We love polenta but we also always love trying something new. Teff is an ancient grain from Ethiopia and is used to make Injera—which is amazing. But we decided to make a cake-like variety similar to a cornmeal polenta. It works well as a base for the beet and tomato sauté. The earthy beet greens are complimented by the hearty teff cake with its nicely browned exterior.
We have come to use teff over regular cornmeal polenta ever since changing our diets to completely plant-based. Our previous polenta recipes have been very dairy heavy but with this combination we found that this recipe shines while both highlighting the entire beet plant and this ancient grain.
We love teff and highly recommend it. We will definitely be making more recipes with it and in turn showing them to you. In hopes that you try them as well. Happy cooking.
- Teff Polenta
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Cup Teff Grain
- 3 Cloves Garlic (Chopped)
- 1 Medium Onion (Chopped)
- 2 Cups Water
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Pepper
- ½ tsp Ginger Powder
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- 3 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- Beet Green Sauté
- 3 Small Beets with Greens (Roast Beets, Small Chop Stems, Large Chop Leaves)
- 3 Cloves Garlic (Minced)
- 1 Small Onion (Chopped)
- 10-15 Cherry Tomatoes (Halved)
- 1 Bunch Fresh Thyme (leaves removed from stems)
- Wash and prepare all produce. Roast the beets as per recipe.
- In a large high sided pan over medium heat, sauté onion and garlic with oil until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add teff along with all of the seasonings and cook for another minute stirring constantly.
- Add the water to the pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cover. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed.
- Transfer to an 8x8 baking dish coated with a thin layer of oil and press the mixture into the pan. Allow to cool.
- While the teff cools, sauté onion, garlic and beet stems with 1 Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat until fragrant. Add sliced roasted beets and fresh thyme leaves. Allow to cook for 3 minutes stirring frequently. Add the beet greens and cook for another 2-3 minutes until wilted and well combined. Stir in tomatoes and remove from heat.
- When the teff has cooled turn over the baking dish and remove the teff cake. Cut into serving sized portions. We like to cut them into triangles.
- In a large pan, heat 1 Tbsp of oil over medium high heat. Place slices of teff polenta into the plan and brown each side of the teff cakes for about 2 minutes.
- Plate the browned teff cakes and spoon the sauté on top.
- Enjoy.
