Thursday, May 13, 2010

Polenta me Please!







MMMM....Polenta. Even the word brings me comfort. When you can make one as hardy as my recipe, you will need nothing else but your friends. It is a great meatless meal and it's quite delicious!
Here is the recipe:

Black bean, Tomato Basil Polenta

4 cups Stone-ground Cornmeal
6-7 cups Water
2 tsp Salt
1 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 Onion,finely chopped
fresh Basil leaves or 1 tsp dried
2 cups Black beans
2 Tomatoes, chopped


In a bowl, measure out 4 cups cornmeal set aside. In large pot, bring 6 cups of water and salt to a boil. slowly add cornmeal, stirring constantly with a whisk. (add the last cup of water, if it is getting hard to stir) Lower heat and continue to stir until liquid is reduced and polenta is thick and it comes away from the sides of the pot.

Stir in cheese, black beans, tomatoes, onions and basil.

Pour into a buttered 9 x 13 dish. Bake at 300 degrees for 60-90 minutes till set.


I like to serve this with a nice salad and warm tomato sauce poured over the polenta!
So easy and SO good!

Nutrtional Tips:

Stone-ground cornmeal keeps more of the corn's hull and germ, which contain more fiber and nutrients, like Vit E! Keep your Stone-ground corn in the refrigerator to keep it fresher longer and to protect its nutrients.

I like to use Bob's Red Mill 100% Whole-Grain Cornmeal.
http://www.bobsredmill.com/medium-grind-cornmeal.html

Stone-ground Cornmeal is an excellent source of iron, magnesium, and phosphorus, zinc, copper, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin B-6. All very important elements to protect our bodies and build a foundation of good health!



From my DandelionHeart to Yours,
Eat Well!

4 comments:

i cant decide said...

Your polenta recipe looks good. I need to try it!

I grew my kombucha mushroom from a bottle of kombucha I bought at the health food store. You can find them for sale on the internet and there are also people who will give you one. I think you can find someone by doing a search on the net. I thought there was a database at one time but that may have been for kefir grains.

If you want directions to grow a mushroom from a bottle of finished kombucha let me know and I'll email you.

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Dandelion Heart said...

Briana,
Thank you! I would love to know how to do it from a store bottle. I had planned this week to order the mushroom from the Cultures for Health website, but I would rather get your recipe. Please email it to me!

RobbieKay said...

I see that Alea from Premeditated Leftovers is one of your followers. Very cool!

I want to try this recipe.

Dandelion Heart said...

Robbie, thanks for telling her about my blog! Let me know how it turned out if you decide to make it.