Polenta, also known as Italian cornmeal, is making a new name for itself in the healthy vegetarian world- French fries. One day, while shopping at Trader Joe’s, I saw this tube of organic polenta. I thought it was strange because I had only seen it in the dry, grain form. I purchased this tube of polenta, hoping to come up with a healthy, vegan recipe. I usually see recipes for Polenta Fries with Parmesan cheese, which is fine. But as I’ve mentioned before, I try to steer clear of cheese. In my version of polenta fries, I use nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan. These are also baked not fried. I found that the polenta itself was rather bland. There is some sodium content, but very little. So don’t be afraid to use sea salt on these. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 (18-ounce) tube polenta, halved & cut into 1-inch thick fries
• ¼ cup plain bread crumb
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp garlic powder (or a garlic-herb blend)
• 1 tsp salt & pepper, or to taste
• 2 tsp dried parsley, optional
• Cooking spray, optional 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a small mixing bowl, add breadcrumb, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
3. Gently toss the cut polenta into the breadcrumb mixture.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Place the polenta fries down, leaving a little space between each one. Spray the top of the polenta with olive oil or cooking spray, if desired.
6. Bake fries for 20 minutes. Gently turn to brown the other side. Bake for 15 minutes more, or until crisp and golden-brown. Once done, add salt to bring out a more seasoned flavor.

Serving Suggestion

1. Enjoy with a big ol’ salad.
2. Substitute these polenta fries with traditional french fries.