I have a TON of vegan friends. I live in NYC after all. If you’re not a hipster who makes their own charcuterie in their 400 sq ft apt, you’re a vegan. (Or you’re me.)
People don’t just do it for the whole “I won’t eat anything with a face” thing, but also for its great nutritional and health benefits.
The only problem is that when you’re me, and you often have the charcuterie people over for dinner with the vegans, what in the WORLD do you serve that both will like?
The answer? Mushrooms. They’re like the meat of the earth. The earthy smell and chewy texture make for the perfect halfway point between homemade salami and a nutloaf of unknown origin.
I love mushrooms with a creamy polenta. I want the contrast in textures while I’m chewing it, and the warm feeling that I’m eating something hearty, while still being pretty freaking superspectacular in regards to my body.
Making a creamy vegan polenta can be tricky. A LOT of the milk substitutes out there are simply too sweet for a savory dish. This isn’t the case when it comes to Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened Original Almond Milk. It is creamier than you would expect from a nut milk, lending a richness and added depth of flavor to your dishes. Also, when comparing it to cow’s milk? It saves you 50 calories per cup and 12g of sugar. It is hard to believe that it only has 30 calories and is free of sugar, because the taste is so full, but that’s the truth of it. Thank goodness, because I have an entire cup of wine in this recipe, and that has enough calories and sugar on its own. Save the calories where you can.
Creamy Porcini Polenta
Creamy Porcini Polenta
by Cat Bowen
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Keywords: appetizer entree side vegetarian vegan gluten-free
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms (go ahead and buy the pre chopped, you’re worth it)
- .5 oz dried mushrooms (I used a porcini/morel blend)
- 1 whole shallot
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp chopped parsley (cilantro is also lovely..or a blend!)
- ¾ cup stone ground polenta/grits (original or quick it matters not)
- 1.5 cup vegetable stock
- 1 cup wine
- 1 ½ cup Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened Original Almond Milk (saving 75 calories compared to skim milk!)
- 3 TBSP silk original creamer
- 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
FIRST!! bring the stock to boil on the stove, add in the dried mushrooms, simmer for 10 minutes , remove the mushrooms and strain the stock, you’ll end up with a tiny bit over 1 cup of stock. Place the stock back in a saucepan and add half of the wine, and the almond milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce it to a simmer and whisk in the polenta vigorously. Stir occasionally until it looks like a loose porridge- kick off the heat, it’s done! taste for salt and pepper, add as necessary
For the shrooms, chop the reconstituted mushrooms and add them to the fresh pile.
In a skillet heat the oil on high until it starts to ripple, add in the mushrooms CAREFULLY, they WILL splash. Sauté until mushrooms are golden brown. Turn the heat to medium and add the shallot and garlic; sauté until those are translucent. TURN OFF the heat and add the rest of the wine and the creamer, and taste for salt and pepper and add as necessary. Stir in the parsley.
Serve the shrooms over the polenta and sit back as your dreams of a cohesive world are realized.
Although I was paid by Silk Pure Almond for this campaign and recipe, the opinions and recipes are my own.
I’m in LOVE with this recipe. Though my boys don’t eat mushrooms, I’m sure I could make this as a side dish where they pretend not to notice I’ve snuck them into yet another meal
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Can’t wait to add this into the rotation.
looks delicous
Looks delicious! And I love mushrooms!
Ummm, YUM!!! This looks amazing Cat!!
pretty sure austin is a combined vegan hipster town too! this dish would be FAB. As always.
PDX is also combo vegan/hipster, but alas! I am allergic to the fungi, so I can never serve this to anyone.
Haha I have ZERO vegan friends.
Yum!! I LOVE mushrooms. And polenta? Not enough in my life.
This recipe looks great – saving it for this Saturday! I only discovered Silk Almond Milk last month (in an effort to quit drinking so much cow milk). I was so happy to be surprised by how good it is. I don’t even have cow milk in the fridge anymore. And I’m not getting paid to say this
I’m neither vegan nor make my own cheese but i love mushrooms and this recipe looks amazing!
Love this post! As a fellow New Yorker I can understand your predicament
Also, not going to lie I just found your blog because I saw Sorkin in the tagline. LOVE 
i am a “no-alcohol girl” so any ideas on a good substitute for the wine?? this looks amazing!!
I’d use more stock and make a quarter of that portion lemon juice.
thanks! it will be fun to give it a try!!