29 December 2006

Mama Snee's Recipe Corner: Polenta Cakies

I was inspired heavily by this, and since I don't have a ton of money to have my toddler's food shipped across the country when it's a total crapshoot whether she's going to even eat it, I decided to try making my own. The genius lies in the muffin-tin and freezer, not so much the recipe. You could make anything in this format. This is my first attempt:

Polenta Cakies*

  • Polenta (corn grits) -- I bought the dry grits in the bag from the organic section, but you could get a tube of pre-made if you want.
  • Chickpeas (or any kind of bean, I bet black beans would be good)-- chopped if you have a gagger
  • Peas, Carrots, etc. (I used peas, carrots, broccoli)-- frozen or fresh, steamed to soften, chopped into itty bits
  • Shredded cheese

Make Polenta according to package. Add chopped up veggies and beans and cheese. Mix well and spoon into muffin tins. Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes... enough time for the cheese to glue it together.

Freeze most of the cakes, and pop 'em out any time for a quickie meal. These are GREAT for sending along to daycare if you substitute the nasty "meats" coming out of the cafeteria like I do. This thing has MILEAGE! 4 servings of Polenta gave me 12 cakies.

*Note that while Bird was very receptive to the first Polenta Cakie, there has been no repeat performance. The good news is that it was cheap to make, and I have eight more tries sitting in my freezer. I'll just keep putting it on her tray, and eventually, she will become curious. Or worn down. Either way, she WILL eat it again.

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