Cold mornings require something hearty, something warm, something cozy. After shoveling the driveway, hand me a spoon and let me shovel something infinitely lighter and more pillowy. Polenta, please. Sauté garlic, add a handful of sun-dried tomatoes, a sprinkling of cheesy nutritional yeast flakes, and let me dig into a bowl.
My favorite brand is De la Estancia. It’s a fine grain polenta that cooks extremely quickly and is smooth in the mouth, unlike some coarse polenta brands. My current favorite sun-dried tomatoes are from Trader Joe’s and come in a resealable bag. What I like most about them is that they aren’t covered in oil in a jar and don’t have to be rehydrated before use. They still have their moisture – like raisins or dried figs. They come in julienne slices that can be cut down to a dice, if preferred, with kitchen scissors. The only negative is that they aren’t organic.
The polenta cooks in a minute with a process that’s similar to making boxed mashed potatoes. If I’m in the mood for a larger breakfast, I top it with beans, sautéed greens, or roasted vegetables.
Easy Breakfast Polenta
Serves 2 as a meal, 4 as a side
- 2/3 cup fine grain polenta
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups vegetable broth or 2 cups water + ½ vegetable bouillon cube
- 2 Tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, chopped small
- ¼ cup rice milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Optional toppings: fresh basil, red bell pepper chunks, beans, sautéed greens, or roasted vegetables
In a small pot, sauté garlic in oil over a medium heat. Once garlic is translucent and fragrant (about 3 minutes), add broth (or water and bouillon cube, if using). Bring broth to a boil. Once it has reached boiling, lower to a simmer and slowly add polenta, stirring constantly. Once polenta is thick and pulls from sides (about one minute), add rice milk, nutritional yeast flakes, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir to combine and add salt and pepper.
A couple of months ago, my husband, David, and I walked in the first annual Veggie Pride Parade in Los Angeles. Amongst a slew of fun and creative signs, David’s was quite popular with the vegan and vegetarian crowd. “Where do I get my protein?” the sign header asked. It was followed by a lengthy list of vegan protein sources. People chuckled, took David’s photo, and nodded their heads in recognition. There are two questions vegans get asked the most in reference to their diet. David’s sign answered the first, and the second question was asked to me recently by a coworker who’d just had McDonald’s for breakfast and Burger King for lunch. That question is, “Oh, my gosh. What do you eat?!” Surely endless plates of iceberg lettuce salads with no dressing danced through her mind. 
