Light and Cheesy Herbed Polenta

I was trying to think of a good side dish to accompany my leftover roasted chicken from last night.  Something delicious and comfort-foodish since it's kinda cold outside and my husband is out of town for work.  Polenta!  I love polenta, especially since I'm not much of a rice fan.  It's creamy and it can be cheesy and those two things are a powerful combination!  I make it healthier by using light butter and reduced fat milk and cheeses - the flavor and texture remain and you don't have to feel guilty about eating it.  Win-win! :)

Light and Cheesy Herbed Polenta
by Andrea Valdez - Making It Healthy
Serves 6 (1/2 cup each)

Ingredients:
3 cups nonfat chicken broth
1 cup Bob's Red Mill Corn Grits/Polenta
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon light butter
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat Cheddar cheese
2 wedges Laughing Cow Light Swiss
2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (or any fresh herb or combination of fresh herbs of your choice)
1/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
pepper and more salt to taste

Preparation:

Heat a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat.  Bring the chicken broth to a big rolling boil.  Slowly pour in the polenta while stirring gently so clumps won't form.  Turn heat down to low and cook, stirring here and there so the bottom doesn't stick, until the polenta is nice and thick.  I cook mine for 20-30 minutes.  The mixture may bubble and spit while it's cooking, so be sure to use a spoon with a longer handle so you don't get burned.

Polenta should be very thick when it's done cooking.

Just dump the rest of the ingredients into the pan and combine.  Easy.

 When the polenta is done, turn off the heat and add the butter, cheeses, basil and milk.  Stir gently to combine. Be sure to serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Nutritional Information per serving:  194 Calories; 3g Fat (13.2% calories from fat); 12g Protein; 32g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 9mg Cholesterol; 588mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 0 Fat.

WW = 5 Points+

Andrea's Tips:

• Sometimes I make my polenta a few hours before I need it (or even the night before) and after it's cooked, I pour it into a loaf pan lined with plastic wrap and refrigerate it to firm it up.  Then I remove it from the loaf plan and cut it into 1/2" to 3/4" slices and pan fry it in a little olive oil - the outside becomes crispy and the inside is creamy.  It's great for breakfast with an egg on top or as a side dish for lunch or dinner.
• If you don't have any fresh herbs on hand and want to substitute dried, you can certainly do so.  Just use half the amount and add it in with the chicken broth. 
• I use Bob's Red Mill coarse grain corn grits/polenta because they're less processed than regular cornmeal and therefore better for you.  If you like a smoother polenta, you can substitute regular yellow cornmeal. 

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