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Mexican Polenta Scramble

October/November 2006

Your rating: None Average: 4.2 (26 votes)

We've borrowed the best Mexican flavors and ingredients for this quick scramble. Poblano peppers can vary widely, but in general they have a medium level of spiciness. If you can't find them, green bell peppers can be substituted; to replace the heat of the poblanos, add a minced jalapeno pepper. Make it a Meal: For supper, serve with a side of black beans; for brunch, with eggs and corn tortillas.



READER'S COMMENT:
"This was very good and very filling. I made it as written, using Cabot reduced-fat cheddar with peppers. My only very slight complaint is that the mixture got a little goopier than I expected. Next time I would probably add the tomatoes...
Mexican Polenta Scramble Recipe

Makes: 4 servings, 1 1/2 cups each

Active Time:

Total Time:

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 poblanos or 2 green bell peppers, diced
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 16-ounce tube prepared plain polenta, cut into 1/2-inch slices
  • 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and sliced
  • 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, preferably sharp
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • 2 tablespoons pepitas, toasted (see Tip)

Preparation

  1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until bright green and just starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, cumin and salt; cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes start to break down, 2 to 3 minutes. Crumble polenta slices into the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in scallions, cheese, cilantro and lime juice. Serve the scramble topped with diced avocado and toasted pepitas.

Tips & Notes

  • Tip: Pepitas, olive-green-hulled pumpkin seeds, are commonly used in Mexican cooking and are a perfect snack when roasted and lightly salted. Find them in the bulk-foods section of natural-foods markets, Mexican grocers or at melissas.com. To toast pepitas: Cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

Nutrition

Per serving: 315 calories; 20 g fat ( 6 g sat , 8 g mono ); 20 mg cholesterol; 26 g carbohydrates; 13 g protein; 6 g fiber; 600 mg sodium; 645 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (220% daily value), Calcium (45% dv), Vitamin A (35% dv), Folate (20% dv), Potassium (18% dv).

Carbohydrate Servings: 1

Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 1/2 vegetable, 1 high fat meat, 2 fat


More From EatingWell

Recipe Categories

Ethnic/Regional
Mexican
Ease of Preparation
Easy
Total Time
30 minutes or less
Servings
4
Preparation/ Technique
Saute
Meal/Course
Dinner

Type of Dish
Main dish, vegetarian
Publication
October/November 2006
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