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Pesto Polenta Triangles, Balsamic White Beans with Cherry Tomatoes + Basil

P is for…Polenta!

I was a little confused about the difference between cornmeal and polenta and the line between the two does seem to be fairly blurred. This is one opinion from the Kitchn. I tend to think of polenta as medium or coarse cornmeal and use it mainly for making cornbread (!) and cornmeal pancakes.

This post from Little Vegan Bear reminded me that it’s great on it’s own too. You can eat it creamy and soft (I like it this way for breakfast as an alternative to porridge) or pour it into a dish, cool it, cut it into shapes and bake or pan-fry until crispy.

Many people seem to think they don’t like polenta but I’m convinced that’s because they haven’t had it cooked well. It is very bland so needs plenty of seasoning to make it taste good.

I stirred in some pesto and sundried tomatoes to really amp up the flavour here and served it with some simple balsamic white beans with tomatoes and basil which complemented the dish well.

Pesto Polenta Triangles:

2C Water
3/4C Polenta
1/2t Salt
1/4C Non-dairy Milk (unsweetened)
1T Nutritional yeast
1 1/2T Pesto
1/4C Sundried tomatoes (oil-packed or dried + reconstituted in hot water)

Bring the water to a boil in a medium-size pan. Add the polenta and salt and turn the heat down, it might splutter so be careful! It will start to thicken quickly so whisk vigorously to avoid lumps.

If you’re using regular polenta, stir to thicken for 5-10 minutes then add the remaining ingredients. If using instant polenta it will only need about 2 minutes to thicken up.

When all ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is very thick, pour into a lightly oiled container, smooth out top and leave to cool. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Cut polenta into 6 equal triangles (or shape of your choice). Heat a pan over high and add a drizzle of olive oil. Pan-fry polenta triangles for a approx 3 minutes on both sides until crisp.

Serves 2-3

I like to use larger white beans like butter beans here but cannellini would also work well. I love this bean dish. It’s sweet and syrupy from the balsamic and red onion, and the juicy cherry tomatoes, just beginning to collapse, burst in your mouth. Plenty of garlic and basil round everything out.

Balsamic White Beans w/Cherry Tomatoes + Basil:

1/2T Olive oil
1/2 Red onion, diced small
1 Clove of garlic, minced
1/4t Dried thyme (optional)
125g/4oz Cherry tomatoes
1 1/2C/1 Can cooked white beans
2T Balsamic vinegar
Salt + pepper

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high. Cook red onion for a few minutes until soft, add garlic and thyme and sauté for another minute. Add Cherry tomatoes and continue to cook until beginning to collapse. Finally add white beans and balsamic vinegar and cook until warm through and the balsamic has reduced.

Season with salt and pepper and serve

Serves 2-3

PRINT RECIPE HERE

A few dishes using polenta that I’ve got my eye on…

This Polenta topping for fruit crumble from David Lebovitz sounds a lovely way to change up my favourite oaty version

This Sweet Potato & Coconut Polenta with Asian Vegetable Fricasée sounds absolutely delicious and is really different to any other polenta dishes I’ve seen.

These South-western Bean & Cornmeal Cakes- You knew I’d feature a patty recipe didn’t you?!

Over to you…

Have you had good experiences with polenta? What do you make with it?

Side Notes: Coconut and Berries now has a print recipe feature! Just click on the link “Print Recipe here” and you’ll be taken to a pdf showing only the recipe without the rest of the post and pictures, for easy printing. Hope it’s helpful for some of you.

Summer Vegetable + Chickpea Sauté

Yesterday felt like a long day. After a gentle morning baking and pottering in the garden I cycled up to my Granny’s new house to help with her moving in. Lugging around furniture, unpacking boxes and organizing is tiring work! I suppose it’s good practice for my own move in a few weeks’ time though!

