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Southwestern Polenta with Cuban Black Beans
Southwestern Polenta with Cuban Black Beans
by Kimberly from TX
Homemade polenta is not as hard as it sounds. Plus, it can be made ahead of time!
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Category

Meatless Main Dish

Prep Time

1 hour

Servings

4 entree portions

Recipe Ingredients

3 cups water
1 cup corn meal
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 white onion, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 15 oz can “no-added salt” black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15.5 oz can Ro*tel Mild Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies, drained
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 avocados, sliced

Directions

Boil water in a 3 quart sauce pan. Gradually sprinkle in corn meal, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Once all the cornmeal is in, reduce heat to low. Continue stirring with a wooden spoon. Stir in 1/2 cup cilantro (reserve remaining 2 tablespoons of cilantro for garnish). Continue cooking and stirring for 10 minutes. Polenta should be thick, but still smooth. Transfer polenta to a lightly greased, 8x8 inch oven dish. Cool in refrigerator for 20 minutes (or longer if more convenient).

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil (reserve the remaining olive oil for later use) in a skillet over medium heat. Cover and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in bell peppers. Cover and cook an additional 5 minutes. Stir in beans, Ro*tel Tomatoes, cumin and salt. Reduce heat to low. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

Preheat oven to broil. Remove polenta from refrigerator and cut into 8 equal squares. Place on a non-stick cookie sheet. Measure 2 tablespoons of remaining olive oil into a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush olive oil onto polenta. Broil on top rack of oven for 5 minutes. Turn polenta over and brush with olive oil. Broil another 5 minutes.
Sprinkle dinner plates with cilantro. Serve polenta immediately topped with sautéed onion, peppers and beans. Garnish with sliced avocado.