Polenta

Miscellaneous tips for enjoying polenta.

 

• Recipe for polenta from Corn Meal:

Mix 1 cup corn meal with 1 cup cold water. Add to 3 cups boiling water (or FF broth). Stir over medium heat 10 -15 minutes. Pour into loaf pan and allow to cool. Refrigerate and use sliced.

 

• Make it with milk and serve with berries and/or ricotta cheese

• There are lots of different ways to cook polenta. Many people buy it in the tubes, cut it into thin slices (1/4" thick) and place on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam (or other non-stick spray of choice). Broil until tops are brown (about 6 minutes). Top with salsa, Core marinara sauce, pico de gallo, etc.

• Polenta "disks" topped with Core chilli, ff sour cream, salsa, and blacks olives is great. My DH likes it too.

 

• I like it with chili over it. Or sloppy joe sauce if I don't want to count points for the bun.

 

• Basically you can use polenta in place of potatoes or rice as a side dish, plain or "sauced". Also in place of tortillas or masa in mexican dishs.

 

• Here's one idea that I tried for the first time last week... Cook polenta (according to the package instructions), and as soon as you turn off the heat, add basil, oregano, garlic powder (and a little salt & pepper) -- makes a yummy "italian" flavored polenta. Also, instead of italian herbs, you can also add rosemary (or any other herb that you like) for a flavorful side dish. Just be creative and try a few different things. Enjoy!

• Get the polenta already made a Trader Joes. It is very versatile. I slice and fry with olive oil spray for breakfast. (with Canadian bacon, eggs, etc.)

 

• It is good with portobello mushrooms and core tomato sauce.

• Fried some up for breakfast the other day too, (sliced into 1/2 inch rounds like mini pancakes) and topped with 1 tbs of real maple syrup (1 WPA) It was delicious

• Use the store bought polenta. Slice it thin and bake it at 400*, top it off with some homemade fruit salsa. Yum!

*Use it in place of noodles for lasagna. Just slice up the rounds and layer them with sauce, ff mozarella and whatever else you want that is core.

• I like making the polenta on the stove. When it's done, I put it on a plate and top it with salsa ... yummy!

• I love to cook the polenta and pour it into a loaf pan, then cut into triangles, broil and float in a black bean sauce with a few avocado slices on the side.

• Polenta Chips

I have done this and they taste great. you just take a store bought sausage shaped polenta and slice it as thin as you can (use a mndolin if you have one). Then bake them in a hot oven until they are brown and crisp, abotu 20 minutes. Difficult to get even, some will burn, some will not be very crisp. I spray tray and chips with Pam before cooking. Let them cool before eating.

 

• Top with cinnamon and splenda (if unflavored polenta roll).

 

• salsa and cheese - put under the broiler to melt cheese.

 

• ff refried beans and a sunny side up egg.

 

• I made mini pizzas...and they were delish!

I used my 2 oils on a griddle, sliced the polenta about 1/4 inch thick. Put it on my griddle (a couple of minutes) then flipped it. Then topped it with:

- Contadina pizza sauce (1/4 c. = 0pts)

- soy mozzarella cheese (c/ use ff)

- toppings: I used jalepano on one, saurkraut on another. I made them another night & used black & green olives, onions, peppers, canadian bacon...any Core topping.

It took another couple of minutes for the topping to warm. I added a salad & thought it was a great meal!

• My favorite is to fry it in your 2 tsp. per person of OO, then cover with Mediterranean sauce:

Fry 1 lg. chopped onion, add large can crushed tomato, 4 cloves chopped garlic and 4 oz. chopped up green olives. Simmer 5-10 minutes.

I also cook up my own polenta from corn meal ground for polenta and pour in the bottom of a 9x13 pan (you could slice up roll and spread in bottom of pan) then layer w/ FF spicy refried beans, browned x-lean chopped beef and onion w/ taco seasoning, then top with jalapeno jack soy cheese and bake for 30 minutes at 350.

• No more tube of polenta for me! I'm a homemade convert :) Not only was it crazy easy to make but it's a lot cheaper. But you all knew that already. LOL I topped it with a meat sauce made with extra lean ground beef, diced tomatoes, fresh garlic, chopped onion, roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Yum!

• I just made some this morning. Low Sodium FF chicken broth and corn meal. I used muffin tins to divide it up and now I am ready for a quick meal or snack any time. I actually like it with a slice of FF cheese or just some butter spray

• I make a bruschetta out of the rolled polenta... Slice polenta in 1/2" rounds and place in a lightly oiled baking diah. In a bowl combine diced tomatoes, 1 tbsp. oregano, 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, 1 clove chopped garlic, salt and pepper. Spoon mixture on to each polenta slice, sprinkle grated parmesan and mozzarella cheese on top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes and serve. Note that if you do not use FF cheeses, use low-fat and count the points according to how much you use.

• I use it as dessert- slice about 1/2 inch thick put in microwave when its done, I coat it w/ FF vanilla yogurt and a T of raspberry preserves. Its really good and low in points

• I slice it about half an inch thick..sprinkle with adobo and pan fry with nonstick spray until a little brown on each side - its really good as a side

• I buy Polenta in a tube, then just slice into 1/2" or smaller slices, and pop in the oven at 375 for 15 minutes. I usually top with 1/2 Laughing Cow Light wedge (1/2 pt.) and a mixture of rotel, salsa, corn, and black beans as a filling side dish. I eat polenta slices with eggs, black bean or veggie burgers, really they are great with anything. I haven't tried making my own polenta yet, I love the quickness of the tube.

• Basically, it's Italian grits. You can cook them to any consistency between cream of wheat runny and oatmeal sticky and thick. When it's thick, you can cool it and then shape it into squares or triangles and then grill it.

