MoFo Day 23 Is My Visitor Fried or Baked?

The last time I made a polenta dish Martha S. that's right "S"as in Stewart came over to "help". I thought about giving her another chance tonight, yeah for like 2 seconds I thought about it. Do you remember how Martha left me to do all the heavy prep work while she disappeared into my bathroom? I can always tell when a guest has been snooping in my medicine cabinet, (ahem ahem), Martha.
Without further ado. Tonight's recipe..
Ding dong
Excuse me, reader. I'll bring you this kick ass recipe in a minute.

GiGi: Who is it?
Voice: Trick or Treat.
GiGi: You're early. I'm not opening the door.
Voice. Trick or Treat. Smell my sheet. It's been air dried in lavender.
GiGi: Oh no is that you Martha? What did you come dressed as... dental floss? (see earlier post where Martha suggests cutting polenta with dental floss)

(GiGi looks through peep hole)

Martha: Very funny,GiGi. I brought you something.

GiGi: Martha you know I don't drink. Oh. Just hand it under the door.

Martha: That's not very hospitable. What are you making?

GiGi: Um. Vegan Parmesan Polenta Fries with dipping sauce. Colorful Salad. And..

Martha: Polenta Fries?

GiGi: Yes. Now go away.

Martha: That's my recipe.

GiGi: No it's not.

Martha: Yes it is.

GiGI: Is not.

Martha: Is too.

GiGi: Is not.

Martha: Too.

GiGi: Not.

Martha: What? No dessert.
GiGi: There is dessert. But I'm going to post that tomorrow. You took up too much time.

Martha: Did not.

GiGi: Did too.

Martha: Not .

GiGi: I can't stand at this peep hole any longer.
Martha: Well. If you feel that way, GiGi.
GiGi: I do.
Martha: Oh.
GiGi: Bye.
Martha: Bye.

Sorry everybody.

Baked Polenta Fries My Way

1 tube (18 ounces) plain prepared polenta

canola oil spray
2-3 T nooch
2 tsp dried oregano
sea salt to tasteDirections

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and spray with canola oil. Unwrap and cut tube of polenta in half crosswise, (no need to use dental floss). Then cut each half lengthwise into 8 wedges.


2. Place polenta wedges on baking sheet; season with salt and pepper, and turn gently and spray again to coat with oil. Arrange wedges in a single layer. Sprinkle with nooch, sea salt and oregano.


3.Bake, turning once with a thin metal spatula, until golden and crisp, about 55 minutes. Serve with marinara or dressing or dipping sauce and salad.

Salad with fresh beets from my friend Mo's sis' garden

Hey Remember those Mozz Stix from Days of Yore... These taste surprisingly similar, but with no fat, no fried and cruelty free. I'll be back tomorrow with some dessert. Martha will be happy. Thanx for stopping by.

MoFo 10 Polenta: Made Martha's Method or GiGi's Way

I'm giving you a couple of options today. Let's say you've got oodles of time in the kitchen, an organic greenhouse on your estate, boy toys who massage your feet while you wait for your manservant to serve your casserole piping hot and bubbly direct from your "Wolf" oven. You savor this fragrant bit of magnificence that you have created while your winning show dog, (who has not come from the pound), fetches your slippers. If I have just described you, then Option 1: "The Martha Method" is for you.

Are you sweating it out with a day job that barely pays the bills? Do you work crazy ass ridiculous long hours on calloused feet? Is the only time you get to sit during a 15 hour day is when you blog for MoFo? Is the only garden you see an aloe plant you artfully placed on your garbage can? Would you love to gaze at this aloe plant through your kitchen window but your kitchen has no window? Do your domesticated ferals shed all over your Salvation Army chairs? Do people often confuse your apartment with an MRI machine? Then hurry up and make this quick and wolf it down, and post the recipe for MoFo or "GiGi's Way" is the one for you.

