Polenta with Black Beans and Mango Salsa

Hello! I'm back after a brief hiatus. It takes a lot of time and creative energy to keep this blog fully functioning and I really prefer to have quality posts over a large quantity of posts. Taking a break has allowed me time to take a very important exam and to enjoy a little time off in the aftermath. Now that life is back to normal, I'll be resuming the typical posting schedule.

This recipe was sent to me a while back by a friend's mom. Dave really enjoys polenta recipes and I thought the mango salsa would be a nice summery addition.

Recipe from Forks Over Knives.

Ingredients:

-1 package (24 ounces) cooked polenta, cut into ½-inch-thick slices

-1 onion, chopped

-1 red bell pepper, chopped

-1 orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped

-2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

-2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed

-1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes

-1 can (4 ounces) diced green chiles

-1 teaspoon chili powder

-1 teaspoon ground cumin

-Dash or two of Tabasco or other hot sauce

-Freshly ground black pepper

-2 cups Peach Mango Salsa (or just mango salsa)

First cook the polenta by placing the slices on a nonstick baking sheet for 15 minutes in an oven heated to 375.

While the polenta bakes, add the onions, bell peppers, and garlic to a large skillet with a small amount of oil. Heat the vegetable mixture while stirring occasionally until the vegetables soften. Then add the black beans, tomatoes, chiles, chili powder, cumin, hot sauce, and a pinch of black pepper. Cook the mixture for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

To serve, arrange the baked polenta slices on a plate, top with the black bean mixture and then the peach mango salsa. Serve with lime wedges.

I really enjoyed this recipe. I think polenta really lends itself to almost any style of recipe, so it works really well in recipes with a Mexican flair. The black bean mixture had a nice amount of heat to it, while the peach mango salsa had a nice sweet element. I added a little squeeze of lime to mine which helped to enhance some of the flavors in the black bean mixture. Dave and I both really enjoyed this and it was easy to make.