Grilled Polenta with Roasted Roma Tomato Coulis

I have never made polenta before but I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was. Polenta can be made like this one, which is firm, or you can leave it creamy and add butter and other herbs/spices as well. For this recipe, I added some fresh rosemary into the cornmeal to give it a little added flavor then topped it with this light, refreshing tomato coulis (pronounced koo-lee), which is a sauce made from pureed vegetables or fruits. 

Grilled Polenta with Roasted Roma Tomato Coulis


Polenta
3c. Water
1 c. Yellow Cornmeal
1 tsp. Sea Salt
1 tsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped
Prepared Roasted Roma Tomato Coulis


Add water and salt to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal until it starts to absorb the liquid, then add the rosemary. Simmer for 5 minutes then remove from heat. Spray a 9x9 inch dish with cooking spray then pour in the polenta. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until chilled and firm. Cut into 9 squares and grill approximately 2-3 minutes per side. Then top with prepared coulis. 


Roasted Roma Tomato Coulis
3 Roma Tomatoes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic
1 tbsp. Fresh Rosemary
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper


Cut tomatoes in half and place on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper then drizzle top with some olive oil. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Peel off the skins and place the tomatoes, rosemary and garlic into a mini food chopper. Pulse until all ingredients have been blended. 


Enjoy!


P.S. Don't forget! Taxes are due today: Tuesday, April 17th! 

Copycat Recipe Week: Day 7-Jalapeno & Sweet Potato Fritters

Today is Day 7 and the final day of my Copycat Recipe Week. I hope you have enjoyed getting to know some of these other great food bloggers as much as I have had trying out their fantastic recipes. They're all on Facebook too so if you go like them, tell them I sent you over. 


The last recipe (but certainly not the least!) comes from Bia at Bia's Rich and Sweet Kitchen. The other night, I was in a lime/cilantro type mood again (recipe to follow next week) and I wanted a side dish to go with what I was making. These sweet potato fritters were incredible and unbelievably light. We don't like a lot of heat in our food so I did cut down on the amount of jalepeno peppers and onions and I added a little bit of cilantro, to blend the flavors with my other menu items that evening, but everything else remained the same. Thanks for a great recipe idea Bia!

Jalapeno & Sweet Potato Fritters
1 Large or 2 Small Sweet Potato
1 Small Jalapeno Pepper, chopped (measured about 1 tbsp.)
1/2 c. Red Onion, chopped
1 tbsp. Fresh Cilantro, chopped
2 + 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 Egg, beaten
3/4 c. Cornmeal (I used the yellow kind)
1/4 c. All-Purpose Flour
1/4 c. Water


Prick sweet potatoes with a knife or fork and microwave for about 10 minutes or until inside is soft. Peel potatoes while warm, add the insides to a bowl and mash them with a fork. Set them aside. In a frying pan, heat 2 tbsp. of the olive oil and cook the onions over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add jalapenos and cilantro and saute for another 3 minutes. In a medium bowl mix flour, cornmeal, salt, paprika and baking powder. Add jalapeno/onion mixture, egg and water to sweet potatoes and mix it well. Add dry ingredients and mix it all together. Make balls, about 1 heaping soup spoon worth out of the mixture. Preheat the oven to 425F. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan and lightly fry the fritters on all sides. (I flattened mine so they were flat) Grease a cookie sheet. Place lightly fried fritters on cookie sheet and bake them on preheated oven for 10 minutes. They should be firm and slightly puffed. Makes 8 fritters. 


Weight Watchers Points+ Value Per Serving = 4


Enjoy!

Rosemary Semolina Boule Bread

Rosemary Semolina Boule Bread
Ingredients

• 5 c. Bread Flour
• 2 c. Stone Ground Yellow Cornmeal
• 1 Package Active Dry Yeast
• 1 tbsp. Sea Salt
• 1 tbsp. Fresh Rosemary
• 2 1/2 c. Warm Water
• 1/4 c. Cornmeal

Directions 

1. Add flour, cornmeal, yeast, salt and rosemary to a 14 cup food processor. 
2. Pulse until all ingredients have been blended then gradually pour the water in from the top of the machine, with the machine still running. 
3. When the dough starts to attach itself to the blade in a sticky, smooth ball, let it go for another minute then stop the machine. 
4. Carefully remove the dough and place into a floured bowl. 
5. Coat all sides of the ball with the flour, cover with a clean dishcloth and let it sit for 2 hours; allowing the dough to rise. 
6. Cut the dough into four equal pieces and shape them into smaller balls; try not to handle the dough too much you want to keep some air in the bread. 
7. Let rest 15 minutes and preheat your oven to 450°F. 
8. Sprinkle a baking sheet with the cornmeal and add another baking sheet under the top pan (this will prevent the bread from burning on the bottom before it is fully cooked). 
9. Place your loaves on the pan and make 2 cuts into the top of each loaf. 
10. Bake for 25 minutes until the top of the bread is golden brown; spraying the tops of the bread with water twice during cooking time (this will help make for a crunchy crust). 

Enjoy!