Mexican Polenta with Cheesy Sauce

Hello lovelies! We have had quite a bit of “something yummy over polenta” lately. Polenta is cheap and filling and warm and cooks quickly. What’s not to love?

This was a bit of a mash up of things we had in the house…black beans, salsa, frozen corn and some powdered cheese sauce. So it was Mexican Polenta drizzled with cheesy sauce. Yum!

This was also quick and easy. Made in about 20 minutes. Normally, when I make polenta, I add vegan parmesan cheese to it, but I didn’t this time as I was making cheese sauce to drizzle on top. This would take longer if you didn’t have the powdered cheese sauce made, but I always have some on hand for macaroni cheese or nachos. Find the recipe for cheese powder HERE.

Mexican Polenta

Mexican topping:

1 onion, diced

Garlic

Tin of black beans (or kidney beans), drained and rinsed

Jar salsa

1 cup frozen corn

Squeeze of lime juice (bottled is fine)

Cook the onion and garlic in a splash of oil or water and then add everything else and bubble until the corn is no longer frozen. Meanwhile start the cheese sauce.

Cheese sauce:

1/3 cup cheese powder Recipe HERE

1 cup unsweet non dairy milk (we used soya milk)

1 TB lemon juice (bottled is fine)

1 tsp wholegrain mustard (optional but nice)

Whisk all together and heat on low while you make the polenta.

Polenta:

4 cups vegetable stock

1 cup polenta

splash of non dairy milk

 Bring the stock to the boil. I like to boil 3.5 cups water in the kettle and then add some stock powder/cube to 1/2 cup that you heat in your pot whilst the kettle boils. then add the boiled kettle and it all comes to the boil much quicker than waiting for it come to boil from a cold pot. Does that make sense? 

Stream in the polenta to the boiling stock and whisk constantly until it thickens. When it starts to spit, take it off the heat and add a splash of milk. If it seems too stodgy, add another splash of milk then return to heat and make sure it is heated and then remove from heat, add a lid and let sit until the cheese sauce is hot.

Once the polenta is done, crank up the heat on the cheese sauce and stir constantly while it heats, when it boils it will thicken.

Serve the polenta with the Mexican topping and drizzle with cheese sauce. Then take a photo and drizzle on more cheese sauce.

This was quick and delicious after a long day at work. Yum!