Polenta Fries and Hibiscus Ketchup

In the summer, I make a lot of hibiscus infusion. It's delicious and refreshing.. the only downside is all the hibiscus petals thrown away. I kept saying to myself, "What a waste!"

So I decided to reuse my hibiscus petals, blending with ginger and a little vinegar into a delicious ketchup for crunchy, golden polenta fries.

Hibiscus is naturally tart and contains copious amounts of Vitamin C. Regular infusion intake can help lower blood pressure and protect body cells. You can buy dried hibiscus flowers from Mountain Rose Herbs. Every time I order from them, I always include this delicious herb!
This is a super easy recipe. Make hibiscus infusion. Blend. Refridgerate. And serve!

You can make this raw by using raw apple cider vinegar instead of the red wine vinegar. Also if you are using leftover hibiscus from making infusions/tea, reserve at least 1 1/2 cup of the liquid.

Ingredients
1 cup dried hibiscus flowers
2 T red wine vinegar
2 t fresh grated ginger (1 t dried ground ginger)
1 garlic clove (or 1/2 t dried garlic powder)
1/2 t dried onion powder
Boiling water

1. In large bowl with spout, pour boiling water over hibiscus. Let sit for one hour.
2. Drain hibiscus, reserving liquid.
3. In vita-mix (or high speed blender), mix all ingredients and add 1 1/2 cup of reserved liquid (You can drink the rest of liquid over ice for a refreshing beverage).
4. Blend until ingredients are completely incorporated (at least 2 minutes). Add more liquid and blend if thinner consistency desired.
5. Refridgerate until cool.
6. Serve with polenta fries!

Polenta Fries

I bought mine from Trader Joes. It is unflavored (other stores may carry an italian-seasoned brand so do check that only salt is added).

Ingredients:
1/2 Polenta Tube, unflavored
Garlic Powder
Grapeseed oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut the polenta tube lengthwise in half then in quarters, cutting until you have thick 1/4-1/3 inch thick sticks.
3. Toss with oil and garlic.
4. Cook on baking sheet for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway.

If you prefer to make your polenta fries from scratch, here is a great recipe from Heidi at 101 Cookbooks.
Hope you are having a wonderful, lovely May Day! On a side note, I tried to take Amaressa outside to photograph some new pictures (her being 18 months and all). To say the least, it was difficult to keep her contained. She wanted to explore and I stubbornly wanted her to sit on this little stool with the big balloon. I got a few pictures and felt resigned to those so we decided to head back to change... And then what does she do when we are inside? Grabs her blue hat and sit adorably on the little stool in the front of the thin hall window. I think it was a reminder from God not to force things... And sometimes when we're already resigned, when we think it's the end, that's when the real moment comes.