It's no secret that I love grains as a base for meals but one of may favorite things is to mix grains. It's not always the easiest given almost every grain has a different cook time but the method below is perfect. I cook the sorghum by itself then add the millet and quinoa. The sorghum adds a nice chewy texture while the millet and quinoa add more heft. This grain pilaf with the roasted asparagus should go on your next picnic menu (or even a work-lunch menu). Or if you're like me, you can just make it for a light dinner!
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I think what I love most about these types of a grain pilaf is that anything can be changed. The asparagus in this is delicious but the grain mixture could be used in any season. If you already had a bit of dressing made that was your favorite, you could use that in place of the black pepper mixture and more fresh herbs are always good.
Vegetables: This grain mixture will really work with any produce. A fava or pea mixture would work in spring, tomatoes/squash in summer, or roasted squash in the fall.
Vegan: Leave out the feta and use your favorite vegan sweetener in place of the honey.
Nuts/Seeds: If you don't want to buy hemp seeds; sunflower seeds or sliced almonds would be a nice, crunchy addition.
Asparagus is one of the items that I don't really eat out of season. The thin, fresh stalks are no match. And so, I eat a lot of asparagus during the spring months. It's an easy grilled side dish, the perfect roasting companion, and of course, makes the perfect asparagus stir-fry.
Asparagus Salad with Turmeric Tahini Dressing
Grilled Cheese Crepes with Shaved Asparagus
Spring Asparagus Flatbread
This would be perfect for a picnic! I love the different grains you used too. I bet it's delicious!
I am exactly like you. Love grain-based meals, but usually cook one type of grain each time I make something. Thanks for putting me up to a new combination!
I love pilaf and this looks amazing. A bit high in ingredient count but great nonetheless!
I'm glad I've found this just as the weather has started to get warmer as looks like a great summer recipe.
Thanks. I'll definitely be trying this soon.
I tried this recipe tonight, but found that the 1.5 cups of grains you call for, once cooked, made way more than what was required for this recipe (resulted in approx. 8-9 cups of grain). I wonder if perhaps the ingredients you listed were cooked grains instead of raw?
I'm happy I decided only to use 2 cups of the cooked grains, as it tasted delicious and the dressing was enough to provide flavour to the whole dish.
I'm a big fan of your blog, by the way. Keep it up! 🙂
Hi Steve- So sorry about that! I did only use 2 to 3 cups of the cooked grains but reserved the rest for use in another meal (I've added this to the recipe). Although, it usually only makes around 3 1/2 to 4 cups of cooked grains, so the 8-9 cups seems like a lot!
So glad I found this recipe. I have a bunch of asparaguses just waiting for me in the fridge. Thanks for sharing.
I love this dish! And this blog! I am not Veg, so I usually add shrimp - it pairs nicely.