Recipe: Polenta and Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

I asked recently on the Fo Reals Mom Facebook Page what I should make for dinner - polenta or gnocchi. It was pretty much split but then a dear person said "Gnocchi! Polenta is awful." That sealed it for me. Polenta it is!
Maybe it is awful from a tube. I don't know, I've never had it that way. It's SO EASY to make yourself at home. It's a little more work than cooking pasta but not much more. Also it's cheap food which happens to be one of my favorite things.
So the Mr. LOVED this sauce. He wanted more and more of it. It would also be really good on some cooked pasta or as a dip even.

Polenta and Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce 

(with quick sauteed veggies)

4 servings

Polenta:

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal (polenta grind)

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups water

Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:

1/2 package lite silken tofu (like Mori-nu brand)

2 large red peppers (or a jar of roasted red peppers)

3 cloves garlic

1 cup soy milk 

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

3-4 cups of vegetables of your choice (we had broccoli and mushrooms)

salt and pepper to taste

Cook the Polenta: 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Bring the water and salt to a boil in a medium sized saucepan. Whisk in the cornmeal and turn the heat to low. Cook until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Be sure to stir the polenta frequently. Also beware - when it is bubbling it can occasionally shoot out hot thick polenta so keep little ones out of the kitchen. 

Pour the polenta onto the baking sheet. Spread out with a spatula and let cool slightly. You will be able to cut it into shapes once it has firmed up. 

Cook the Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce: 

To roast the peppers whole over a gas burner (hold with metal tongs and turn) or under the broiler in the oven until nice and charred. (You can also throw them on the grill if you'd like!) Throw the peppers into a paper bag and let them cool slightly. They will steam up in the bag and it will help you peel the skin off. Once they are cool just peel the skin off and take off the stem. Open up the peppers and take out the seeds. 

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until very smooth. Pour into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Whisk the sauce as it comes up to a boil. Once boiling cook for 2 minutes longer or until the sauce is nice and thick. 

Sauteed the veggies: 

Take a large pan and add in your sliced vegetables and a couple of tablespoons of water. Cook until tender crisp. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Assemble: 

Cut up a few squares of polenta, add the veggies and then some sauce. Done! Or top with some extra chili flakes if you DARE! 

Nutritional information per serving : Serving size: 1/4 of entire recipe 
5 WWPointsPlus, 219 calories, 1.8g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 40.6g carbohydrates, 4.9g fiber, 1.7g sugar, 9.5g protein