Paella and Tapas en Polenta

Marie presents Rae Allen (The Sopranos) with a copy of The Enlightened Kitchen. Rae is pleased to learn that the Paella recipe is in the book, saying, "I'm going right home and make it!"

8 Servings
Easy and elegant!
(*From The Enlightened kitchen, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., ©Marie Oser 2002)

1 teaspoon saffron threads
4 cups vegetarian chicken broth, boiling
1/2 (12 ounce package) El Burrito Soyrizo
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sliced scallions
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 (6 ounce packages) Smart Menu Chick'n Strips
1 (15 ounce can) Cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
1/3 cup dry sherry
1 cup raw white rice, preferably Valencia Spanish style rice
1 (13 3/4 oz. can) quartered artichoke hearts, drained
or 1 (16 oz. pkg ) frozen quartered artichoke hearts, thawed
2 plum tomatoes, diced

Rae tastes Marie's Paella and declares it "divine." Soyrizo, is one of the healthy and delicious alternatives Rae learned about on today's show.

Stir saffron into broth and set aside. Spray paella pan or electric frying pan with olive oil cooking spray warm over medium high heat 30 seconds. Squeeze Soyrizo into the pan, and discard casing. Break Soyrizo into pieces with a fork while cooking 8 minutes or until crisp and brown. Remove Soyrizo from the pan and set aside. Spray pan with olive oil, add garlic, scallions, and bell pepper and cook 3 minutes. Add Chick'n Strips and saute mixture 3 minutes. Add sherry and cook 2 minutes. Add rice and cook mixture 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in broth along with artichoke hearts. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Add browned Soyrizo. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Enlightened Paella
Nutrition Analysis: per serving: 2 cups
Protein 15g, Carbohydrate 37.g, Fiber 7g, Fat 4 g, Sat Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Calcium 75 mg Sodium 581mg
Calories 245
from Protein: 24%, from Carbohydrate: 62%, from Fat: 14%

Traditional Paella
Nutrition Analysis: per serving: 2 cups
Protein 30g, Carbohydrate 25g, Fiber 1g, Fat 28g, Sat Fat 9g, Cholesterol 130mg, Calcium 50 mg, Sodium 1058mg
Calories 497
from Protein: 26%, from Carbohydrate: 21%, from Fat: 53%

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Sous Chef Howard takes Marie's Tapas en Polenta to the table, after a few minutes under the broiler, as Cable TV Host, Avianna looks on.

Tapas en Polenta
24 servings

Food Merchants precooked polenta makes a terrific base for TAPAS.
Tapas or "little Plates" are Spain's culinary signature served at
"Tapas Bars." You can also make delicious tapas using only El Burrito Soy Taco, with sauce, or salsa, and non-dairy cheese.

1 (18 ounce pkg.) Food Merchants Polenta, cut into 1/4" slices
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup shallots, minced

El Burrito Soy Sausage and Soy Loaf are tasty alternatives to high fat, cholesterol loaded meat products.

1(12 ounce package) El Burrito Soy Sausage or Soy Taco
2 1/2 cups broccoli florettes, cut to bite size
2 cups diced unpeeled potatoes, steamed
1 (15 ounce can) garbonzo beans
1 (6 ounce pkg.) sliced Cremini mushrooms
1 (2 1/2 ounce can) sliced black olives
1 (14 1/2 ounce can) Mexican stewed tomatoes, diced
1/2 (10 ounce pkg.) Vegan Gourmet* cheese alternative, sliced thin
*Monterey Jack
Taco Sauce
Mango Salsa

Preheat broiler. Spray baking pan(s) with olive oil cooking spray
Place sliced polenta into 24 slices and place on baking pan in a single layer. Set

Julie Zingerman, a rocket scientist who works on the NASA Space shuttle, tastes the Tapas en Polenta. Julie says that many of the astronauts are vegetarian and would think the Tapas en Polenta were just "OUT OF THIS WORLD."

aside. Heat oil in a 14" stir fry pan for 1 minute over medium high heat. Add garlic,shallots, and El Burrito Soy Taco. Saute 3 minutes, breaking sausage up with spoon. Add broccoli, potatoes, and garbonzo beans. Stir and add mushrooms, olives, and tomatoes. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes. Spoon topping onto polenta, dividing evenly among slices. Top alternately with taco sauce and mango salsa, and top each TAPA with a slice of "cheese." Place pan(s) under the broiler a few minutes to melt cheese, being careful not to burn. Serve with additional salsa.

Tapas en Polenta
Nutrition Analysis: per serving: one Tapa
Protein 5g, Carbohydrate 13.g, Fiber 3g, Fat 3 g, Sat Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Calcium 53 mg Sodium 287 mg
Calories 104
from Protein: 19%, from Carbohydrate: 51%, from Fat: 29%