After cycling home on a flat tyre, doubling the time my ride should have taken me, the last thing I felt like doing was cooking dinner. The lure of putting my feet up with a large mug of peppermint tea, some dark chocolate, and calling it a day, was pretty strong, but knowing that my Mum would be anticipating a meal on her return dragged me to the kitchen…

This quick recipe really shows how tasty a meal can be relying on fresh vegetables, herbs and simple seasoning, and in my opinion it certainly qualifies for my favourite food description: “Delicious and nutritious”! I was glad I made a little effort as I definitely felt better for eating a good, healthy meal…I still had my chocolate though

As I hadn’t planned in advance I used canned chickpeas but I do usually prefer to cook them myself as it’s so much cheaper and I think they have a better flavour. Keeping a couple of cans on on hand is very convenient for times like this though.

This simple sauté came together in about 20 minutes, including the time it took for me to pop out and pick a courgette and some herbs from the garden- pretty speedy if I do say so myself.

Summer Vegetable + Chickpea Sauté:

If you have it definitely use coconut oil for this dish. It adds a delicious buttery flavour and lends a little bit of richness here.

1/2C Green beans, cut into 2” lengths
1/2C Podded broad beans OR edamame
1/2-1T Coconut Oil
1/2 Onion, diced
1 Medium courgette, diced (1C)
1/2C Corn
3/4C (1/2 Can) Cooked chickpeas
1/2T Lemon juice
1T Chives
2T Basil, julienned
Salt + Pepper

First steam your green beans and broad beans or edamame for 3 minutes. Pinch of skins from broad beans and set aside.

Meanwhile, warm coconut oil in a pan over medium heat and add onions. Cook for a few minutes until clear. Toss in diced courgette and cook, stirring every now and again, for about 5 minutes more. Toss in corn, chickpeas and steamed green vegetables, and continue to cook until all heated through. Season well with salt and pepper, turn off heat and stir in fresh herbs and lemon juice.

Serves 2

I pulled out a couple of pieces of leftover cornbread from the freezer for us to eat alongside this. Love freezer finds!

I’m submitting this recipe to the blog parties: Healthy Vegan Fridays and Wellness Weekends

What are your pantry staples for last-minute meals?

Broad Bean + Roasted Garlic Dip

As much as I love to be in the kitchen, for almost everyone, myself included, it’s just not feasible to spend a huge amount of time preparing meals on a day-to-day basis. I almost always carve out some precious time in the evenings to prepare a nice dinner, and at weekends might make a special breakfast, but lunch tends to be variations on a theme- quick, light meals I can eat for a few days in a row. I’ve shared a few recipes for satisfying bean/grain salads on the blog already- a typical lunch for me. But besides salads, and leftovers, you’ll almost always find some sort of dip in my fridge.

Hummus is probably a staple in most vegans’ diets! It’s certainly one of those foods which deserves the tittle “nutritious and delicious”. I frequently whip up a batch of the traditional stuff but, if you know me you’ll realize It’s rare that I repeat the same dish too many times as I have to much fun making and inventing new ones! This broad bean and roasted garlic dip is a lovely alternative to the usual hummus and just as easy to prepare.

For some depth I added roasted garlic to my dip. If you’ve never tried garlic this way I urge you to do so asap. It’s a different flavour altogether to raw or even sautéed garlic. The sharp, pungent taste mellows completely and it turns caramel-like, sweet and spreadable, and, even better, no garlic breath! When making roasted vegetables I often toss a few whole cloves to the mix, still in their skins, and then squeeze out the sticky garlic when cooked and mix it with the other vegetables.

Broad beans are another vegetable we tend to think of here as a classic summer ingredient. I love how creamy and perfect they look popped out of their thick pods. They always remind me of a song we sang at school when I was little “..the apples are ripe, the plums are red…the broad beans are sleeping in their blankety bed” and while I was shelling them I noticed that the pods were indeed lined with a kind of velvety “blanket”!

