As a die-hard corn lover, I can’t believe it took
me until 2019 to recognize the meal-making
versatility of polenta. When the Forks Over
Knives test kitchen started experimenting
with diff erent forms of polenta earlier this
year, I fi nally got it. I’m cooking with polenta
often these days. It’s a nice alternative to
oatmeal for breakfast, and tube-style polenta
topped with sautéed mushrooms, spinach,
and marinara sauce makes an easy dinner.
If you’ve been missing out on this
aff ordable comfort food, turn to “Primo
Polenta” (page 80) for a quick primer and
a collection of our best new polenta recipes,
including a cozy polenta lasagna, a
holiday-worthy cake, and the easy
Tex-Mex Polenta Bowl that“Isn’t a plant-based diet expensive?” We often
get this question at Forks Over Knives. There’s
a common misperception that you need to
dig deep into your pockets to make healthy
eating work.
Well, nothing could be further from the
truth. With some smart shopping, you can
expect to save money on your food bill. Indeed,
the unprocessed staple foods at the heart of this
lifestyle are some of the cheapest you’ll fi nd.
No need to buy certifi ed organic at premium
grocery stores: The magic of a whole-food,
plant-based diet is more about the big diff erences
between Ring Dings and legumes than the
smaller diff erences between, say, “premium”
potatoes and the ones found at your local
discount market.
To demonstrate how aff ordable it can be, this
issue features Chef Darshana Thacker’s delicious
seven-day meal plan, “How to Eat Well on $7 a
Day” (page 50). Darshana began experimenting
and writing about plant-based cooking on
limited budgets back in 2013. Some of the
budgets were quite austere, yet there was always
enough tasty food to satisfy her appetite—and
she frequently had leftovers for yours truly. I
hope you enjoy it as much as I have.Editor in ChiefWELCOME
Eat better for less
Founder and President
of Forks Over Knives