I had a long break indeed, but yay, finally! Here I am with this beautiful vegan mushrooms and polenta recipe, a dish that we love having on a regular basis.
The holiday in Italy was lovely, with loads of beautiful food, good family times and togetherness. It is now time to get back on track. School, work, my volunteering and of course sharing recipes with you here.
A new year, a new decade so, will take this opportunity to wish you all again a happy, healthy, joyful and balanced 2020!
January diet...?
Hmm, I’m pretty sure the most searched recipes in January must be healthy diets and detox recipes. January diets to me sound a little like trying to get drunk with drinking water. I do not believe in fad diets and quick fixes. Losing weight and being healthy it’s all about a lifestyle.
Detox, yes, cutting down and eventually eliminating the bad habits, yes, lifestyle changing habits, yes, that’s what I do believe in.
Everywhere you turn you see and hear it’s all about the Veganuary word! Well, I can’t become a vegan but I have definitely cut down on meat consumption. Eating good food, wholesomeness, cutting down on takeaways, cutting down the portions, going to the gym, exercising it’s all about going in the right direction.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done diets in the past, quite a few times. I had to. After two pregnancies, dieting it’s a must and they did help but the help was very short-lived. The weight comes back in no time, in fact, it all comes back double or more if not careful.
It helps initially. You lose some weight, then you hit a plateau, the disheartening kicks in, the diet gets ditched and the weight starts piling back up. It piles back pretty fast.
Changing the lifestyle and ditching the bad habits it’s the key and the answer. We all know what we do wrong so initial little changes will start working pretty much straight away. Little steady good habits being employed will also make us feel good.
Good habits .....
Portion matters, eating early enough at the night, binging on vegetables, cutting the meat, trimming fats, ditching sugary and processed foods, it’s not as hard as it looks. Just making pertinent choices that are all shifting weight it’s all about.
I always say, eat the rainbow every day (my kids know this expression since super young), hydrate well enough, no junk and seriously the benefits will not fail to appear.
Glowing skin, great energy, feel-good mood, less bad moods, fewer colds and illnesses and the benefits list can go on. I don’t say nor believe that skinny means healthy or fit at all.
Feeling good means being happy with ourselves and not following others and body shapes that might suit them but not us.
Ultimately, eating healthy and balanced is the key to happiness and can play a huge role in living a longer life.
More about this vegan mushrooms recipe
Coming back to this vegan mushrooms and polenta recipe now. It is such an amazing combination! This dish can be kept vegan, could be made a vegetarian version by adding dairy products or eggs to it or if you eat meat, or fish add some fish or meat to it. Any kind of fish or meat you may like, it can be grilled, baked or pan cooked.
This is a beautiful and versatile gluten-free recipe suitable for vegans, vegetarians and any meat lovers because you can tailor it as you wish. I have added some bacon in the past and topped it with a pan-fried egg. Oh, it can make a delicious breakfast or brunch!
Variations
Vegan: tofu, beans, chickpeas, and grilled vegetables, other types of mushrooms, tomato and herbs sauce;
Vegetarian: any pan-fried fish ( see this delicious sardines recipe), any nice creamy, full-fat cheese, pan-fried, boiled or poached eggs.
Meat: chicken, bacon, beef, any pork cut, particularly pan cooked with a drizzle of garlic sauce (see sardine recipe-link above)
My favourite version of this would be a creamy polenta served with crumbs of cows or goats' feta cheese, the mushrooms and polenta topped with a soft pan cooked or poached egg.
Love it with some pan-fried lardons too? Go for it, yummm!
Here's how to make polenta if you want to watch but it is the simplest side dish to make ever, take my word for it. I like how versatile polenta is by making it as plain as possible with just water, cornflour/cornmeal and salt or adding creaminess to it like real cream, cheese, even egg when cooking it.
You can have easy access to mushrooms in your kitchen by trying a vegan mushroom growing kit that is easily set up on the kitchen counter.
Let’s get cooking this delicious light and totally gluten-free vegan mushrooms and polenta dish, shall we?
Oh, I almost forgot! If you would like some more mushrooms dishes, here are some more mushroom drooling recipes that I am adamant you will greatly love.
Vegan mushrooms and polenta
Ingredients
For the Polenta :
- 300 g Polenta flour cornmeal
- 1 l water
- 1 tsp Salt
For the mushroom sauté:
- 500 g Mushrooms
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 4-5 sprigs Dill
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 100 g Vegan cheese to serve.
