Walnut-Rosemary Chicken and Mushroom Polenta

I was feeling fancy last night and I totally blame it on the new issue of Cooking Light that turned up in my mailbox earlier this week! I'm planning on hitting up my local grocery store today for ingredients for more inspired meals, but last night I dug around in my larder until I found enough stuff to make at least one thing.

The new favorite herb in this house is rosemary, so when I saw this recipe (link) I knew I had to make it. The only change I made to it was to use a 2 ounce chicken tenderloin pounded out into a cutlet because a 6 ounce chicken breast is too much meat for me. (We're all adults here, so no jokes) Oh, and I used black walnuts instead of boring old regular walnuts. If you've never had them, go buy a bag! The flavor is so complex that I don't even know how to explain it. They're bitter and sweet with a hint of cherry. (I guess I do know how)

If you've never had polenta before, it's just Italian yellow grits. I'll eat my weight in polenta, but I can't stand southern-style grits. I'm weird. Anywho, they're delicious and tasty and don't have to be drowning in butter to taste good.

Mushroom Polenta
Serves 4 at 132 calories each

2 cups water
1 teaspoon mushroom base (or vegetable base/bouillon)
1/2 cup dry polenta
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small yellow onion, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms (I prefer shiitake, but portabello are also good)
1/4 cup garlic and herb feta cheese

1. Bring the water to a boil. Stir in the mushroom base and stir until combined. Reduce heat to medium and whisk in the polenta.
2. In a separate pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Cook the garlic, onion, and mushroom until caramelized. Add to the polenta.
3. Continue cooking the polenta for 25-30 more minutes, stirring very often. I like to cook mine in a stainless steel pot and I use a stainless steel whisk and leave the whisk in there and stir ever few minutes.
4. When the polenta is finished, mix in the feta cheese.
5. Enjoy!

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