Tuesday's Twist: Creamy Polenta (without the cream)

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

I warned you I've been on a cornmeal kick.  I also mentioned that tofu might reappear when I make something a little more, shall we say, repeatable.  Last week I told you about my friend, Emma, and her soy internship.  In addition to using TVP, she also developed recipes using silken tofu.  One of those recipes was Creamy Polenta with Apples and Swiss Chard.  I will definitely be making it in the near future, but for this week I took her polenta base and added something a little different. 

Edit: Does anyone have any idea WHY the above paragraph is in white???? Everything else came out normal and I did  nothing (that I know of) differently to that paragraph. Maybe it has to do with all the links? Please let me know if you know how to fix it.  I've also noticed a lot of spacing issues that aren't posting they same way I type them... But, back to the polenta...

I love Emma's concept of using silken tofu in place of the butter and heavy cream traditionally used in polenta.  Instead of a dish loaded with fat and calories you get extra protein. What's not to like about that?  Ummm, tofu?  Nope, wrong answer.  You can't taste the tofu at all.  Genius.  Seriously, Emma, you never cease to amaze me!

This recipe is extremely versatile.  I added corn and jalapenos but the flavor combinations are only as limited as your imagination....or your taste buds.  I've been waiting to try this polenta with blue cheese, honey, thyme and hazelnuts.  Or you could put a different twist on it and go with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach.  Then again, it's probably best to just stick with the original.  If you'd like to see Emma's original recipe for Creamy Polenta with Apples and Swiss Chard (or her other super creative recipes using silken tofu and TVP), shoot me an email and I'll pass it onto her.

(Brownie points if you can tell me why only part of that paragraph came out white.  It's white from my end so I'm assuming you see it that way too?)

Creamy Polenta with Corn and Jalapenos
Inspired by Emma

Ingredients:
1 (12oz) pkg silken tofu
3 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 cup cornmeal
2 Tbsp chopped jarred jalapeno peppers
2 Tbsp juice from jarred jalapenos
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
chopped green onions, optional

Instructions:
* In a food processor, puree tofu until smooth.
* In a medium saucepan, combine tofu, water, salt and onion powder.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.
* Whisk in cornmeal.  Reduce heat to low and continue stirring and cooking until mixture is thick, about 5 minutes.
* Stir in chopped jalapenos, jalapeno juice and corn kernels.  Garnish with chopped green onions if desired.

Food for Thought: "Let your smile change the world, but don't let the world change your smile." - unknown