My sister makes polenta a lot and I always enjoy it but I have never made it before. This recipe looked really tasty so I gave it a go. Very yummy! The polenta is very flavorful and the white sauce was a perfect addition. I almost made it without the sauce as I think the Vegan Yum Yum creamy sauces often taste very much the same and I didn't figure it would add a lot. I was wrong - the sauce was fabulous! This recipe is a bit time-consuming but worth it. I served it with Lemon Walnut Green Beans and Roasted Carrots and Onions (which look dreadful in the picture! I roasted the onions and carrots with a little olive oil, coarse sea salt and pepper and bake at 425 until the onions are very crispy. So even though they look terrible, they are delicious!)
Carmelized Leek and Spaghetti Squash Polenta with White Sauce (Source: Vegan Yum Yum)
1 cup thinly sliced leeks
1 T olive oil
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
1 small spaghetti squash
3 cups water
1 vegetable boullion cube
1 cup cornmeal
½ t red pepper flakes
¼ t salt
White Sauce
¼ cup vegan butter
2 T flour
1 T tahini
1 T lemon juice
1 t stone-ground mustard
2 T nutritional yeast
1 cup soy milk
½ t salt
pepper to taste
In a cast iron skillet, heat olive oil. Add leeks and cook until golden and tender. Set aside. Meanwhile, place about ½ in of water in a baking dish. Cut squash in half and remove the seeds. Place squash face-down in baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for about 45 min. Remove from oven, cut each half in half again , scrape flesh from skin and place in a bowl. Squeeze out excess moisture with a paper towel. Set aside.
Meanwhile, add boullion cube to 3 cups of water and bring to boil. Add the cornmeal in a steady stream, whisking thoroughly. Continue to whisk. Add leeks, pepper flakes, salt and pepper and cook over medium-low heat for about 20 min. Add squash to polenta and stir. Mix well and cook for another 5 min. Scrape polenta into an 8x8 baking dish and cover. Refrigerate for about an hour. Cut into quarters. Take each square and cut it in half diagonally. I cut each diagonal again to yield thinner pieces. Pan fry or bake the polenta pieces and keep warm. I pan-fried mine but would try baking next time as it was kind of a pain and I don’t think it added much other than fat!
To make the white sauce, melt butter in a saucepan. Whisk in flour to form smooth paste. Add remaining ingredients except soy milk. Stir. Slowly add soy milk until smooth and thick.
Serve polenta topped with sauce.
Lemon Walnut Green Beans (Source: Supermarket Vegan)
1 lb. Fresh green beans
1 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
2 T chopped walnuts
½ t coarse sea salt
¼ t dried rosemary
¼ t lemon pepper (I left this out because I didn’t have any)
Steam green beans until crisp-tender – about 5 min. Drain. Set aside. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add green beans and remaining ingredients. Stir fry for about 2-3 minutes. Serve.
I've made 2 vegan yum yum recipes this week, which left my kitchen in a major disaster both times. I don't mind if I have the time, but I'm not the one usually doing the dishes thanks to Nate. The recipes are delicious, but usually take 4 pots minimum. I made the cauliflower casserole this week, Nate's request. He liked it alot. I'm still not sold on tofu ricotta. This polenta looks delicious! I'll have to try it :) I'm so impressed with the detail in all her recipes!
ReplyDeleteI agree - her recipes usually require a great deal of work and lots of mess! We liked the cauliflower dish also - Frank really enjoyed it. But, yes, lots of details in her recipes that are a bit much sometimes. For the most part, I love her stuff, just wish it were simpler!! This is a must-try. It was fabulous!
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