Polenta Vegetable Bake

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, we've been experimenting with vegetarian meals lately. To spice things up a bit, I decided to try a polenta recipe. Eating Well has a great recipe for a Polenta Vegetable Bake. Preparing polenta is a long process, so I used a pre-packged sun-dried tomato and garlic variety. I have to admit that I was very skeptical when I opened the package, as the gooey, gritty texture did not look very appealing. But, I gave it a go anyway, and the result was absolutely delicious. This dish tastes a bit like eggplant parmigiana. Mmmm! My zucchini had gone bad, so I used mushrooms and a bit of sauteed broccoli left over from another meal. I threw those in the pan with the eggplant. I also used dried basil (just a few sprinkles) and tomato sauce instead of a prepared marinara. The dried basil and the garlic in the polenta were enough to season the sauce. Feel free to use cooked frozen spinach (then you can omit the water). I will definitely make this dish again!

Polenta Vegetable Bake 

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium eggplant, diced
• 1 small zucchini, finely diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 10 ounces baby spinach
• 1 1/2 cups prepared marinara sauce, preferably lower-sodium
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 14 ounces prepared polenta, sliced lengthwise into 6 thin slices
• 1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella, divided

1. Preheat oven to 450 degree F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggplant, zucchini, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and just beginning to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add water and spinach; cover and cook until wilted, stirring once, about 3 minutes. Stir marinara sauce into the vegetables and heat through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in basil.
3. Place polenta slices in a single layer in the prepared baking dish, trimming to fit if necessary. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup cheese, top with the eggplant mixture and sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake until bubbling and the cheese has just melted, 12 to 15 minutes. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.

Moosewood Zuccanoes

Here's another recipe that made its first debut on Facebook, thanks to a picture posted by my dear husband. This recipe for Zuccanoes (Stuffed Zucchini) is from that staple of vegetarian cooking: Mollie Katzen's The New Moosewood Cookbook. While I like all the ingredients called for in this recipe, I didn't particularly like the dish. Tyson prepared the rice for me and I think it was a bit undercooked (Love you, Ty!). I also couldn't find big enough zucchini the week I made this, so I substituted mo qua. I'm not sure what impact that had. If I made these again, I would use zucchini, I'd make sure the rice was nicely cooked, and I'd probably use less lemon juice. 

·      4 medium zucchini (about 2 lbs)

·      1-2 Tbs olive oil

·      1 1/2 cups minced onion

·      1 tsp salt

·      1/2 lb minced mushrooms

·      1 1/2 cups cooked rice

·      1 1/2 cups minced almonds or pecans (lightly toasted)

·      3 Tbs fresh lemon juice

·      Black pepper and cayenne pepper, to taste

·      A few pinches of freshly minced (or dried) herbs (any combination of parsley, basil, dill, thyme, or marjoram)

·      1 cup (packed) grated Swiss or cheddar cheese

1) Cut the zucchini lengthwise down the middle. Use a smallish spoon to scoop out the insides, leaving a canoe with a 1/4-inch shell. Mince the insides, and set everything aside.

2) Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized skillet. Add the onion and salt, and saute over medium heat until the onion is soft (5-8 minutes).

3) Add the minced zucchini innards and the mushrooms. Turn up the heat and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring, letting the liquid evaporate. Stir in the garlic and remove from heat.

4) Stir in the rice and nuts, along with the lemon juice, and season to taste with black pepper, cayenne, and the herbs of your choice.

5) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill the zucchini shells, top with cheese, and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until heated through.