Anyway, we went to a local pick-your-own-farm recently to get a load of berries and I couldn’t resist filling a basket with fresh broad beans at the same time. I’ve never really cooked with them before so this was my easy, but delicious solution. If you’ve got any other ideas for using the fresh beans please do share in the comments!

Broad Bean + Roasted Garlic Dip:

Bear in mind when buying fresh broad beans that after shelling them you’re left with a fairly small amount. I recommend buying more than you think you’ll need!

200g/1/2lb Shelled Broad Beans
1 Small bulb of garlic
2T Extra-virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 small lemon
2T Lemon juice
5 Medium basil leaves
Salt + pepper

Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Slice whole bulb of garlic in half width-wise across its centre and place, exposed side up on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and cook for 20-30 minutes. It should be soft throughout and slightly brown. Be careful not to let it burn though- you want caramel not char. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile you can be getting on with shelling your beans. When they’re podded steam them for 3-5 minutes and plunge into cold water. Remove the thick skins from the beans. Just pinch the skin with your fingers and they should pop out easily.

Squeeze as much of the garlic as you can out of the skins and blend together with all the other ingredients In a food processor. Season to taste.
Serve at room temperature with raw vegetable sticks, wholegrain bread, pita or crackers.

I’m submitting this recipe to the weekly blog hop Wellness Weekends

What are your favourite easy lunches?

Nectarine Salad with Blackberry Dressing, Basil & Hazelnuts

Stone fruit has got to be one of the best things about summer. Peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots, and cherries, I love them all.

They bring back fond memories of my 6 months living in Barcelona. I’d get sackfuls of peaches from my local “mercat”, dirt cheap, and at weekends I’d often head to the great Boqueria market and explore the stalls with a paper bag of cherries in hand.

They usually just go straight from the fruit bowl to my mouth, but my Mum recently bought at least a dozen peaches and nectarines, knowing what a fruit fiend I am, enough that I felt I could allow a few to end up in an actual recipe.

Along with all this fresh fruit on my kitchen counter, my freezer is still stuffed with berries from last year’s extreme picking sessions! I’m planning on heading to the local farm to pick strawberries soon too but need to clear some space for the incoming fruit! I finished off the last of the raspberries in this recipe, but still have an abundance of blackberries to get through. We made a lot of blackberry and apple compote and crumble over the winter but those hot desserts aren’t seeming too appropriate in this unexpected heat wave we’re having right now.

Something fresh and light sounded just the ticket, and so this “Nectarine Salad with Blackberry Dressing, Basil & Hazelnuts” was born!

Blackberries were whizzed up with sweet balsamic vinegar to make a tangy dressing which I used to top a bed of just-picked salad greens from the garden, along with my nectarines, cut into slivers, and finally a smattering of whole berries, a generous handful of basil leaves and some toasted hazelnuts for crunch.

I was surprised at how intact the berries were even after defrosting. A little tip if you’re going berry-picking and want to freeze them without them sticking together in a giant ice block: spread them in an even layer on parchment paper lined baking trays and freeze like that. When they’re completely frozen you can just pour them into bags and then you can easily use the amount you want over the months to come.

This salad is really just a basic formula and I’m sure other fruits, herbs and nuts would make delicious combinations as well: Perhaps peaches or plums with raspberry dressing and toasted almonds? Or how about apricots, strawberry dressing, mint and pecans? Have fun experimenting!

Nectarine Salad with Blackberry Dressing, Basil & Hazelnuts

Ingredients

For the Salad:
2 Big handfuls salad greens
1 Nectarine, stone removed and fruit cut into thin slivers
2-3 Tbsp Blackberries
1/4 C Basil leaves
2 Tbsp Hazelnuts, toasted and skinned (for a completely raw salad just skip toasting step)
Blackberry Dressing, a few tablespoons
For the Blackberry Dressing:
1/3 C Blackberries, fresh or frozen and defrosted
2 Tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1/2 Tbsp Agave nectar (optional- probably not necessary if you’re using sweeter berries like strawberries)
1 Tbsp Water

