Polenta, Vegetables, & Tomato Vinaigrette

This recipe originated from the Clean Start cookbook by Terry Walters and its awesome. It's incredibly simple to make, perfect for a weeknight meal. Polenta is made from mixing cornmeal and boiling water and stirring until thick and wonderful. Water can be on the plain side so I like to use vegetable broth, which adds flavor. The broth also turns the polenta a darker shade. Polenta is extremely versatile. In this recipe its cooked then poured into a bowl for serving. But you could also pour the cooked polenta on to a sheet pan in a thin layer and allow to cool in the fridge for a couple hours. Now you could grill or even fry it. It's outstanding fried with a marinara sauce for dipping. Oh the possibilities are endless!


At the food store you can find lots of products labeled as polenta, but I think its cheaper and easier to just buy cornmeal. Bags come for around 99 cents from Goya. Pretty darn cheap. Switch up the vegetables in this recipe according to season or what looks fresh at the store. You will have left over tomato vinaigrette, but keep it for salads, it's really good!


Polenta with Vegetables and a Tomato Vinaigrette
Yield: Four Servings


Tomato Vinaigrette:
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup parsley
1/2 cup tomato, chopped
salt and pepper


Vegetables:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 portobello mushrooms, chopped
salt and pepper


Polenta:
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup cornmeal
salt and pepper


1. Prepare Vinaigrette: Place garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and parsley into a food processor and pulse until chopped. Add tomato and blend until combined. Season with salt and pepper.


2. Cook Vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a medium pan. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and portobello mushrooms. Cook an additional 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm while you cook the polenta.


3. Polenta: In a medium sauce pan bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal. If you add too much at once the cornmeal with clump together. It is best to slowly sprinkle the cornmeal in. Whisk the polenta until thickened and cook for about 5 minutes, whisking continuously.


4. Serve: Spoon the polenta into bowls. Top with the sauteed vegetables and drizzle with the tomato vinaigrette.

Although this dish is kinda ugly, its realllly good. I promise!