This is my favorite recipe for polenta. The red pepper coulis makes it look a little more attractive than it would plain, and it's very easy to prepare. Since you are planning to travel with it, I recommend making the entire thing the day before and storing it in the fridge overnight. Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes to an hour prior to leaving. That amount of time, plus the drive time should be enough to warm it back up to room temperature. I don't recommend reheating it before leaving - polenta does not always reheat well.
Creamy polenta with roasted red pepper coulis
Ingredients
1 red bell pepper, roasted and seeded
1 garlic clove
1 3/4 cups water
1 3/4 cups plain soy milk or 1 percent low-fat milk
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup polenta, preferably stone-ground
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
Directions
In a blender or food processor, combine the roasted pepper, garlic and 1 tablespoon of the water. Process until smooth; set the coulis aside.
Preheat the oven to 450 F. Lightly coat a 9-inch round cake pan with olive oil cooking spray.
In a large saucepan, combine the soy milk, remaining water, olive oil and salt. Whisk in the polenta and place over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the polenta begins to thicken. Reduce the heat to low and resume stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring frequently, until the polenta pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 15 minutes. Add the coulis and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake until firm, about 15 minutes. Let stand in the pan for 10 minutes before serving. Cut into 6 wedges and sprinkle with the thyme.
