Monday, February 7, 2011

Meatless Monday: Lentils over Polenta

Hi y'all. So this is the first post in my new blog series "Meatless Mondays." I've discussed before that I'm really trying to lead a healthier lifestyle. One of the things I'm really interested in trying out is eating meatless at least once a week. I know all the research on why it's healthier and more economical, but mostly I'm just excited to expand my regular repertoire of recipes. All that being said, I knew when I started looking for recipes that I wanted to use mostly vegetables, beans, and legumes and not rely on tofu and soy products. I also am mostly interested in eating meat-free (rather than totally vegetarian/vegan). So on to the recipe:

Lentils over Polenta
Adapted From The Taste Space 
1.5 tbsp I can't Believe It's Not Butter Light (I know Olive Oil is healthier, but I'm on WW and the butter sub is way less points.)
1 cup chopped onion
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped, divided
4 cups stock or broth- I recommend Chicken or Vegetable (I used a soup base, but you can use canned or homemade or whatever you have on hand.)
3 cups water, divided
1 cup dried lentils (green or brown)
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1 large bay leaf
1 cup coarse cornmeal or polenta
3 Tbsps cream cheese ( I used onion and chive flavor, but you can use plain or whatever else you think would be tasty)
1 cup low-fat or fat free mozzarella cheese, shredded

1. In a medium pan (2-quart-ish) pan, heat 1 tbsp of the butter substitute. Add the onion and cook, stirring until lightly browned. Add half the garlic; stir constantly burned garlic is super gross and you'll have to start all over.
2. Add 2 cups of the broth/stock and 2 cups of the water. Stir in lentils, rosemary, thyme, salt, and bay leaf. Let the mixture come to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30-40 minutes; or until lentils are almost soft.
4. Uncover and return the mixture to a boil and finish cooking; liquid will reduce and mixture will be thick but slightly soupy.
5. In an additional pan, bring the remaining 2 cups broth/stock and 1 cup water as well as remaining garlic, salt and pepper to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, slowly stir in polenta; seriously folks you have to stir constantly of your polenta well get all sorts of lumpy. I find that measuring the cornmeal into a glass is very helpful. Stir pretty vigorously to disperse any lumps that do form. Then, reduce the heat to medium. Cook the polenta stirring often; this usually takes 5-10 minutes depending on your cornmeal.Add cream cheese and mozzarella. Stir until well blended.
6. Spoon polenta into plates or bowels. Spoon the lentil mixture over the polenta and serve at once.
Serves: 4
WW PointsPlus: 9
 
Y'all this was crazy good. It was the perfect warm, filling, and cozy meal at the end of the day and I'm really glad I picked this recipe as my first venture into meat-less cooking!
=)

1 comment:

  1. Katie, I love how you used both thyme and rosemary. :) I am sure your polenta was uber creamy with the cream cheese and mozzarella! Yum!

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