Polenta Squares

 

In an effort to really try not to each too much bread this week, I am exploring some alternative carbs. I was craving some pizza for lunch, so after careful consideration of all my options (Flat-outs, Middle Eastern Flat Bread, Pitas, Whole Wheat Tortillas, Portabellas, Sandwich Thins, etc.) I opted to use what I had, and go with some polenta squares with pizza like topping.

This recipe is pretty simple and can be made with whatever toppings you have on hand.  I had kale, mushrooms, onions, Field Roast sausage, pizza sauce and some Follow Your Heart Cheese.

This is the recipe I used for above pictured Polenta Squares.

Makes 18 Polenta Squares and Topping:

For the Polenta:

• 2 Cups Organic Polenta
• 6 cups Water
• 1 tsp. Sea Salt

For the Toppings:

• 8 oz. Mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cups chopped Kale
• 1 Sweet Onion, sliced
• 2 Field Roast Italian Sausage, cut half, then sliced
• 1/2 tsp. Braggs Liquid Aminos
• Mrs. Dash Garlic Seasoning, a few shakes
• 4 ounces (1/2 block) Vegan Cheese
• 1 cup Pizza Sauce

In a large sauce pan, bring six cups water with salt to a simmering boil.  Add two cups polenta, reduce heat.  Stir with whisk.  Keep heat on lowest setting and stir frequently to prevent clumping.  In about 8-10 minutes it should be thick. Prepare a 13x9 casserole dish with cooking spray.  Once the polenta is very thick, turn off heat and transfer to the prepared casserole dish.  Smooth out with a spatula.  Let cool 30 minutes until firm.

After the polenta has cooled a bit and began to set, in a skillet, Prepare topping. Cook onions until soft, move to the side, then brown mushrooms.  Once mushrooms are almost cooked, move them with the onions and add sausage.  When sausage is just about browned, move over and add kale.  To the kale, add the Braggs and Mrs. Dash garlic seasoning.  Cook until kale softens, then combine it all together and turn off.

Cut polenta into 18 slices.  On a plate, place polenta, top a sprinkle of shredded cheese, top with two tbsp. pizza sauce.  Heat it up in microwave 30 second to reheat polenta and start to melt cheese.  Remove from microwave, top with veggie mixture and serve.

Cutting into 18 squares and dividing the topping evenly, gives the following nutritional info:

Per square topped: 126 calories, 3g fat, 19 carbs, 5g protein, 208mg sodium, 3g fiber, 2g sugar!

Not bad, I ate two.

Hope you enjoy this recipe.  Have a great day!