Now back to my stay at home mom life.  A good one.  But it’s good to get away and appreciate it from time to time.  

I made this dish two nights before I left for Charleston.  It was delicious!  Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures, but I’ll make it again and add pictures later.  

I had a lot of that Parsley Pumpkin Seed Pesto (entry date 9/18/13) left over.  My sister’s boyfriend also gave me a ton of really large zucchini fresh from his mom’s farm.  I’m super picky about zucchini because I feel like it’s often too slimy or overcooked.  The large ones are especially tricky – great for zucchini bread or muffins – but I didn’t feel like making a bread item right before leaving to go out of town.  I’d also been craving polenta (probably bc the nights are getting a tad chilly), so…here goes:

Polenta:

3 cups water

1 cup stone ground corn grits (I’ve used cornmeal, which some recipes say works fine, but I feel like it’s just too soupy.  Corn grits make a nice thick polenta.)

1/2 t salt

1 t olive oil

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 t thyme, dill, oregano, and basil

dash black pepper

Bring the water, salt and oil to a boil, then lower the heat to medium while slowly whisking in the grits.  It is important to very slowly pour in the grits and whisk them constantly while pouring.  Then turn the heat down to med low or low, so the grits are just simmering (lightly bubbling).  You no longer need to whisk, but frequently stir the polenta with a wooden spoon.  Add the spices after about 5 minutes.  Cook until thick – about 30 minutes.  Stir in the parmesan cheese.  Remove from heat, stir in about 1/4 cup Parsley pumpkin seed pesto (see recipe from 9/18) and set aside.  

Zucchini Parmesan (bc it’s kind of like the eggplant in eggplant parmesan):

1 large zucchini, sliced thin

1 egg, beaten

3 T grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup GF breadcrumbs (or regular if you don’t care about the gluten)

1/2 t salt, pepper, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, dill, oregano, and basil

2 T olive oil 

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan.  Mix the parmesan cheese, cornmeal, breadcrumbs and spices in a shallow bowl.  Dip each slice of zucchini in the egg, then coat with the breading.  Brown the zucchini slices, about 5 minutes each side in the pan.  

Set on a paper towel to drain the oil.  

I also roasted some broccoli, red pepper, and vidalia onion (coated in olive oil, sea salt, crushed garlic and black pepper) on 400 for about 20 minutes.  

Serve a heap of polenta, a layer of breaded zucchini, and some roasted veggies on top.  Top with more fresh grated parmesan, feta, or asiago cheese.  Yummy!!

Pictures to come 🙂