Crispy Mediterranean Polenta: with kale, tomatoes and feta

Well, I'm still going strong on the RSBC Challenge. To be honest, I'm loving it. I have something to work hard towards, and as I discussed with my doctor at my Monday morning check-up "I haven't gained any weight (which she confirmed), but my gut is growing!" She encouraged me to let her in on the secret if I learned how to curb a growing gut. (I figured out later that I was seriously bloated when I went in for my check-up, and so time itself has also curbed the mysterious "growing gut.")

I'm thinking I'm just not very toned right now, and my "running" portion of the triathlon is helping with that already. After all, I've already gone 10.5 of the 26.2 miles. And yes, I'm still a mile or two behind.

Last week, we took on avocado. I made a killer Lime Avocado Mousse, which on our way home tonight, we were wishing we had some more for dessert. No such luck :(. You can read about each of the fantastic creations for the avocado challenge at Balance.

This week, for Superfood Challenge #2, Chez Us let us loose on kale as the main ingredient in a dinner.


Now, being that I have never cooked with kale, the first thing that came to mind was Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live lifestyle. I once took a roadtrip by myself, and listened to about 8 hours of his podcasts in a row. Did I ever try Eat to Live? Nope. Let's just say kale is really good for you, and so he's a big fan.

I thought about a few different options. One of the things I would still like to try is a kale pesto. I know you can make spinach pesto, cutting the basil with spinach (which probably makes it cheaper too), but I didn't quite feel like it. Besides, being gluten free, we don't do much pasta anymore, which is my favorite use for pesto.

So I settled on some soul-warming and garlicky polenta. Polenta is naturally gluten free, making it even tastier, and a more natural fit for us. I wanted it nestled on a bright green bed of fresh kale, and topped with some beautiful tomatoes. What else works with that? That's right, my friend, feta. I'm a huge feta fan. Well, I'm just a huge cheese fan. I'd also like to say, this dinner was a success! :)

I did get that feta a little dark under the broiler, though.

Crispy Mediterranean Polenta: with kale, tomatoes and feta

1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 1/3 cups water
1 cup stone ground cornmeal (I used Arrowhead Mills organic, look for a meal that has a coarse grind and is whole grain) (I also walked to a farther store for this - 1.5 miles!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 bunch kale
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tomato, sliced
3 ounces feta cheese

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir constantly for 1 minute; don't let the garlic brown. Add 3 cups of the water, and bring it to a boil. While the water heats, whisk together in a bowl the cornmeal, salt, and 1 cup water to make a smooth mixture. When the water in the saucepan comes to a boil, pour the mixture into it. Whisk constantly for 3 minutes to prevent lumps from forming. Turn the heat to low. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon every 10 minutes. It will make big, hissing bubbles as it cooks. I imagine it's what fresh lava looks like, just as it comes oozing out of the earth. Stir in the pepper and Parmesan cheese. Pour the polenta into a lightly oiled 8x8 inch pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Chill the polenta in a refrigerator for 1 hour. This helps solidify the texture before frying.

While the polenta is cooling, cut away the stems and center stalks of the kale. Cut the chilled polenta into 8 large triangles. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, carefully add the polenta triangles. Fry the polenta until it is golden brown on the underside, then turn the polenta over and cook it until it is golden brown on the other side. Cover the polenta with a lid as it cooks, and watch out for hot spatters. (Wear an apron to keep it from getting on your clothes.) Arrange the polenta on a baking sheet.

Preheat the broiler on your oven. Place the kale, 1 clove garlic and 1/3 cup water into the skillet that was just used to fry the polenta. Cover the skillet and cook the kale over a medium-high heat for 4 minutes. Sprinkle with some black pepper.

Place the tomato slices on top of the polenta triangles. Sprinkle the feta cheese on top of the tomato slices. Broil the polenta until the cheese melts and the tomatoes begin to cook. Arrange the kale on a serving platter. Place the hot polenta triangles on top of the kale and serve immediately.

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Stay tuned for next week's Superfood challenge, and tomorrow you can check out other kale creations at Chez Us.