Polenta "Caprese"

Caprese salad is made with some combination of fresh (uncooked) mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes. J made his own take on it using cooked and fresh ingredients and polenta to replace the mozzarella. It was incredibly delicious. The polenta was nice and crispy and the juice of the tomato softened it slightly. We used our own basil plants to top it off. Try it out and let us know what you think!

Polenta "Caprese"

Polenta, prepared in advance - J made a creamy polenta and veggie saute the previous night. We put the left overs into an 8 x 8" glass dish, spread it out smoothly, covered with plastic, and put it in the fridge. The next day, the polenta was nice and firm. We used a cookie cutter to cut it into circles and then sliced those circles in half (not through the top - through the side, still maintaining the circle shape). We had about 10 circles.
Roma Tomatoes - sliced into circles - one per polenta ring
Fresh basil
2 Tbsp Earth Balance
Olive oil

In a skillet, melt the Earth Balance. Fry each ring of polenta, allowing it to get a little darkened (we actually like a little char) and crispy.

In another skillet, add a little olive oil and heat the skillet. Fry each ring of tomato.

Plate: Alternate polenta and tomato slices, fanned out across the plate. Top with fresh basil leaves.

Polenta Pizza...you heard me right.

My walk home from work put me in a nasty mood last night because most of the neighborhood hadn't shoveled their sidewalks and my usual 10 minute walk turned into 20 minutes. I walked into the house to find a sink full of dishes and felt defeated. I had NO desire to cook, however, my boyfriend and I have enforced a new rule that we are only allowed to dine out twice a month (take out included) and I didn't want to waste our second dine out pass on my nasty mood. My wonderful boyfriend hiked up his sleeves and got to work on the dishes while I casually flipped through Vegan on the Cheap without much intention of cooking.

I came across Robin's recipe for Polenta Pizza and was intrigued. Polenta is one of the easiest grains to cook. It's super cheap, but very filling and tastes great if seasoned well and paired with veggies. We didn't have all of the ingredients to make Robin's version, but we figured we'd wing it and see what happens!

Results: Not too bad! But I'd like to try my hand at it again. I don't think we seasoned the polenta enough (interestingly Robin's recipe doesn't call for anything other than salt, but that still leaves the polenta tasting fairly bland). Also, although it's called "pizza" you still need to eat it with a fork unless you want to make a crazy mess on your lap. I'm going to experiment with various sauces and toppings next time...but for now, I'll give you the basic recipe so you can try it at home!

Polenta Pizza adapted from Vegan on the Cheap

3 cups water
olive oil
1 cup corn meal (polenta)
salt
herbs....basil, Italian spices, experiment!

Boil the 3 cups of water with some salt and olive oil. Add in the polenta, stirring the whole time. Reduce heat to Medium and cook for about 12-15 minutes. BE CAREFUL! Polenta is a crazy beast that likes to bubble and pop and make a mess on your stove if you aren't keeping a watchful eye on it and stirring constantly.

Once it's finished and seasoned to your likings, spread it out in a thin layer, about 1/4 inch thick, in the bottom of a 9x13 pan (pre-oiled so it doesn't stick when you're all done). Bake at 425 for 12 minutes so that it becomes nice and firm.

After that---add your toppings! We sauteed some veggies (spinach, broccoli, onion sauteed in white wine & olive oil) but you could also do a layer of tomato sauce with veggies on top; roasted veggies; seitan...the possibilities are endless!

Then bake it for another 10-15 minutes....and serve!