What In The Cornmeal... Beans & Greens With Polenta.

I went out with my girlfriend to eat the other day and ordered grits. I love grits, you have to if your from the south, but I would love them even if I wasn't from here. While I was eating I got to thinking that polenta is pretty much grits made with yellow cornmeal. I've never made or even eaten polenta before so here is a recipe with polenta topped with some stuff I had in the fridge. It tasted way better than I just described it.    

Beans & Greens With Polenta

Polenta

1 1/2 cups coarse yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
2 tablespoons rosemary and parsley mixed
3 cups hot water
1 cup vegetable broth
Olive oil for greasing

Beans and Greens
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups onions, chopped
3/4 cup green pepper, chopped
3 cups chopped spinach
1 28 oz can tomatoes with juice, chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked green beans (or any other beans you have on hand)
1/8 cup chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
rice cheese blend for garnish

For the Polenta
In a 3-quart pot, combine the cornmeal, salt, herbs,vegetable broth, and water, making sure there are no lumps. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, cook for 30 minutes or until the polenta is thick and comes away easily from the sides of the pot. Grease a large sheet of aluminum foil with the oil and
place it on a baking sheet. With a rubber spatula or with wet hands, slide the polenta onto the baking sheet. Make the corners as square as possible. Lay a second sheet of aluminum foil of top and allow the polenta
to set at least 30 minutes.

For the Beans and Greens
In a large, deep pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until it turns golden. Add the
onions and saute until the onions are translucent. Add the greens and saute, stirring, until wilted. Stir in the tomatoes and beans and simmer 15 minutes. Sir in the basil and season with salt and pepper.

To Serve
Cut the polenta in to four equal rectangles and then cut each rectangle into four triangles. Place the triangles on
oiled aluminum foil or an oiled grill under the broiler and cook 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until the exterior is a
spotted brown. Remove from the heat. Spoon on the bean mixture and top with rice cheese blend.