Tasty Tuesday – From Kisha’s Kitchen to yours!

A great friend of mine and fellow health and wellness enthusiast, Kisha Garcia, author of Fresh Fit Life, is an AMAZING cook. Just seeing pictures of what she’s concocted will make your mouth water. Best part of it all? It’s super good for you too. So even though she’s thousands of miles away and I miss her terribly, I wanted to share a little piece of one of my favorite parts of Kisha – her cooking skills.


♥  - The Bougie Budgetista 

I can’t even tell you how much I LOVE polenta. I found this recipe in the October 2011 issue of Muscle & Fitness Hers.  I did adjust the recipe to what I had at home.  Ah, the magic of cooking!

Italian Chicken & Polenta Casserole 

18oz precooked “tube” polenta

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

2 diced Roma tomatoes

1/2 cup all-natural marinara sauce

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

10 oz cooked chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces

1/4 cup low-fat ricotta cheese

1/4 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Coat medium pot with cooking spray and place on medium heat. Add garlic, oregano, and thyme. Cook for one minute, being careful not to burn the garlic (stir!).  Stir in tomatoes, marinara sauce, vinegar, and chicken. Bring to a soft boil, then reduce heat and cover, simmering for 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, slice polenta in 1/2 inch slices. You should end up with 9 slices, not including the end pieces. Coat an 8×8-inch baking dish with cooking spray and place slices in a single layer.

4. Spoon half of the sauce mixture over polenta. Drop ricotta cheese by the teaspoon over sauce. Add remaining sauce and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella.

5. Bake covered with aluminum foil for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

6. Enjoy!