Pumpkin-Sage Polenta

This is up there as one of the best polenta dishes I've ever had.

Bring 2 and 1/2 cups plain soy milk (such as Silk) and 2 cups water to a boil over medium heat - I confess to turning mine up a notch to medium-high towards the end because I got impatient, but do be careful you don't go any hotter than that, or the soy milk may burn to the bottom of the pan.

Once boiling, stir in 3/4 cup canned pumpkin and 1/2 tsp. salt, stirring with a whisk. Reduce the heat to low and gradually whisk in 1 and 1/4 cups dry polenta; cook for 1 minute until thick (and don't forget that polenta continues to thicken as it cools!).

Remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cup shredded vegan cheese in place of Parmesan, 2 tablespoons vegan cream cheese (such as Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese), and 1 tablespoon chopped sage. I confess my first choice for the 'Parmesan' would have been the vegan mozzarella from Galaxy Foods, as it is most similar in texture to a block of fresh Parmesan, but the grocery store was sold out; instead I used the vegan mozzarella from Follow Your Heart.

Stir until the 'cheeses' melt, then sprinkle the top with an additional 1/4 cup shredded vegan cheese of your choice in place of Parmesan.

This recipe makes enough for 8 servings of 3/4 cup and 200 calories each - you can easily double portions to move the polenta from the side dish to the main course. Polenta is, of course, best served immediately, but if you want to make this ahead (say, for the holidays), you can reheat it over medium-low and thin it with a little bit of water.

Cost:
plain soy milk $2.49
canned pumpkin $0.99
dry polenta $5.69
vegan cheese $4.39
sage $2.49