Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Cheesy Polenta with Vegetables

Tonight I made up another 30 day Jump Start dish - Cheesy Polenta with Vegetables. I didn't find the recipe online so I will show you all through pictures. It was fairly easy to make.

Start off by caramelizing a sweet onion in a little olive oil.

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Then, add in 2 cups of mushrooms cooking for a few minutes.

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Set your veggies aside and make your polenta. Heat 2 c of broth with 2 c of milk with thyme and oregano. When it is about to boil, add in 1 c of corn meal whisk until boiling. Cook your polenta until it is thick and creamy ~ about 10 minutes.

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Now here is MY FAVORITE CHEESE TIP of all time. Whenever you are using any cheese at all, use finely shredded - it looks like more and spreads further. When you are measuring it, always use a scale (2 oz = 1/2 cup) - you get more!

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Next, stir in your 1/2 c of finely shredded cheese with a little fresh basil.

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Add your mushroom/onion mixture back in and salt/pepper to taste. I honestly couldn't taste the cheese at all so I added 1/4 c of shredded parmesan and it did the trick. I think having a stronger flavored cheese in this recipe is the key to "cheesiness". I am not sure why they say this recipe has vegetables - mushrooms plus onions isn't really vegetabley (yes - it's a word!)

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With my cheesy polenta, I had 1/2 of BBQ chicken breast.

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And 1 cup of mixed veggies - Doesn't The Husband make THESE so much better than mine? I think I need to have him teach me.

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On a fun note, The Husband stole my camera while we were cooking and snapped this picture of our adopted kitty - she is just too cute. He always cracks me up when I find pictures like this on here when I upload.

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GIVEAWAYS GALORE:

Since I haven't given you all any contests to check out lately, be sure to stop by and enter these.

* Sonny & Joe's Hummus - Click HERE!

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Coming up next ~ My first Hungry Girl Snack Pack Giveaway!

5 comments:

  1. I love this recipe!! You are right about the cheese. I am starting to omit cheese in recipes/sandwiches where I can't taste it. Why waste the calories, right? Thanks for sharing this; I will definitely try it!

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  2. Mmmmmmm... the polenta looks good. I love cornmeal dishes! I kind of made up my own polenta dish last night and it was awesome! It had roasted peppers, corn, tomatoes, and I topped it with a heated black bean and cilantro salsa. Yum!

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  3. yum homemade polenta! i still have to try those pizzettas, when i can eat real food again ;) this dish looked good but i agree kinda weird to name it veggie polenta. i LOVE cheese though! i go overboard with it sometimes. i could never be vegan just for the cheese factor. everything else i could take or leave but cheese.. never.

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  4. Marisa ~ do tell if you try it and like it. I agree with you on cheese - I want to be able to taste it!

    C.G. ~ Yes, she is a total camera ham around The Husband.

    Niki - Wow, your version sounds amazing!!! I need to try that!

    Janetha - Polenta might work as it's a soft food - no chewing required :) LOL. I agree with you on the cheese factor - I LOVE cheese!

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