Black Bean & Polenta Skillet

Warm and flavorful, this dish is an easy recipe for a busy work night. I found this recipe while visiting one of my daughters. This is a one pot meal if the polenta is already prepared, so clean up is a snap. This day I made my polenta from scratch while the spinach was sautéing. Just follow the recipe on the package. Personally, I use non GMO corn meal/polenta. This can also be made a day or two ahead of time.

Black Bean & Polenta Skillet

Ingredients:

• 4 ounce fresh baby spinach

• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

• ¼ cup green chiles

• ¼ cup cream cheese

• ½ cup polenta, prepared

• 2 TBSP butter

• 3 TBSP Sriracha

• Fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Heat a medium sized cast iron skillet to medium.  Place a small amount of water and spinach in the skillet.  Sauté until wilted.  Add black beans and green chilies. Stir in cream cheese and combine. 

3.  Add polenta on top of prepared mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until polenta is lightly browned.

4.  Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, melt butter.  Remove from stove top and add Sriracha, stirring to combine.

5.  Once finished baking, pour buttery sauce over polenta.  Top with chopped cilantro and serve.

Summer Vegetable Medley with Polenta

The season is just right for summer squash and eggplant.  When I think of those two vegetables, I think Italian. Most people associate eggplant with the popular parmesan, but that requires breadcrumbs along with cheese.  Although this recipe is vegan and gluten free, it doesn’t have to finish that way.  There is the option to use Parmesan cheese in the polenta and can be sprinkled on the top just like spaghetti.  The zucchini and the eggplants were purchased from the farmer’s market.  I also added shitake mushrooms, garlic and onions that I had on hand.  The tomatoes I used were from my own garden, but feel free to used canned tomatoes in its place.

Polenta is a quick and easy grain to use in the place of pasta.  Since most corn is a GMO substance, I strongly recommend using an oganic, non-GMO corn meal. Once it’s finished cooking, I placed mine in a. 9x12 casserole dish to let it cool and give it some shape. If there is time, place it in the oven to allow the top portion to dry out a little giving it some crunch. The best part of cooking is there are lots of options. Eat well, feel better.

Weather outside is sunny and very humid, temperature is currently 83 degrees.

Listening to Lauren Daigle Radio on Pandora

Scent in the diffuser today is Lavender

Summer Vegetable Medley with Polenta

Ingredients:

Polenta:

• 4 cups water

• ½ tsp salt

• 2 TBS olive oil

• ½ tsp dried oregano

• ½ tsp crushed red pepper

• 1 ½ cups organic cornmeal

• (½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, optional)

Mixture:

• 1 medium sized onion, sliced and cut in half

• 1 large garlic clove, minced

• 1 large eggplant, diced

• 1 large zucchini, diced

• 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, cut into pieces

• 1 tsp basil

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 cup tomatoes 

  • Or one can of diced tomatoes, with juice

• ¾ cup prepared marinara sauce (omit if using can tomatoes with juice)

Directions:

1.  Put the water, salt, olive oil, oregano, and red pepper flakes in a heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a boil.  Whisk in the cornmeal as you pour into the boiling water in a steady stream. Bring back to a boil; reduce the heat to a very low simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the texture is smooth and creamy, 15-20 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese, if using.

2. While the water is boiling, place onion and garlic in a large skillet with a TBSP of water on medium heat.  Sauté for several minutes.  Add the eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms until nearly soft.

3.  Add tomatoes (fresh or canned) along with the sauce, basil and salt.  Cook an additional 5 minutes.  Keep warm.

4. Place polenta onto a place and top with vegetable medley and cheese if desired.

Can be served with a side salad or soup.

Polenta Casserole

I can’t begin to tell you how much I love Moosewood.  For those who don’t know what Moosewood is, it’s a restaurant located in Ithaca, NY.  Home of Cornell University and Ithaca College, Moosewood is best known for their vegetarian menu that is derived new each day.  Ingredients are purchased locally and in season to bring out the best in each dish served.  While visiting friends in Ithaca, I entered Moosewood because it was on the top ten things to do while there.  After dinner, I purchased five cookbooks.  I kept two and gave each of my three daughters a cookbook of their own. The best part is the ingredients are “normal” goods a typical cook will have on hand.  To me, that is key to ease of preparing meals in a timely manner. 

I’ve made this dish many times, and it’s a family favorite.  Over the course of preparation, I have omitted some of the cheese as it calls for more.  Fee free to add more if you like, I’m trying to cut down on cheese as a personal preference.  Dairy is a known inflammatory agent which has been linked to many chronic diseases.  By the way, it is still delicious without the extra calories and fat of the extra cheese!

Polenta Casserole

Polenta:

• 4 cups water

• ½ tsp salt

• 2 TBS olive oil

• ½ tsp dried oregano

• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 ½ cups cornmeal

• (½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese)

Vegetables:

• 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed (set aside for at least 10 minutes)

• 2 TBS olive oil

• 2 cups chopped onions

• 1 tsp salt

• ½ tsp dried oregano

• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

• 3 cups stemmed and chopped kale or spinach or combination of both

• 3 cups sliced mushrooms, white or cremini

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella or mild provolone cheese, or a mixture of both (2 cups in original recipe)

• 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes

• 1/3 cup fresh basil

• (½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese)

Directions:

Put the water, salt, olive oil, oregano, and red pepper flakes in a heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a boil.  Whisk in the cornmeal as you pour into the boiling water in a steady stream. Bring back to a boil; reduce the heat to a very low simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the texture is smooth and creamy, 15-20 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese, if using.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and oil a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.  Spread the polenta evenly in the pan and set it aside while you prepare the vegetables.

In a large pot or skillet on medium heat, warm the oil.  Add the onions, garlic, salt, oregano, and black pepper, cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the mushrooms and cook covered, about 5 minutes.  Add greens, still until combined.  Cook, covered, until the greens have wilted.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Assemble instructions:

Sprinkle ½ cup of mozzarella over the polenta. Spread the cooked vegetables evenly on top.  In a small bowl, mix together the tomatoes and basil and then spread the mixture on top of the cooked vegetables.  Finally sprinkle the remaining ½ cup mozzarella evenly over the tomato-basil layer. 

Cover the casserole dish and bake for 10 minutes.  Uncover and bake until the cheese is golden brown and the casserole is thoroughly hot, about 10 more minutes.  Let the casserole sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6-8

Prep time: 45 minutes

Baking time: 20 minutes

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurants Favorites