Vegan    &&    Grain-free    &&    Very low fat

This is a harmonious mish-mash of two great recipes I came across recently, along with some changes of my own, of course. My partner always tells me to make a new recipe as written the first time, and then make whatever changes I want the next time around; it makes sense to experience the recipe as intended and go from there. Out loud I usually respond with a “Yeahhhhh, you’re right”, but then quietly I make my changes anyway. I have no regrets. I won’t judge if you want to take your own spin on any of my recipes the first time you make them either.

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Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Oven-Baked Creamy Polenta (my go-to polenta recipe!), and the Kitchn’s Couscous with Chickpeas, Fennel and Citrus

35 Minutes

4 Servings

Bits:

– Polenta

• 3/4 cup medium grind polenta
• zest and juice (~1/4 cup) of 1 navel orange
• zest and 1 Tbsp juice of 1 lemon
• 2 3/4 cups water
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1-2 Tbsp milk of choice, depending on preferred consistency

– Skillet

• 1 large fennel bulb, fronds removed and reserved
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp rasam powder, or curry powder
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1 small bunch kale
• 3 cups chickpeas, canned or cooked from dried
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice, plus more to taste
• Small handful of parsley leaves, roughly chopped

Algorithm:

• First make the polenta. Preheat the oven to 425F. In big flat baking dish (mine is 10″x10″) with a lid, combine all the polenta ingredients except for the milk. Give everything a quick stir, and put in the oven with the lid on. Bake 15 minutes, stir, and bake 15 more minutes. At the end of the 30 minutes stir in the milk, using more or less depending on the consistency you like.
• While the polenta is baking, make the skillet.
  • Quarter the fennel bulb from top to bottom, and cut out the dense core from the bottom. Slice cross-wise into ~1/2-inch slices. Place into a large (10-12″) non-stick skillet and dry-fry for 7 to 9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it starts to turn a caramel-y golden color; add a tablespoon at a time of water as needed if it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan.
  • Add the ground coriander, rasam powder (or curry powder if you don’t have a good rasam), and salt. Stir and cook for about a minute until fragrant.
  • Slice the kale greens off of the central stems, and slice cross-wise into 1-inch strips. Add these to the skillet; stir and cook about 3-4 minutes until they start to wilt.
  • Add the chickpeas to the skillet and cook a couple minutes until warmed through. Take a taste and add more spices as desired.
  • Add the lemon juice to the skillet, give everything a final couple stirs to mix through, and remove from heat.
• Spoon cooked polenta onto serving plates or into bowls and top with the skillet mixture. Generously garnish with chopped parsley leaves (normally I’d say parsley is an optional garnish, but it really adds something to the finished dish here!).