Creamy Pesto Millet with a Fried Egg

One day I hope to integrate food into elementary schools' curriculum and teach kids to love vegetables. There are organizations that are already doing this, and I like to think it’s only going to gain popularity. When I finally realize this dream, I will also teach these kids about the beauty of grains. For about $0.50 you can buy two servings of millet/quinoa/bulgur from Whole Food’s grain dispensers, and add in whatever your heart desires – and it’s so much healthier than pasta.

After a mental rundown of ingredients I had in the freezer, refrigerator and pantry, I decided on creamy pesto millet and topped it with a fried egg and herbed goat cheese. Anything topped with a runny egg looks good to me, and it jacks up the protein in a vegetarian dish.

Creamy Pesto Millet with a Fried Egg

1/2 cup millet
1/2-2/3 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons pesto
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
2 eggs, fried or poached
red pepper flakes

In a medium pot, add millet and 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce and cover for 20 minutes.

In a food processor, add spinach, yogurt, pesto, garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Turn food processor on and stream in olive oil, then blend until smooth. While millet finishes cooking, fry the egg until white part is cooked and yolk is runny.

Combine millet, peas and yogurt mixture, and top with fried egg and goat cheese. Add red pepper flakes and more salt and pepper if desired.