 

• I cut it up...sprayed a pan and cooked a few up - put a little garlic salt and fat free parmesan cheese on it and YUMMMY YUMMMY

• When i want something "bad" I crisp it up and melt some pepper jack soy cheese and have that with ketchup.. I feel like I'm cheating..and it's all core!!

• How do I get my Polenta crispy?

Try turning up the heat when you cook them :) This outta do the trick! The hotter the skillet, the browner the food will be... I sear my scallops this way

• I find that it crisps up if I smush it real thin and bake it in the oven rather then on a burner..but that is with homemade polenta..but if you just smash the cuts so they are real thin, it might work

• I put my slices in a 450 degree oven with 1/2 t evoo on each slice for 15 to 18 minutes. I also place them on foil on a cookie sheet so the clean up is fast and easy.

• I was just wondering what your favorite "stir-ins" are for polenta:

• Buy some dried mushrooms. Then take a handful and crumble them into a bowl. Pour about a 1 1/2 cup boiling water over them, cover, and let sit about a 15 min. When they've softened, scoop 'em out and save the broth to make the polenta.

 

• You can do the same with sundried tomatoes. Add an entirely new dimension to polenta. I should add that you can stir in the rehydrated mushrooms or tomatoes directly into the polenta.

• Finely diced jalapeno....minced roasted red bell pepper....fresh basil and garlic powder...or roasted garlic (raw might be a bit muc ... Finely diced smoked ham, turkey or canadian bacon...caramelized onions...or make a package of onion soup mix and use the soup as the water for the polenta...chicken stock... black olives...any fresh herbs that look good in the market.

 

• You're allowed one portion of whole-wheat pasta a day. But you can avoid even this limitation by serving your favorite pasta sauce over polenta, a coarsely ground cornmeal mush. Cook polenta in its standard ratio of 4 parts water to 1 part cornmeal. Slowly stir the cornmeal into the boiling water, then reduce the heat and continue cooking and stirring until creamy, about 20 minutes. Pour in a thin layer onto a baking sheet covered with nonstick aluminum foil; cool 30 minutes or until hardened, then peel off the foil and cut into thin "noodles" which are now ready to be a base for the sauce (no more cooking needed).

 

• I freeze batches of homemade polenta into mini "loaves", then I thaw it out one loaf at a time, slice and cook. This works great. I'm sure you could freeze the premade stuff too.

 

• The other day I was looking at my muffin top pan and thought, "hmmm, bet I could make polenta rounds in this pan." Well, I made some regular polenta and put it in the pans and it turned out great! They came right out of the pan. I used them to make polenta, refried beans, soy cheese and salsa "stacks" for lunch. Very yummy!

 

• One thought led to another and I thought, "Bet I could make a sweet version of Polenta in these pans and serve them like pancakes." Instead of using both and seasonings, I made the polenta with water, milk, a little sweetener (I like WheyLow, but you could use splenda or fructos)and some vanilla. They came out just great! I browned a couple of rounds in a non-stick pan until they had a crisp exterior.I topped thme with butter spray and WheyLow maple syrup. This really satisfied my pancake craving. The "pancakes" can be topped with berries, or cooked apples and would be equally as good. The round shape is really fun!

 

• When cooking polenta from scratch, substituting chicken stock for the water will add extra flavor for dinner recipes.

 

• Fry it and sprinkle with cheese and have "on the side" with tomato soup for lunch.

• Slice it thin and "fry" it in a little olive oil. I sprinkle one side with a little Season Salt while it is cooking. Cook until very crisp and then dip in sour cream and salsa. I tried polenta for the 1st time 2 wks. ago and it was great; I only got a little because my 4 yr. old DD ate it all!

• Fry it until brown in a little spray and top with a fried egg and some canadian bacon and maybe a slice of soy or ff cheese.

 

• I also like it topped with refried beans, salsa, an egg and some avocado for kind of a faux core huevos rancheros.

 

• Well, first I bought corn meal and it was finely ground so it didn't have the right consistency for polenta. But it was alright and I made a dessert polenta with vanilla and cinnamon and some splenda. Then last night I found some actual "polenta" in the tube and came home and fried it in a pan with some pam sprinkled it with garlic salt and dill and fell in love with it. I also bought some medium ground corn meal to make my own since no one around here seems to carry polenta in a bag. I read polenta is just medium or coarsely ground corn meal, so I will try again. But now that I have had it the right way, Yummy!!!

• I made my regular polenta (stovetop) since I needed extra for another recipe anyway. I proceeded with your instructions but put the cheese UNDER the tomatoes (I find soy mozz melts better that way), spread them with a bit of basil puree and sprinkled with 1pts worth of real parmesan cheese. Baked about 10 minutes (I was doing other things in the oven....), it was heavenly! We even ate this at room temperature.

I made polenta nachos yesterday--I used the kind in a tube and sliced it about 1/4 in thick, then baked at 475 for 30 mins. I took it out, added some shredded chicken and soy cheese to the top, and put it back in the oven til the cheese melted. I topped with guacamole and my DF wants me to make more tonight and he's not on WW.

• My son asks for "cheesy polenta." I make it like this: 1 1/2 C chicken broth, 1 1/2 C ff milk, 1 C polenta. Once it thickens I add 2 slices american veggie slices and salt & pepper. The whole family loves it.

 

• I got a recipe on this board for cheesy polenta. 4 cups water. bring to a boil. add 1/4 cup of cheese and 1 cup of coarse cornmeal. bring to a boil and whisk together for 4 minutes place in a square pan and cool. I add a little garlic. It is so good. You can leave out the cheese and serve with a little sf ff syrup. I make 2 batches a week for my family.