Ranchero Polenta

Well I am back from my world wind adventure in India. I got back in the middle of the month and am finally back in the groove of things at home. Working my summer, reading, relaxing, and having fun. The minute I got home I got Isa's new cookbook "Vegan Brunch." The colorful colors pulled me in right away, and then you open up, and different from her full-length cookbooks there was tons and tons of pictures! Still all the humor and funny sections, like "Letter to a Young Crepe Maker" and the ever so present dilemma of polenta vs. corn meal. I went through it a few nights ago and pretty much loved every single recipe. The one that really took me was the Polenta Rancheros. After the first day of our garage sale, I decided I'd make it for my family for dinner. The recipe which is extremely simple just calls for the ranchero bean sauce, which is just tomato sauce, serano pepper, onion, garlic, cumin, and coriander, and well of course good 'ol black beans. The polenta is simple as ever to make, and you are set. I had a bit of an issue with my polenta, it just would not set as quickly as we wanted to eat. I think the issue is I didnt have 5 cups of vegetable stock to use, but 3 and used 2 cups of water. So the two cups of water added a bit more liquid to evaporate.

We topped our beans and polenta with guacamole and dug in with tortilla chips and salsa. My entire family (even my picky dad) enjoyed the recipe. It has a great hearty filling, a feel of chili with the nice touch of the creaminess of the polenta. As my mom said: "this is a keeper."

I will have a full update series on my summer abroad in India when I have time. Hope everyone is having great weather and a good time this summer.