I have a confession to make …
I was born in Iowa … but I can’t stand corn and I don’t eat meat. When I first told my grandmother that I had given up meat she looked at me like I had spoken to her in another language. Eyebrows knit together, she then said, voice raised, “But you’re from IOWA!” I can only imagine what she would’ve said had I mentioned corn, too. Yikes.
While you would never see me grazing on a corn cob, you will definitely find polenta in my cupboard at all times. I didn’t eat it growing up (while I ate plenty of corn), but when I moved to Virginia in my 20s I was introduced to the absolute glory that is grits. I began making my own shrimp and grits mimicking what I ate in the amazing restaurants in our little town. Then came polenta recipes and the rest is history (or mystory, rather).
It’s a good thing ground corn found its way to me because corn is one of the most wonderful extractives our body needs in the spring. It is dry and light and helps us get rid of excess water weight we may be holding on to from the winter months. It is high in potassium and is sweet yet astringent.
This lovely lunch pairs polenta with a beautiful green veggie mix of asparagus, peas and mint. Asparagus is another plentiful spring diuretic, purifying the blood from accumulated winter toxins, while it reduces inflammation and provides an abundance of nutrients and that boost of green (chlorophyll) that you may have been missing during the darker months. And who could forget the humble pea! A wonderfully easily digestible source of protein and fiber with each little sweet bite.
I hope you love it as much as I do!
