Polenta vs. Whole Grain Cornmeal

Cornmeal is used in cultures all over the world to compose staple dishes. Popular uses in the American diet include grits, corn bread, and Polenta, a word incorporated into English from the Italian-named dish. Polenta can be cooked in a variety of ways, many of them expressly non-vegan, but it’s a dish that’s easily modified for a plant-based or vegan diet and also a whole-grains diet.

getting your whole grains

Polenta, as it’s sold, is degerminated cornmeal, meaning just like other refined grains, they take off all that stuff on the outside of the grain that provides you with protein, iron, vitamins, and other nutrients. Removing the germ also increases the inflammatory properties of the grain because it’s easier for your body to digest (which sounds good but don’t be fooled), and thusly spikes your blood sugar more than it would with the germ intact.

In the bulk section of Whole Foods, they sell the degerminated variety of Polenta, but the text on the bulk description doesn’t tell you that. Annoying! However, this is easily corrected by not buying polenta itself as they market it in the store, and buying instead Stone Ground Whole Grain Cornmeal and using that in the same exact way to make polenta. Bob’s Red Mill, for instance, sells a bag of whole grain cornmeal with the germ right next to the bag of polenta without the germ. I debated whether it would come out the same, but Bob’s bags reassured me as they provide useful descriptions: Polenta is SIMPLY degerminated corn meal… Okay, well if it’s so simple, then it should be no problem to cook the corn meal with the germ. And that was an accurate assumption.

I prefer a coarsely-ground grain, but you can get a whole grain cornmeal in a fine or medium grind as well. The grind will affect the consistency of the polenta, so experiment!

polenta cooking directions

6 cups water
2 cups stone ground whole grain cornmeal
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tspn salt
pepper to taste
favorite herbs
favorite hummus

Boil 4 cups of water in a large pot.

Meanwhile, mix 2 cups of cold water with 2 cups of cornmeal in a mixing bowl. Stir to make smooth.

Once the 4 cups of water is boiling, slowly add water/cornmeal mix and bring back to a simmer. Add a tbsp or 2 of olive oil to prevent sticking unless using a non-stick pot, and salt if desired.

Simmer and stir constantly for 20-25 minutes to prevent sticking and cornmeal explosions (you’ll see what I mean).

The polenta will become thick – give it a taste when you think it’s thick enough – the corn will be soft and edible. This is a little like cooking rice.

Pour the polenta into a serving bowl with tall enclosing sides, perhaps a baking dish. Let cool for 20 minutes. Then, using another plate, flip over the polenta to rest on plate and serve in slices.

Eat with hummus, fresh herbs, cracked pepper, et cetera. Combine this dish with beans, and you’ve got yourself a complete-protein dish.

The Casual Vegan