Polenta Casserole Option 1: "Martha's Method"
Martha's Polenta
10 cups cold water
1 heaping tablespoon coarse salt
1 dried bay leaf
2 cups coarse-ground polenta meal
Freshly ground pepper


Directions


1. Put 6 cups cold water, the salt and bay leaf into a Dutch oven or a heavy stockpot, and bring to a boil. Bring remaining 4 cups cold water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add polenta to large pot in handfuls, separating your fingers to let the grains slip through and whisking constantly until combined. Reduce heat until only a couple of large bubbles appear at a time.
3. Whisk 2 ladlefuls of simmering water into polenta, and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until water has been absorbed, about 5 minutes. Continue to add 2 ladlefuls of water every 5 minutes, stirring often and waiting for it to be absorbed before adding more, until polenta is creamy and just pulls away from sides of pot, about 45 minutes. (It may be necessary to adjust heat.)
4. If not serving immediately, reduce heat to lowest setting, cover pot and keep warm until ready to serve. (Up to 1 hour). Remove bay leaf. Season with pepper.
5. For soft polenta only: Stir in butter. Sorry GiGi. Earth Balance. Use a damp spoon to serve. Top each serving with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Sorry I didn't mean that, GiGi! I mean nutritional yeast, GiGi!
6. For set polenta only: Pour into a slightly damp medium bowl (or a 13-by-9-inch baking dish). Let stand until no longer steaming, about 10 minutes. Refrigerate, uncovered until cold and set, about 1 1/2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (Up to 2 days). Turn out polenta. Using plain dental floss, cut horizontally in half, pulling string toward you. Cut in half crosswise, pressing string downward. Cut each half lengthwise into 1 1/2 inch-wide strips, cut strips crosswise into thirds, and then into triangles or squares if desired. (Alternatively, cut polenta with a knife.)


Option 2: "GiGi's Way"
ZzzzzzOh come on Martha, I mean I really appreciate you blogging with me but, dental floss? Dental Floss!!?

For the polenta part, "GiGi's Method":
Purchase one cylinder premade polenta and slice into rounds, then half moons. That's it. Your turn Martha.

Option 1: Sauce "Martha's Method"
Be sure to pick the ripest greenhouse tomatoes. Remember how you lovingly tended to the vines while the pool boy watched.

I'm sorry Martha. Again I really appreciate you helping me blog here, but me and the readers have to get some sleep and we haven't eaten yet. And your revery as delightful as it may be is just taking a little too much time. Say good night Martha :)

Sorry folks no more options tonight. Let's cook this baby up. I can't believe Martha was about to use real parm...what was she thinking? And dental floss?

GiGi's Fast and Effective Polenta Casserole continued from above.
1-2 Cups marinara sauce
2 C roasted broccoli (spray foil lined roasting pan with olive oil and bake at 450 degrees about 15 minutes)
1/2 C pitted and chopped kalamata olives
1 C Daiya mozzarella
1/4 C nooch (nutritional yeast)
1 tsp dried oregano

Pre Oven Polenta

1. Lightly spray casserole dish with olive oil. Place rounds or moons in dish layer with 1 T sauce per round, and one piece of roasted broccoli per round. Layer until there is no more polenta :(
Top with Daiya. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
2. Eat.
3. Now would be a good time for you to use use Martha's floss.
4. Go to bed.
5. Tomorrow's is another day of Mofo.Sweet vegan dreams. Lalalala.

Post oven Polenta

Easy Peasy

This vegan recipe is so easy you'll be pleasy!
This dish has so many good things going for it too.
It's vegan-but you already knew that.
Lots of the ingredients are already prepped for you.
You can purchase just about everything in one- stop shopping.
Just one skillet so there's less clean-up.
Even your meat chomping pals will love it.
For those of you who think you suck as a cook, you can just throw that culinary self-loathing out the window.
With this new signature culinary masterpiece you can now tape this quote to your bathroom mirror and repeat after me..."I am a vegan culinary goddess/god".


Easy Peasy
(serves 2)
1/4 of onion diced (optional)
1 pre packaged polenta (Trader Joe's is good) cut in circles then quarters.
1/4- 1/2 bag frozen organic peas thawed
1 vegan chorizo link
1/2 tomato chopped
olive oil and olive oil spray
1/2 avocado (optional)
Dollop of Vegan sour cream(optional)
Cilantro (optional)


Polenta has a tendency to stick to the pan so I like to spray the pan first so go ahead spray the pan. Heat pan and add 2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil not spray. Chop the polenta quarters and onion if using. Sautee onions for 2-3 minutes. Add polenta and continue stirring for about 5 minutes. You can add olive oil if the polenta starts to stick. Add chopped tomatoes and cook for another minute. Add chorizo and peas. Ready when hot.
Serve in bowls with avocado slices, vegan sour cream or cilantro. See, told ya... Easy peasy!