Thirty years ago, when I first stopped eating meat, brown rice was the go-to grain. A few others, such as millet, bulghur, couscous and buckwheat appeared in occasional recipes, but brown rice—short-, medium- and long-grain—was ubiquitous.
In recent years, while different types of rice are still an important source of complex carbs, the whole grain field has blown open. Recently, I came across some recipes that used sorghum, a gluten-free ancient grain that originated in India. Curious to try it, I started with this recipe for a sorghum bowl that I found online at The Healthy Apple. The recipe’s author is Amie Valpone.
The arugula in my back yard is about to go to seed, a process that happens very quickly. So I decided to try a sorghum recipe that would allow me to use lots of fresh arugula. Like most bowls, this recipe combines grains and veggies with protein for a complete, satisfying meal. It’s light and flavorful, a perfect spring or summer dish.
Meatless Monday: Sorghum and Arugula Bowl
- 1 cup sorghum
- 3 cups arugula
- 3 large red radishes, diced
- Juice of 1 large orange
- 3 Tbsp. plain hummus
- 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
- Large pinch crushed red pepper flakes or chili powder
- Large pinch lemon zest
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Cook sorghum according to the package directions (usually 4 cups of water for 1 cup of sorghum). It will likely take 40 to 50 minutes, but if you soak the sorghum overnight, you can cut the time at least some. I’m being nonspecific here because the cooking time is variable. Cook until the sorghum is chewy but soft. Set aside when done cooking.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked sorghum, arugula and radishes.
- In a small bowl, combine the orange juice and hummus; whisk with a fork until it forms a creamy consistency that’s a bit liquidy. Drizzle this dressing on top of the sorghum mixture. Add the remaining ingredients and season to taste with sea salt and pepper.
- Serve.