Kids Corny Sticks

Total Time: 20 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 18 ounces fat free polenta, prepared in a tube
• 1 cup marinara sauce, prepared
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, fresh grated
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons 2% mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 3 tablespoons green bell peppers, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons black olives, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon white onion, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon parsley, freshly chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic, finely minced
• 1/4 cup turkey pepperoni, finely diced
• nonstick cooking spray
• salt
• pepper

Recipe

• 1 1st - i love the fat free tubes of 100% organic polenta at fresh 'n easy. i assume they are sold elsewhere, but these have become my go-to cheap & healthy favorite.
• 2 2nd - remove polenta from packaging and place into a bowl. massage in the pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, olives, onions, peppers, and parsley. season with some salt and pepper. if you want to make this with other ingredients - go for it! i would love to try ham & cheddar, sausage & sage & greuyere, green chilis & chorizo & jack -- the list goes on & on - use your imagination. i've done pizza ingredients to make my kiddo happy!
• 3 flatten the mixture in a pie pan, casserole dish, or a long lasagna pan. basically you wan to flatten it out in as big of a rectangle possible that is about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. refrigerate for a few hours.
• 4 i like to make this first thing in the morning then cut, coat, & cook after school. its ok to do whatever works for your schedule, but its easier to cut and coat and shape the polenta when cold.
• 5 3rd - when ready to cut -- cut into sticks -- about 1 inch wide x 4-5 inches long and 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick. the size is 100% your call. i've even done these before with cookie cutters -- in various shapes. just make sure they aren't too big to crisp up correctly when you cook.
• 6 coat your sticks (or other shapes) with a mixture of the panko crumbs and parmesean cheese mixed together. get a nice coating stuck to all sides of the polenta.
• 7 fry on a grill pan coated with non-stick spray until crisp on both sides. serve with warm marinara sauce.