Fried Eggs, Collard, and Polenta

http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-fried-eggs-and-collard-77455

Fried Eggs, Collard, and Polenta

This was really good, but not as fast as I had wanted initially for dinner prep, But when I saw it called for collards and I happened to have collards just sitting in the fridge waiting to be used up, I went for it anyway.

I used precooked trader joes polenta, the kind that comes in a chub. I sliced it and fried it before frying the eggs at the end in some reserved bacon fat. Ila liked collards cooked this way, and I did too. Much more so than the collards I made last month in my instant pot.

Poblano & Chorizo Polenta (or Grits)

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/06/roasted-poblano-grits-with-chorizo/
Poblano & Chorizo Polenta (or Grits)

I used Bob's Red Mill Grits for this recipe. I used light coconut milk from Trader Joes in place of the milk, and the sweetness was a great contrast to the spiciness of the poblanos. (This brand of coconut milk is my new favorite since there is no thickeners added, and for many applications light coconut milk is perfectly adequate, especially when directly substituting for cows milk. It is also only a dollar per can, compared to $2.50!). I also mixed coconut oil into the finished polenta in place of butter.

I cooked a whole pound of bulk chorizo (from Hy-vee butchery) and we served it on the side, not mixed it. David liked being able to mix it in various ratios according to his likes.

Finally I served it with a ripe avocado that I sliced. And David put shredded cheese on his. But we all loved the meal. LOVED.

Portobello Mushrooms and Polenta

This is a recipe from my San Francisco chronicle cookbook.

This was very different fare than we're used to, and I had strong aversion to one of the ingredients. David adored it though. I think it is my strong sense of smell that made me sensitive to the white truffle oil. I halved the recipe.

4 whole portobello mushroom, stemmed

1/4 cup olive oil

1 T chopped fresh thyme

1 T chopped garlic

2 t chopped fresh rosemary

1 t ground pepper

1 t salt

3.5 cups water

3/4 cup polenta

1/4 cup mascarpone at room temp

1 T white truffle oil

One day ahead: Rub both sides of the mushrooms with olive oil, thyme, garlic, rosemary, pepper, and salt. Cover the mushrooms and refrigerate overnight.

1.Bring the water to a boil in a heavy pot. Whisk in the polenta, reduce heat low and cook until thickened and cooked. Stir constantly.

2.Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

3.Combine the mascarpone and truffle oil and set aside at room temperature.

4.Place the marinated mushrooms in a baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.

5.To serve, divide the polenta among serving plates. Top each serving with a mushroom and a tablespoon of mascarpone mixture.

Serves 4.

-----------

I added some garlic to the polenta to give it more flavor. Next time I make this, I won't use any truffle oil. It is too strong for me.