Breakfast Polenta with Cinnamon Pears

Up your whole grain game in the morning with this breakfast polenta ~ by Deanna Segrave-Daly, RD

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter® through their partnership with POPSUGAR. While I was compensated to write a post about I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter® Deliciously Simple™, all opinions are my own.

I totally get into breakfast ruts.

For a good chunk of 2013, it was Banana Mocha Frappe and peanut butter toast every morning. Then over the past few months, I switched things up (kind of) and was on a Gingerbread Smoothie with peanut butter oatmeal tear.

I know, I’m living on the edge.

I use to make polenta a lot for dinner back in my single days – it was easy, cheap and could be paired with all different types of delicious foods like cheese, shrimp, roasted tomatoes, etc. But it’s been awhile since I’ve made it and I figured why not for breakfast? And when I got the opportunity to review I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Deliciously Simple spread (say that three times fast), I figured a breakfast polenta would be an appropriate recipe to try with it.

Back in the day (during those single days), ICBINB spray was a constant in my refrigerator – when I was strict with my calorie intake. Then I started getting away from oil based spreads and went back to butter as I tried eating less processed foods.

But my interest was piqued to try this new Deliciously Simple™ spread because of its tagline: “100% Taste. 0% Artificial Preservatives.” Turns out, it’s made with simple ingredients including nonfat yogurt and vegetable oil and it doesn’t have the laundry list of unrecognizable ingredients – a win in my book.

OK, so how did it taste? It was creamy, slightly sweet and velvety smooth. As far as versatility, I wasn’t sure how well it would work when heated but I had no problem sautéing the pears in a few tablespoons for about 10 minutes. And the dollop on top melted right into the hot bowl of polenta.

Breakfast Polenta with Cinnamon Pears

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• Author: by Deanna Segrave-Daly, RD
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

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Description

Up your whole grain game in the morning with this breakfast polenta.

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Ingredients

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For polenta:

• 2 cups stone ground, whole grain cornmeal
• 2 1/2 cups cold water
• 1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups boiling water
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter® Deliciously Simple™ spread

For pears:

• 3 tablespoons I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter® Deliciously Simple™ spread, divided
• 4 large pears, cored and chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

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Instructions

1. For the polenta, in a large pot, whisk together cornmeal, 2 1/2 cups cold water, milk and salt. Bring to a boil; whisking often. Once boiling, with a wooden spoon, slowly mix in 3 cups boiling water. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 35 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in an additional 1 cup boiling water and then cook for another 10 – 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Remove from heat and mix in maple syrup and 1 tablespoon Deliciously Simple™ spread.
3. For the pears, melt 2 tablespoons Deliciously Simple™ spread in a medium pot. Add pears and saute for 8 -10 minutes, until pears soften. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon; cook another minute and then remove from heat.
4. To serve, spoon polenta into bowl, top with 1/3 cup pears and 1 teaspoon of Deliciously Simple™ spread.

Nutrition lowdown: Deliciously Simple™ has the same amount of calories per serving as butter but significantly less saturated fat so it can be a good option if you are closely watching your saturated fat intake but still want to enjoy the taste and mouthfeel of butter. And not to sound like a downer dietitian, but moderation is key when using any type of fat or oil in your daily eating routine.

And speaking of daily eating routines, here are a few more Teaspoon of Spice recipes to expand your whole grain* breakfast horizons (I’m ready to recharge my usual breakfast routine again with some of these):

• Tropical Breakfast Farro (including several whole grain breakfast recipes from other bloggers!)
• Honey Nut Breakfast Grits
• Pecan Date Breakfast Couscous
• Baked Oatmeal Squares with Cherries

*Note: when buying cornmeal, look for one that provides at least 4 grams of fiber per serving (I like Bob’s Red Mill Medium Grind Cornmeal.)

 Are you a butter or a vegetable spread person? Besides oatmeal, do you ever cook other whole grains for breakfast? Do you ever get into breakfast ruts?