Instructions
Making the polenta
- Pour the water into a deeper cast iron or nonstick pot, add the salt and place on medium fire.
- When the water begins to simmer, add the cornmeal, whisking constantly to homogenise but also to avoid lumps. The polenta will begin to thicken fairly quickly. Whisk or stir it fairly often. It may form a crust which is absolutely fine.
Preparing the mushrooms
- While polenta cooks, place a pan over medium fire, add a good drizzle of olive oil, then add the crushed and finely chopped garlic. Allow it to cook for 1 minute.
- Add the sliced mushrooms. Cook for about 10-12 min till they begin to brown on all sides. Season to taste and garnish with some finely chopped dill.
- When the polenta is ready dish it out into the desired individual plates or onto one big serving plate and top with the mushrooms. Sprinkle some crumbled vegan cheese and serve while warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Stacey says
This polenta dish looks amazing. We love polenta too and will definitely make this ASAP. Love the garlic addition. Delicious.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
This is so my kind of recipe and my boys love mushroom. Making a good polenta comes with practice and I am yet to perfect it. I have to say, I love that cute serving bowls that you have used!
Cheese Curd In Paradise says
What a delicious meal! I love the addition of the cheese and the dill! I can't wait to make this one!
Erin Vasicek says
I would love to try this with tofu or crispy chickpeas!
Pavani says
That is such a hearty and comforting bowl of food. Creamy polenta with all that mushrooms looks absolutely delicious. The idea to serve with an egg on top sounds yumm!!
Kacey Perez says
Looks so gorgeous! I can't wait to give this a try. Switch things up a bit for the family meals during this social distancing!
Ramona says
Thank you so much Kacey! xx
Leslie says
What a wonderful recipe you have here! You have a great combination of flavors!
Ramona says
Thank you Leslie xx
Marta says
Two of my favorites- polenta and mushrooms- in one bowl. This recipe is great and tasty!
Ramona says
Thank you Marta, I am so happy you like it. It is a great combo, I must admit.
Ramona says
Thanks Marta, delicious indeed, so glad you like the recipe too. A combo made in heaven, agreed.
Lesli Schwartz says
Totally delicious looking! I need to attempt to make polenta. I do have all of these ingredients in my pantry and fridge, so yes for the recipe inspiration!
Stine Mari says
I have a huge bag of cornmeal, so I can't wait to try this. Mushrooms are my favorite way of eating vegan. I totally agree with your view on diets, health and food. Although I do struggle sometimes, especially in cold dreary weather like the one we've been having for months now. This however, is super comforting while still being healthy, so it's particularly great right now - thanks!
Jere Cassidy says
Glad to find this recipe. I love polenta and always need something new to put on top.
Ramona says
Thanks so much Jere, polenta is so versatile, isn't it?
Jacqui DeBono says
I love polenta and I love mushrooms. This is so fresh and tasty, but also very satisfying.
Ramona says
Thank you so much dear Jacqui.
Hani says
I will add ground beef and tofu in addition for dinner tonight! My husband will love it. 🙂
Ramona says
That sounds an absolutely yummy idea Hani. Enjoy! 😉
Amy Liu Dong says
Honestly, I have never heard of this dish before but it looks really delicious and easy to make a dish. I will give it try and hope it will turn good as yours.
Ramona says
It definitely will Amy, all you need to do it's try and I am sure your mushrooms and polenta will turn out as delicious.
Ramona says
Thanks Amy,
Cooking is all about originality 😉 I am so glad you liked the dish and you are willing to give it a try 😉
Gail Montero says
Hubby is gluten-free so I am always on the lookout for new and delicious gluten-free dishes and glad I found just the perfect dish for us.
Ramona says
Thank you Gail,
It is the perfect meal for gluten free diets, I am sure your hubby will love this meal.
Sondra Barker says
Wow this recipe sounds so delicious! I definitely need to try this out soon - Yum!
Ramona says
Thank you Sondra 😉
Jacque Hastert says
I can't wait to make this soon! I am always looking for a delicious yet filling vegan recipe!
Ramona says
Thank you Jacque, I am sure you will love it as much as we do.
Lathiya says
I haven't tried my hands on polenta yet but I have to say this one sounds amazing. I also loved that you gave variations to try.
Ramona says
Thanks Lathiya,,
I am sure you will love polenta as much as we do - it is a great alternative to bred.