POLENTA INSTEAD OF MEAT

Polenta for Breakfast or Dinner
Organic grown corn like Polenta which is a good grain especially for breakfast instead of potatoes or bacon (meat.) I'm only using recipes that encourages no meat, or at least only as a seasoning if at that. Polenta sometimes called cornmeal mush or grits, if you’re from the South. It's very popular in the health food stores. Or, one can purchase a roll there but it's not as tasty as the home made variety.
Here's a basic recipe. After you do this couple of time make try making it smaller batches. Use an old "Spam" cans or such for a molding it then cool the polenta and then use creatively. Cook white or yellow polenta then smooth it out on a cookie sheet. After it cooled then cut out sections with a round biscuit cutter. Serve chili, and other favorite creamed dishes over these round polenta molds i.e. for dinner. (Add in more flavor with herbs and spices)
1 cup Polenta (to 3 parts water)
3 cups of water
2 teaspoons of kosher salt, sea salt
Add 1 tsp. of any one or two spices (optional) More, if freshly chopped...
Or, Follow directions on package. Make thick to “mold it, cool it and cut up later in slices for breakfasts.
Or, 1 cup or more or less cornmeal (I buy the organic Polenta in the health food stores that is not GA product), Or, you can buy fine or coarse in regular store, yellow grits or Aunt Jemima's pure cornmeal, and Italian imported cornmeal are all good, etc.
Bring the water and salt to a gentle boil and a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Gradually add the cornmeal to the water stirring continually, or it will stick and lump. (Be sure to add the salt to the water) If your using coarse-ground cornmeal it will take up to 20 minutes to cook compared to the finer ground. The finer ground will be done by the time you are finished, maybe a minute more cooking. Make it thick enough to "stand a fork" in it. Choose your mold to let it set up, cool, and then refrigerate. It will slip right out, or pre spray with Butter flavored Pam.
The next day or when set and cooled slice about 1/2 inch thick and fry, sauté, bake, broil or grill in good organic raw mono oil or serve with butter and eggs or however you like it.
Good with many vegetables and of course beans. Top with your favorite sauce, gravy or cheese etc.
You can add, (go to your health food stores and get ideas here, see what they put in there's) in green chilis, garlic and basil; sun dried tomatoes and garlic, peppers spices etc. A free recipe book is available at http://www.quinoa.net/ Sometime for variations add in a bit of the quinoa seed and is excellent to add to your diet and other grain recipes. Cook up a bit different because it's seeds. Learn to use quinoa in all your cooking. It's actually the most nutritional seed and could stop world hunger.
*Just a note on molds, you can use the smallest gift bread loaf pans or small soup cans then cut out the other ends and push the set cornmeal through to make polenta round. I have an old Pyrex dish with a lid that comes from the '50 purchased at a garage sale, which is a perfect mold, and I love the lid, which keeps it fresh. Keep your eye out for exciting molds.
*If made on a layer of the cook polenta on a cookie sheet spread this out. Spray the bottom of another smaller pan on top, weight it down, and cool. This makes a mold for any dish especially tamale pie i.e. If you don’t weight it down just use as the bottom cutting it into squares then put chili beans on top.
*Once you get the idea in making polenta it becomes easier to make smaller portions by just adding water while slowly adding grits till it's stiff enough for a fork to stand up in it. Cool in your mold and slice the next day.
*Another Variation is adding in cheese (garlic, basil, etc.) in grits and molding it in different shapes. I love it plain but here's a recipe that more intricate.
Getting fancy!
1 Teaspoon butter 1/2 cup chopped onion 1 roasted poblano chili (chopped) 1 teaspoon chopped garlic 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup quick grits 2 ounces grated cheddar cheese 2 ounces grated jack cheese salt and pepper to taste Creole seasoning blend to taste
1. Sauté the chilies or sub. peppers, onions, and garlic in butter until soft.
2. Add cream and chicken stock and bring to simmer (the stage just before a rolling boil). Be careful not to let the liquids boil over.
3. Quickly whisk in seasonings and grits. Stir constantly until grits begin to thicken.
4. Gently fold in cheeses and let sit for at least 5 minutes.
(Lots of ideas at thrift-stores to finding your mold.) http://earthsorganicnews.blogspot.com/2008/09/history-of-eating-meatbible-ref.html
http://thompsonsorganicrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/07/polenta-chili-and-roasted-eggplant.html Two Dinner recipes

All right reserved