06 December 2008

Polenta Veggie Carne Asada Rachel Ray Knock Off Casserole

for Marie...

*by the way, this is gluten free, and one of my favorites. I kind of make it a lot - I'm so surprised it's not already on this blog that I actually just went and double-checked and wouldyabelieve, nope, it's not. So here you go!


1) Mix together in 2 qt. saucepan:
1 c. cornmeal
1/2 tsp. each salt & sage
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Stir in:
3 cups cold water


Cook, stirring constantly, until very thick. Pour into greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

2)
While polenta is baking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat (no need to get your mis-en-place beforehand, just chop as you go). Add to skillet in this order:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups frozen corn kernals, defrosted (I like the roasted kind from TJ's) or a can of corn, drained
4 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped
1 green chile pepper or 2 jalapenos (how do you do an N with a ~ on a laptop??), seeded and chopped. Saute about 3 minutes.

Then add:

2 small zucchini, diced
1 large onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp. chili powder

Cook 7-8 minutes.

Add:

1 14-oz. can stewed tomatoes or salsa,

and heat through.

3)
When polenta comes out of oven, let it hang out for a while - 10 minutes? Then spread skillet mixture over polenta in baking dish. Top with:

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Bake for 10 minutes at 425. Optional but pretty: sprinkle finished dish with chopped green onions (about 1 T.) and cilantro (about 1 T.).

SO --> that is how you do the vegetarian version. To add carne asada, I think I just got a package of it from TJ's, not sure of the size, and sauteed it until brown in another skillet or maybe in the same skillet before I did the olive oil/corn/garlic/chile part, then set it aside and stirred it back in when I stirred in the tomatoes/salsa.

Have fun and let me know how it turns out if you try it!
By the way, this is a good one to bring to church potlucks. :)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Okay..I'm making this before the "blizzard" hits!

emilie said...

how'd it turn out? was my recipe format annoying? I'm thinking of changing it to traditional style... like, list of ingredients at top, then step by step instructions.