central air system like a normal modern-day-family would? Well my friends, the duct work would probably ruin our gorgeous, charming oak crown molding. We would rather have the vintage charm and risk suffering from heat exhaustion than to be comfortable. Oh, the sacrifices we make!
So, as you may imagine, the last thing I want to do is cook a hot meal only to feel hot as I eat the meal in my sauna of a kitchen.
Cue Mexican Millet Power Bowls with Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette! The recipe requires almost no cooking and can be eaten cold or warm.
I can handle simmering a pot of millet on the stove for 15 minutes. Even still, I allow the millet to cool to room temperature before eating to make sure I stay cool. If it weren’t for that, the millet would be just as delicious warm.
I originally thought up these Mexican power bowls to be made with quinoa, one of my faves! This morning I went to grab my quinoa from the pantry, and there was no quinoa to be found!
Whaaaatttt?!?!
Apparently I forgot to put quinoa on my grocery list. Seriously, what kind of food blogger am I if I forget the main ingredient for my recipe?!
A human one. No robot chefs here.
I pretty much had two options: not make the recipe today, or use millet instead. Millet it is. You know what, I am glad I was forced to use millet for this recipe because millet does not get enough credit. It is packed with protein, vitamins, and fiber. It is tender and fluffy and absorbs any flavors you add to it.
Besides, quinoa gets plenty of limelight. It’s time to scoot over, quinoa, and make room for millet.
Just kidding, quinoa; we can still be friends. Quinoa would also be delicious in this recipe. Just make sure you actually have some in your pantry before you set out to cook.
Whether you choose to make these Mexican power bowls using millet or quinoa, I know you will love them! They’re:
Easy to make
Customizable
Energy packed
Satisfying
Vegan
Gluten-free
Bursting with summertime veggies
Spicy & sweet
Healthy
I hope you enjoy these Mexican Power Bowls with Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette as much as we do. They are definitely going to be a summertime staple in our house.
Mexican Millet Power Bowls with Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette (V + GF)
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 2 to 4 1x
- Category: Entree, Salad
- Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-free
Description
Mexican Millet Power Bowls with Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette burst with flavor and texture. They are loaded with tons of veggies that will fill you up.
Ingredients
- FOR THE MILLET:
- 2 cups filtered water
- 1 cup uncooked millet (can also sub in rinsed quinoa)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- FOR THE CHIPOTLE LIME VINAIGRETTE:
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
- 1 tablespoon adobe sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves and stems, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup agave nectar (Can sub in honey if not vegan)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems, roughly chopped
- 6 tablespoons lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Fine sea salt to taste
- FOR THE VEGGIES:
- 1 to 2 ears sweet corn, kernels cut off the corn. (In a pinch you could sub in frozen or canned corn.)
- 1/2 can black beans (1 cup) drained and rinsed. (Reserve the remainder of the black beans for a use in another recipe.)
- 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 1 red pepper, finely diced
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves and stems, minced
- 1 to 2 avocados, pitted and cubed
Instructions
- FOR THE MILLET:
- Combine the 2 cups filtered water, millet, extra virgin olive oil, and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt in a medium-sized sauce pan. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Allow the millet to simmer for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and allow the millet to sit, covered, for another 10 minutes. DO NOT remove the lid; you want to retain the steam in the pot. After the 10 minutes, fluff with a fork and set aside until ready to use.
- If using quinoa, combine rinsed quinoa with 2 cups filtered water in a sauce pan along with the extra virgin olive oil and the salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, simmer for 15 minutes, covered. Fluff with a fork and set aside until ready to use.
- FOR THE CHIPOTLE LIME VINAIGRETTE:
- Add all of the ingredients, except olive oil and the salt, to a blender. Blend the ingredients until smooth. Stream in the olive oil while blending. Add sea salt and taste to adjust seasonings. Add more adobe sauce if you want it to be spicier, or more agave nectar if you want it to be sweeter.
- Keep the sauce in the blender until you are ready to use it. Just before you are ready to use it give it another quick whizz to mix it up in case it has separated.
- FOR ASSEMBLY:
- I served my bowls cold, so I allowed the millet to cool to room temperature before assembly, about 1 hour. You can easily make the millet the day ahead if you want to cut back on prep time. However, I had plenty of time to chop all my veggies while the millet was cooking.
- The bowls would also be delicious served with warm millet.
- Place about ½ cup to ¾ cup cooked millet into each bowl. Arrange all of the veggies on top of the millet. I made 2 bowls and used about ¼ to ½ cup of each veggie per bowl; however you can adjust the amount of veggies according to your preference.
- Dress each bowl with a portion of the Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette. Serve immediately.
- Store any leftovers in separate containers, without dressing for best results. Ingredients should be good in the refrigerator for up to 1 to 2 days, but it is best when served fresh.
Notes
The Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette is medium spicy. If you want it to be less spicy, simply use only 1 pepper and less of the adobe sauce.
So good!!
glad to hear that you enjoyed it! 🙂