Instructions

Prepare the dressing first. Whiz listed ingredients up in a blender ( I use a Tribest personal blender), pour into a jar or bowl and refrigerate while you prepare the salad.
To toast hazelnuts, lay on a baking try and place in a hot (350F/180C) oven for 5-10 minutes, until skins are blistered. Watch closely so they don’t burn. Tip onto a kitchen towel, wrap them up and rub vigorously to remove loose skins. Don’t worry if they don’t come off completely.
Place a handful of salad greens on individual plates or in a large bowl, add a layer of nectarine slices and whole berries, scatter over the basil and toasted nuts and finish with a generous drizzle of the dressing.
Serves 1 (or 2 starter-size salads)

http://www.coconutandberries.com/2013/07/10/nectarine-salad-with-blackberry-dressing-basil-hazelnuts/

I’m submitting this salad to the weekly blog hops Wellness Weekends and Healthy Vegan Fridays

What have you been making with the bounty of summer fruit recently? Do any whole foods bring back particular memories for you?

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Roasted New Potato, Asparagus & Chickpea Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette

I’ve been seeing tropical fruits like avocados and mangoes, as well as an array of exotic vegetables all over the blog world recently. But, instead of bemoaning their non-existence over here I shall celebrate the beautiful local produce we do have in this part of the world! New potatoes, fresh peas, asparagus and herbs all do particularly well in the UK.

Potato salad is of course a classic summer dish but typically relegated to a side. As this meal was all about showcasing our lovely vegetables I opted to turn it into a main. Along with the vegetables, chickpeas add some protein power and a zippy lemon basil vinaigrette brings it all together.

I love it with roasted radishes too!

Pre-Dressed Salad:

New potatoes ready to roast- Steamed new potatoes are also delicious and would be a nice alternative to roasted, especially if you’re serving this as a cold salad.

Roasted New Potato, Asparagus & Chickpea Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette

Yield: 4 Servings

Roasted New Potato, Asparagus & Chickpea Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette

Ingredients

650g New potatoes, halved
1-2 Tbsp Olive oil
Coarse Sea salt (I like Maldon) + Pepper
1-1/2 C Cooked chickpeas/ 1 Can, drained + rinsed
1 Bundle (approx 350g/1lb) asparagus, tough ends snapped off
2 Tbsp Water
1 C Green peas (frozen are fine)
2 Shallots, chopped finely
Vinaigrette:
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp Lemon juice
2 Tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 C Fresh Basil, chopped coarsely or chiffonaded
salt + pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180C/350F
On a large baking tray toss new potatoes with olive oil, and a good sprinkle of coarse sea salt and pepper. Roast for 25-30 mins, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Edges should be crispy and golden (Alternatively steam new potatoes approx 15mins).
Meanwhile, prepare dressing. Whisk together mustard and lemon juice and then slowly trickle in olive oil and keep whisking until emulsified. Stir through the basil and refrigerate until ready to use.
Warm a large pan over medium heat with another drizzle of oil. Toss in asparagus along with 2T water, cover and cook for 4 minutes until bright green. Add peas, cover pan again and cook a further couple of minutes. If your peas are fresh add another couple of tablespoons of water to steam.
When cooked, stir in chickpeas to warm through along with the minced shallots, just to take the sharp edge off them (you can also leave them raw if you like a bit of bite).
Spread roasted new potatoes into a large serving dish in a layer then pour over the asparagus, chickpea & pea sauté. Finish with black pepper and extra basil leaves.
Either toss salad with dressing or serve on side for individuals to dress their own plates.

http://www.coconutandberries.com/2013/06/25/roasted-new-potato-asparagus-chickpea-salad-w-lemon-basil-vinaigrette/

I’m submitting this recipe to the weekly blog-hop Healthy Vegan Fridays

What are your favourite local fruits and vegetables at this time of year?

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