My friend Shannon is a holistic nutritionist in Toronto that also holds amazing gatherings and events for women that are centered on health and holistic lifestyle. I asked her if she would share one of her recipes with us, and she whipped up this delicious plant based polenta dish.
Honestly, I didn’t know I could love polenta so much until now – thanks to the coconut milk and pureed pumpkin she added to make it so comforting and silky smooth. Read on for the recipe!
Says Shannon…
“This is a hearty plant powered bowl of goodness and flavour! Perfect for the holidays and excellent for hectic week nights as all ingredients can be prepped ahead of time and thrown together in under 20 minutes for the busy family or the busy host!
PUMPKIN POLENTA WITH MAPLE BALSAMIC BEETS
Maple balsamic beets
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Pinch of salt and pepper
3 medium red beets, peeled and chopped
Crispy chickpea croutons
1 cup of canned chickpeas. drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
Pinch of sea salt and pepper
Pumpkin polenta
1 cup dried polenta (yellow cornmeal)
2 cups organic veggie stock, half set aside
1 cup organic canned full fat coconut milk
1/2 cup oat milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon paprika
sea salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
And veggies of choice to sautee
To marinate the beets, add balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, salt and pepper to a small bowl and whisk thoroughly. Add the chopped beets and leave for a minimum of three hours.
To bake the chickpeas croutons, preheat oven to 350°F. Place rinsed chickpeas in bowl and add all of the ingredients and mix well to evenly coat them. Place dressed chickpeas on baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes. Give them a shake half way through, and check on them to avoid burning.
When ready to roast the beets, set oven to 350°F. Remove beets from marinade and place onto roasting pan. Roast for 40 minutes until tender.
When the beets go in the oven, begin to cook the polenta. In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, add the polenta, 1 cup of veggie stock and all of the other ingredients, except for the pumpkin, and mix together. Stir constantly so it doesn’t stick. When the polenta begins to bubble and thicken, turn heat to low and add the second cup of veggie stock and the pumpkin puree. Continue to stir until you reach a smooth and creamy texture – it takes around 40 minutes to cook in total and needs regular stirring.
For this recipe I decided to lightly sauteed broccoli and cauliflower seasoned with a little salt, pepper and coconut oil. Your choice of veggies are completely optional and most will make a nutritious addition to this already healthy dish.
The beets, polenta, and veggies should be ready at the same time so it’s nice and hot. Portion polenta into bowls and dress with your sauteed veggies, roasted beets and sprinkle the crispy chickpeas on top to finish.”
