Wild Mushroom Polenta with wilted spinach & blistered tomatoes
Active Time: 50 minutes / Cool Time: 2-3 hours
Makes 2 servings
Nutrition Corner: Eat More Butter!
Grass-fed, organic butter is one of few foods that contain high amounts of butyric acid, shown to decrease inflammation in the body. Grass-fed butter is also a rich source of Vitamin A, which is responsible for its yellow coloring. Grass-fed butter also contains medium-chain triglycerides, which serve as immediate fuel for our body. Always choose grass-fed butter over processed margarines and vegetable oil based butter substitutes.

Ingredients:
- Polenta Cakes
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup almond milk (or 1/2 additional cup water)
- Pinch nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup polenta
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Mushroom Ragout
- 1/2 pound baby Portobello mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ¼ cup full-fat unsweetened canned coconut milk (use just the cream on top)
- ¼ cup white wine (or vegetable/chicken broth)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 scallions, chopped
- Fine sea salt and pepper to taste
- Wilted Spinach
- 4 cups spinach
- fine sea salt and pepper
- Blistered Tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
Directions:
- Polenta Cakes
- In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, add water, milk, salt, nutmeg, and butter.
- Once liquid is warm and ghee is melted, reduce the heat to low and add polenta, whisking slowly and consistently.
- Cook until it thickens (12-15 minutes). Test by tasting to make sure that the polenta has rehydrated.
- Pour polenta into a small baking pan, dish, or small sauté pan (about 6’’ x 6’’). You would like the polenta to be about an inch thick.
- Let cool for 2-3 hours and cut into 2-4 cakes.
- Prepare the mushrooms: In a large sauté pan, over medium-high heat, sauté the mushrooms in coconut oil until tender and starting to juice.
- Add scallions, garlic, salt and pepper and sauté 1 minute.
- Add white wine (or broth) and reduce 2 minutes.
- Add coconut milk and reduce to thicken (2-3 minutes). Transfer to a bowl, cover and set aside.
- Prepare a steamer and once steaming, add spinach until just wilted, 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl, season with a dash of salt and pepper to taste, cover, and set aside.
- Return sauté pan to medium heat and add 1 teaspoon more oil if needed until very hot.
- Carefully add tomatoes and toss until just blistered (blackened) but not cooked through. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and set aside.
- Lastly, place the polenta cakes in the greased skillet and sauté over medium high heat to get a brown crust.
- Plate 1-2 cakes on each of 2 serving dishes and top with mushroom ragú, spinach, and tomatoes.