Try something a little different for this holiday’s appetizer – Roasted Garlic Polenta Fries with Balsamic Tomato Dipping Sauce.
This is a repost of a blog entry that was posted on December 13, 2016. It's so fun to look back on what I was doing then and how far I've come! In 2016, the concept of VegeCooking was in its infancy. I was running classes under the name, Love My Veggies kids cooking classes. During that time, my daughter's elementary school principal asked me to run a holiday cooking demonstration for 80 teachers. This was one of the recipes I made....
Roasted Garlic Polenta Fries with Balsamic Tomato Dipping Sauce. Crispy fries made from organic corn with a balsamic tomato sauce you could eat with a spoon.
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I’m a little nervous.
I’ve done a lot of cooking classes in my day, but I’m doing one tomorrow that will be the biggest. The group will be made up of over 80 people and I’m cooking, sampling and serving.
This is a very special group. The teachers and staff of a public elementary school down the street.
There aren’t many people that are more deserving of a fun, holiday cooking class. I now know from personal experience – teachers should be making the big bucks. They spend their days teaching our children, not only reading, writing, and the whatever the newest standards are – such as the Common Core definitions of commutative and distributive properties that take my PhD father-in-law to explain to my eight-year-old, but also manners, resolving conflict, and not to pick your nose in public. You know, all the important stuff.
I’ve now been teaching the kids about eating fresh fruits and veggies through my Love My Veggies kids cooking class program for several months now. Never have I seen kids more excited about eating zucchini, kale or squash. Yet at the same time, teaching kids is a lot like herding cats. As I’m teaching one knife skills, two others are doing The Worm across the floor, another is facing backwards playing with a paperclip and two are breathing on each other and then tattling.
I’ve learned that teachers are magical people, much like unicorns, I’ve got no idea how they get the kids to all focus at the same time. So, this recipe, dear teachers, leaders and support staff, is for you.
Roasted Garlic Polenta Fries
The fries, oh the fries.
To celebrate these magical people, I’m going to be demoing two plant-based, refined sugar free appetizer recipes, this one, and a zucchini, black bean and pineapple salsa. I tested and tweaked this recipe and ooooh baby did it come out well. The fries have just a bit of texture from the corn but are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. And the sauce…..it’s tangy from the balsamic, garlicky, sweet, warm and savory. If you’ve got leftovers, it’s perfect for pizza or over pasta.
Roasted Garlic Polenta Fries with Balsamic Tomato Dipping Sauce
Serves 8
Ingredients
2 (24-ounce) tubes polenta (I used Basil & Garlic), halved and cut into 1/2-inch thick fries
Olive oil mister or cooking spray, optional, omit for oil-free
2 lbs tomatoes, cut into large chunks
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil (optional, omit for oil-free)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
5 cloves garlic (whole)
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp coconut palm sugar
Salt & pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare three baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
2. Place polenta fries on two baking sheets. Spray tops with olive oil (if using) and season with salt and pepper. Place tomatoes, onion, and garlic cloves on third baking sheet and spray with additional oil spray (if using).
3. Transfer both sheets to oven, placing tomatoes on lower rack. Bake tomatoes for 20 minutes, stirring tomatoes and flipping fries after 10. Bake fries for 15-20 minutes more, flipping fries again after 10, until crisp and golden-brown. (For crisper fries, broil the last five minutes.)
4. Let tomato mixture cool for five minutes; transfer tomatoes, onion, and garlic to food processor or Magic Bullet and add balsamic vinegar, olive oil (if using), coconut sugar, and red pepper flakes. Process until almost smooth. Add salt to taste. Serve with polenta fries.
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