For all my fellow polenta-lovers.
Because Christmas Eve is such a big event, we usually do something smaller for Christmas. This year, I somehow convinced my entire family to eat a vegan Christmas dinner! Mom was instantly on board, as it meant she didn’t have to cook.
I cooked up a huge batch of Bread-Free Vegan Stuffing.
I’m kinda obsessed with this recipe, if you couldn’t tell. It’s especially simple to make when you have a sister chopping veggies for you and a dad who does the dishes.
With the stuffing, I made a simple salad (just greens and almonds, letting everyone choose their dressing). In a polenta mood from my Christmas Polenta Casserole the night before, I opted for more polenta as a side dish—a quick and easy, single-serving recipe (I cooked extra for the family).
Creamy Polenta for One
- 1/2 cup cornmeal (whole-grain or regular)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp creamer, such as Silk (Creamer-Free Version Here)
Measure your polenta, salt, and 1 cup water into a small pot. Cook on medium-high, with the lid on, for 4 minutes. Then uncover, stir, and lower to a simmer for 2 more minutes. Stir again, then keep simmering (still uncovered) 3 more minutes, or until desired consistency is reached. I make this ahead of time and add the creamer right before serving. Add the creamer, then re-heat until it’s warmed to your liking.
After dinner, we cuddled up on the couch with Molly and Henry and watched It’s a Wonderful Life, a.k.a. one of the cutest movies–Christmas or not–ever made.
Side note: I did really well teaching Henry, who sheds, not to go on the couch. But then I missed cuddling with him when I sat on the couch! Sometimes, you have to weigh the pros and cons: missing out on Henry cuddles is so not worth having fur-less furniture.
You know about my pets 😉
That polenta looks fabulous!!!!!
I have a cat and he’s spoiled rotten. He lies on his back on MY bed, only likes a certain type of cheese, will not eat any food that has been in his bowl for over an hour and tries to eat my chocolate.
What?! Tries to eat your chocolate???! Get rid of that cat, asap! 😉
This meal looks mighty yummy, Katie. ;). My two doggies – Maya & Rufus – are like my kids and definitely get all they need and some. Love ’em.
oh honeybear, if you like polenta – you will adore the recipe I just posted on my blog!!! and it should be pretty easily veganized — just sub in a flax egg and use your sweetener of choice 🙂 you’ll die!
http://www.pbandjenny.com/2010/12/feeling-corny/
I seriously wish I could claim my dogs as dependents! They are spoiled rotten. They sleep in the bed with us. There is constant dog hair on my clothes, in my car… DON’T CARE! Dog lovin’ always makes my day brighter!
Oooohhh yeah. My pets have always been spoiled but I think the chinchilla that showed up on my doorstep this spring (literally) has to be the winner in this contest. It could be his cuteness but we fall all over ourselves to make him happy, even going so far as to heat his shredded wheat square treat in the microwave for 5 seconds because he prefers it warmed. The cat comes in a close second. =^.^=
It’s a Wonderful Life is one of my favorites!
I’ve been looking for a good, simple polenta recipe, and I think I just found it!
I have two dogs (a golden retriever and a border collie mix), a kitty, and a horse. Ya, they’re pretty spoiled. But they all make me so happy (just like Molly and Henry, I’m sure) that they completely deserve to be spoiled! 🙂
Molly would tell you that we don’t spoil her enough. She wants to be even MORE spoiled… if that’s possible.
I’ve got to try that vegan stuffing; looks delicious. On a really involved note, I went back to that recipe, then back to the pinto bean pudding and… I made it back then too! So it was twice as popular as you thought 🙂
Oooh you made it? LOL that makes, what, three of us? 😉
I loooove polenta. I have a dog and he’s spoiled rotten too! He’s too old to jump on the couch though. : / So i just snuggle on the floor with him.
O I have three dogs at my dad’s house. I only claim two as my own. The beagle is my brother’s, and is the most annoying dog known to man. The Jack Russel (Dottie) and the lab/German Shepherd/hound mix (Jake) are my babies, and they couldn’t be more spoiled.
Haha “the most annoying dog known to man”
It’s true. The dog will bark at anything-and since it is a beagle he doesn’t know how to just bark, but has to howl….and howl…and howl. Speaking of the devil, he is howling right now. All I did was get out of my seat, and he is now convinced that something is about to kill him, and not only that but he is a girl. Touch him in the slightest wrong way he will moan for an hour. He has issues I swear.
Haha maybe he senses that someone is going to kill him because someone IS, if he doesn’t shut up! 😉
I have two cats and they are suuuuupeeeer spoiled! They are my children (for now). I am actually typing this comment with one hand as to not disturb the one on my lap:)
Aww what a good mommy you are hehe
It’s A Wonderful Life is one of the greatest films ever made!
I often like to tell my boyfriend that I will “lasso him the moon” if he wants. I’m just sweet like that 🙂
I wonder what a person would do with the moon if he/she got it…
Hmm, not a fan of polenta 🙁 It’s funny because the first time I made one of Susan’s polenta recipes (it was this one http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/02/polenta-lasagna-with-portabellas-and.html) my mom told me how much I was going to love polenta, and I ended up eating around it! Oh well!
My furballs are SOOOO spoiled! Nigel (http://bit.ly/g18qyJ) pretty much has free reign and acts like an 85lb lap dog most days. Definitely fun when your dog vaults himself onto the couch you’re sitting on and lays across your stomach 😛 But I guess I’m just glad he’s happy!
And Xenophon (http://bit.ly/gEbOEX) is equally spoiled, except he’s slightly lighter and I don’t mind when he’s on the couch with me 😛
On the pet note, I’m so excited for the summer because we’re getting another dog and not only with it get Nige out of the way every once in a while, but he’ll be so happy to have someone else to play with…I know he’s been lonely since we had to have Ben-ben (his big bro) put down last year. Anyways, I can’t wait! I’m thinking up names already…trying to convince my mom that Alastair is a fantastic name for a beastie…no luck yet >:( Lol, our poor animals suffer from my insistence on naming them things I couldn’t possibly name my children. Ebenezer is also a contender, but I’m afraid we’d end up shortening it to Ben, and that just wouldn’t fly 🙁
Oh my gosh, Ebenezer lol. And hmmm, Alastair too? I bet I know one of your favorite movies!
Lol, glad you know the reference.
For serious though, I’m all about ridiculous English names for my beasties. 😀
Hehe it’s our favorite Scrooge version :).
I’m so torn between the Alistair Sim version and the Muppet Version. Which you also may have guessed from the tweet! 😛 I just LOVE Michael Caine as Scrooge. Ugh. Decisions.
Wait, who am I kidding, I’ll just watch both and be really happy about life!
Yummy! I never knew polenta was so easy to make. I must make this soon! 🙂
I love your polenta recipes! They look really tasty.
My dogs (English Bulldogs) are so spolied-spolied rotten and I would not have it any other way! 😉