In like a lion
and stewy beans over polenta. Plus bonus, polenta pie with rice, beans, salsa and guacamole
Today is a gray, rainy day and it always reminds me that I want a warm bowl of something to cheer me up. To that end I was thinking about polenta. My hiccup with polenta is after the initial fluffy bowl with my pot of beans ladled over the top, what do I do with the leftovers? I always intend on pan frying the leftovers, yet in a week, I toss what was in the glass dish. I decided to go back to a recipe I enjoyed years ago but have not had in a while, polenta pie. My recipe comes from LeAnne Campbell’s, China Study Cookbook. You may have heard of the China Study, co-authored by T. Colin Campbell and his son, Thomas Campbell, MD. It was first published back in 2005, and updated in 2016. The book supports a whole food plant based diet and while the reviews said it was scholarly and well written there were indicators that show scientifically it was not always accurate. LeAnne is T. Colin Campbell’s daughter and the recipes in her cookbook follow and support the recommended way of eating from the China Study. Presently eating plant based seems mainstream compared to only 5 or so years ago. This cookbook is a wonderful way for anyone who is looking to eat more plants in their diet to begin. She shares some family stories along with simple ingredients and methods.
While there may have been some pushback regarding the findings and how all of the information was referenced in the China Study, Red Pen Reviews writes that there have been studies since showing convincing evidence that a whole food plant based diet reverses the risk of cardiovascular disease. Like many of you I eat plants, but am not fully plant based. I like to share resources for the reader who may be interested and would like a hand finding recipes and other information on tasty ways to eat beans and other plants. Both of these books will most likely be in your local library, they were in mine, and if you are interested in reading more about them or trying one of the recipes you should check them out. Until then, I’ll share one below.
Recommended Recipe
Stewy beans over polenta and bonus: Polenta pie with rice, beans, salsa and guacamole
The stewy beans over polenta is one of those recipes like rice and beans, or gravy over potatoes. It makes you feel cozy. There is no real recipe besides make your polenta, make your beans and put them together. However, I tried to make sense of what I do for those of you who are new to cooking this way. It is 100% worth the try.
The bonus recipe is from the cookbook I referenced above.
Ingredients
Dinner night 1-Stewy beans over polenta
For the Polenta
I stick to the guide of 4:1. 4 cups of water to 1 cup of polenta.
6 cups of water
1 ½ cups of polenta or cornmeal
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
Optional: butter or parmesan cheese (There is no need to gild the lily with this recipe; it is delicious, warm and creamy as is. However, I did add a little butter and parmesan for my husband. He loves it!)
2 cups of pinto beans in their juices if you made them from scratch (I made 1/2 a batch of Rancho Gordo pinto beans. If we eat all of them over the polenta tonight I have a couple of cans of black and pinto to add to the pie)
Bring the water to a boil in a heavy pot, add the salt.
Slowly add the cornmeal in a steady stream whisking constantly. This will ensure you do not have lumps. After all of the polenta has been added, cook, stirring over low heat until the polenta pulls away from the sides of the pot as you stir, about 25 minutes. The polenta should be thick, smooth and creamy.
Note: you do not have to stand over the pot and whisk for the entire 25 minutes, you can set a timer for five minute intervals. Each time, uncover the pot, whisk and you will begin to feel the polenta steadily thicken. By the fifth time you will switch to a wooden spoon and see the sides pulling away.
When the polenta is finished turn off the heat. Add a scoop or two to your shallow bowl. Next, ladle the beans and their juices over the top. This is one of those recipes that really goes nicely with a homemade pot of beans. I know I usually say you can use from the can but I do recommend making from scratch because the sauce from the beans is delicious over the polenta. (If you are using canned beans, while you are heating up the water in the heavy pot, in a saucepan sauté a little garlic, onion, diced carrots and celery, with veggie stock, salt and pepper and any other spices you like for approximately 10 minutes until the veggies are cooked. Rinse your canned beans, add them to the saucepan and add more stock/water as needed to get your beans tasty. Heat the beans on low for about 5 more minutes. Then you will ladle the beans along with the sauce you created over the polenta.
*Take whatever polenta you did not serve and immediately spread it out on a pie plate to set. This will be the pie crust for your polenta pie. You can cover and put it in the refrigerator for later in the week.
Dinner, night 2-Polenta pie with rice, beans, salsa and guacamole
Polenta layer-leftover from the night you made the polenta fresh. You have already spread this in the pie dish-remove it from the fridge to warm to room temp while you make the rest.
For the rice layer
¼ cup diced onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14 ½ oz) can diced tomatoes
2 cups veggie broth
1 Tbsp chili powder
Place onions, garlic, tomatoes, vegetable broth, chili powder, and rice in a rice cooker or on top of the stove in a saucepan. Cook until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. I used a rice cooker but if I was doing it on my stove I would bring all of the ingredients to a boil, turn it down to low, cover and set the timer for 25 minutes. Check it at 20. If there is still plenty of liquid, add another 15. All told it will be just under 45 minutes. (Every burner is different so keep an eye on it)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2 cups cooked or canned black or pinto beans (or your bean of choice)
1 cup salsa
2 avocados (ideally but I only had 1)
½ tsp lemon juice from a wedge of lemon
¼ tsp garlic powder
In a large bowl, stir the beans into the rice. (I used about 2/3 of the rice when I mixed with the beans, otherwise it would have overflowed out of the pie dish. Save the rice you do not use for another meal, its delicious on its own.)
Spread the rice and beans mixture on top of the polenta in the pie plate
Spread the salsa on top of the rice
Bake for 30 minutes
Remove from the oven and let it set for 5-10 minutes
Scoop the avocado into a bowl and mash. Add the lemon juice and garlic powder. Season with salt.
Slice the pie and add a big spoon of the avocado on top. Ha, ha!
This may sound easier than it is. Take a peek below. Guess which picture is mine? We’ll call it the deconstructed pie. The best part is it still tasted great.
*My polenta was a little loose causing the whole pie to fall apart when I sliced it. Whereas you can see the polenta in the cookbook picture is holding tight. When I went back to check LeAnne’s recipe I discovered that my usual do my own thing backfired. She uses 2 cups of water to 3/4 of a cup of cornmeal. I used 3 cups of water to 3/4 of a cup of cornmeal when making my polenta for the stewy beans. If you want to have a beauty of a pie like she does your polenta will need to be a little thicker than mine. That may mean your polenta and beans from the first recipe is not as stewy or you may need to prepare each recipe separately and then have left over polenta from the dinner #1. The best part…you get to choose.
Enjoy and remember, Start with beans!
Contact
If you have any questions on integrating beans consistently for gut health now and into the near future, please email me at Denisemancieri1@gmail.com. Feel free to comment below if there are topics you would like to see.
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Note: I am not a doctor. I am a teacher and an educator with an earned doctorate in educational leadership. I enjoy research and I can distill large amounts of information into easily understood and digestible pieces allowing people to understand what is happening to their body and possible steps to reverse it with food as medicine. I have healed my own GI issues through choices with food. I followed Karen Hurd’s bean protocol diet, I meditated and still do and I healed. I feel compelled to be in service and educate others as the more people eating beans, alongside a healthy diet and sharing their stories the more people will live a healthier existence. Joy, peace and freedom abound. Please see your doctor and discuss nutritional options before you change any course of action with your health.