Herbed Polenta with Beans and Bok Choy | Fatfree Vegan Kitchen Recipe

Recipe courtesy of:
Fatfree Vegan Kitchen
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Herbed Polenta with Beans and Bok Choy

Since the polenta is so flavorful, I kept the seasoning in this vegetable and bean sauté very light, allowing the freshness of the ingredients to shine.

1 recipe Herbed Polenta, below
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, chopped (or a combination of colors)
8 ounces baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup vegetable broth
6 ounces baby bok choy, sliced
1 14-ounce can kidney or cannelloni beans, drained (or beans of choice)
1 teaspoon dried basil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
Optional: Vegan Parmesan

Make the polenta according to the directions below. After polenta is firm, cut into cubes and either broil them on an oiled baking sheet or brown them in a non-stick pan, turning after one side is brown. Keep warm until ready to serve.

In a large non-stick skillet, sauté the onion for 3-4 minutes, until it softens. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and mushrooms and add a sprinkle of salt. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until mushrooms soften. Add the broth, bok choi, beans, and basil, stir well, and cover. Cook for about 5 minutes, until bok choy is wilted but still bright green. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in vinegar. Serve atop polenta cubes, sprinkled with vegan Parmesan, if desired.

Herbed Polenta (from Pressure Cooking: A Fresh Look by Jill Nussinow)

Jill reserves half the basil and parsley to sprinkle on top of the polenta after cooking, but I stirred it all in at the beginning. She also includes 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil but notes that it is optional; I left it out.

4 1/4 cups water
1 cup polenta
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons chopped basil (I used 2 teaspoons dried)
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
2 teaspoons chopped oregano
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary

Bring the water to a boil in the cooker. Stirring, sprinkle the polenta into the water. Add the garlic, salt, bay leaf, half of the basil and parsley, the oregano and rosemary. Lock the lid in place and over high heat bring to high pressure. Immediately lower the heat to maintain pressure for 5 minutes. Let the pressure come down and release any remaining pressure after 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and stir the polenta well. If the polenta seems too thin, simmer while stirring for a few minutes.

Sprinkle with remaining herbs and serve as is or pour into pie pans to cool. When cool, cut into slices or brush with oil and pan sauté or grill.

Makes about 5 servings.

Polenta alone: 211 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (2% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 46g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 435mg Sodium; 7g Fiber. Weight Watchers Core / 4 Points

Topping alone: 135 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (4% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 25g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 27mg Sodium; 7g Fiber. Weight Watchers Core / 2 Points

Polenta and Topping: 346 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (3% calories from fat); 14g Protein; 71g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 462mg Sodium; 14g Fiber. Weight Watchers Core / 6 Points

Nutritional information is approximate and is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate. "Gluten-free" label is strictly a cataloging tag meant to be helpful for recipe searches and does not ensure that
the recipe is completely free of gluten. Always read ingredient labels carefully and contact manufacturers to make sure that products actually are vegan and/or gluten-free.