Pumpkin Polenta

I recently promised a vegan friend of mine I'd share a fabulous pumpkin polenta recipe with her, only to get home and discover that my recipe contained chicken broth, cream, cheese and butter! No wonder I love it so much; yikes! It took me a few tries to finesse the vegan version of this recipe, but I think the results are every bit as good as the original...

Ingredients

4 cups vegetable broth

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 14oz. can of pumpkin purée

1 cup polenta

1/4 cup raw cashew butter

1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes

5 fresh sage leaves, julienned

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

salt and pepper

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

In a large saucepan, bring the vegetable stock and olive oil to a boil and stir in the pumpkin. Turn heat to medium low. Slowly stir in the polenta and continue stirring just until it masses. Remove from heat and stir in cashew butter, yeast flakes, sage, and nutmeg. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately. Makes a hearty side dish for four.