cheesy polenta black bean salad

sure, that’s a good title for this concoction – haha.

i wanted to use up the polenta i had in the fridge from earlier this week, so i made this dish around that. as i mentioned before, i am all about ‘”the pile” lately – kind of like a salad – some stuff is cold, some is cooked or warm… it’s my new thing i guess. my roommate always asks, “is this an audrey creation or did you find this recipe somewhere?” when i said, “i just made this up.” his response was, “you’re so creative in the kitchen!” that makes me smile! 🙂

here are the ingredients :

– one can black beans

-5-6 small tomatoes

— 1/2 sweet onion

— 4-5 cloves garlic

– polenta log {i only used 1/2 of one}

– small shallot

– shredded cheese

– bit o’ veggie broth

– butter or oil of choice

– mixed salad greens of choice

drain your beans in a colander over your sink or into a bowl. we want them to be as dry as possible – we will not be cooking them.

chop up your garlic, shallots, and onion and heat a skillet on medium with a little bit of olive oil or clarified butter.

in a second pan, break up your polenta log with a fork or potato masher and heat on low, adding a little bit of veggie stock to make a pasty-like consistency – keep it from sticking to the pan

you can almost make it like grits – remember those? such a childhood memory and favourite! as you simmer them, shred in a lots of cheese to sweeten the deal!

toss your garlic and onion mix into your skillet and cook on medium low until they begin to toast up, then add in your tomatoes

let this begin to caramelize, then add in your veggie stock {or white wine!} to deglaze… eventually you want your sauce to be… well, saucy 🙂

once your sauce is cooked to your liking, double check that your polenta is the consistency you wish {almost like grits is perfect in my opinion} then turn off the burners and plate this up. my plate went something like – lettuce, beans, polenta, sauce, topped off with parmesan. then i added a small salad on the side for extra greens. 🙂