polenta & beans

I cooked a black bean chili today. But recently I have been little bit tired of "brown rice", so I picked broiled polenta instead of brown rice...... very good!





serves 2 - 3

chili
3 cups cooked black turtle beans
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup canned whole tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, minced
salt to taste
2 tablespoons or more, fresh coriander, chopped

In a large pot, heat the oil, saute garlic and onion over medium heat, until onion become translucent. Add cumin, paprika, and pepper, and saute until fragrant.Add tomatoes and beans ( some bean-liquid ), stirring to blend. Add the salt and simmer, stirring, until mixture is thickened and beans are tender, about an hour. Serve, garnished with chopped coriander.


polenta/broiled (from the natural gourmet institute for food and health)

2 cups cornmeal
5-6 cups water
1 teaspoon salt

Toast cornmeal in a skillet over medium high heat, stirring constantly until it has a nut like fragrance. Remove cornmeal from pan and let cool to room temperature. In a 3quart sauce pan mix cornmeal, salt and 4cups water, whisking until smooth. Over high flame, bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until thick.Add the remaining water, alittle at a time, stirring well to mix thoroughly. cover pot and simmer 20 minutes, stirring often. Turn off the heat and let stand 15minutes with lid. Poor cooked polenta into a wet cooking sheet. let cool to room temperature , or until polenta is firm( it is better put polenta in the refrigerator, over night )Cut polenta in 3 inches square ( or desire shape and size) place on baking sheet and brush top side with olive oil. Broil until golden and crisp. Flip over, brush olive oil and broil until golden and crisp.