Mexican Polenta

We haven't gone grocery shopping in forever, which means our fridge is pretty bare. Which also means that dinner had to be made with pantry ingredients. I was inspired by this recipe from VegWeb. However, I thought that it sounded a tad bland and surely we could jazz it up a bit. Here's what I came up with.

Mexican Polenta

Polenta Ingredients:
-6 c. water
-2 c. cornmeal
-2 tsp. salt
-freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
-1 tsp. cumin
-1 tsp. oregano
-1/2 tsp. cilantro
-1 tsp. paprika
-a few dashes hot sauce
-1/4 c. nutritional yeast

Topping Ingredients:
-1 tbsp. oil
-1 medium onion, diced
-1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
-3/4 c. salsa (I used a chipotle salsa which I adore, but use whatever you want)
-1 tbsp. chili powder
-1 1/2 tsp. paprika
-1/2 tsp. cayenne
-1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
-1-2 drops liquid smoke (if you adore liquid smoke like I do)
-a few dashes of hot sauce, if desired
-1/2 c. frozen corn kernels

1. Bring 6 cups water and salt to a boil. Add cornmeal. Lower heat and stir until the polenta starts to pull away from the sides of the pot and the whisk stands straight up in the polenta. Add the spices and seasonings and nutritional yeast listed above. Taste the polenta and make sure it is seasoned to your liking. Spoon the polenta into a greased casserole dish and let cool in the fridge for 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 400 F. Slice the polenta into 9 squares (or however else you want to slice it). Place polenta on a cookie sheet and bake each side for 10-15 minutes (until the outside is as done as you would like).

3. While the polenta is baking, heat oil in a saucepan. Add onion and saute until tender. Add beans, salsa, spices, and seasonings. Taste the mixture and adjust to suit your preferences. Let simmer 5-10 min. Add frozen corn kernels and let simmer an additional 10 minutes. To serve, spoon the topping over the polenta.