Week 93: Vegetarian Polenta Lasagna

I love that this vegetarian lasagna uses polenta instead of noodles.  While it was a welcome change, the texture was a little mushy for my liking.  I did love, however, that this recipe allowed me to use all of the veggies that I happened to have in my fridge.

Year of Yum Rating: 3 STARS

INGREDIENTS
4 cups low-sodium, fat free chicken broth

1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal

About 3 cups assorted roasted vegetables, your choice, roughly chopped (I used whatever I randomly had in my fridge.)

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

3-4 cloves minced garlic
pinch of oregano and crushed red pepper

1 cup shredded cheese, an Italian blend is good

DIRECTIONS
Bring the chicken broth to a boil and slowly add the cornmeal, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Line a 13x18 rimmed baking sheet with waxed paper, and spread the polenta in an even layer in the pan. Chill overnight.


Saute garlic in a bit of nonstick cooking spray over medium heat. Add crushed tomatoes and seasonings, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

When ready to assemble, cut the polenta into squares. In a deep 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish, spread a thin layer of sauce, then create a layer of polenta squares. Top with half of the vegetables and some of the sauce, and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat with another layer of polenta squares, the remaining vegetables, and some sauce, and another 1/3 of the cheese. Finish with a third layer of polenta, and the remaining sauce. Cover with foil and bake at 400 for about 15 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and bake for another 10 minutes or until bubble. Cool for about 10 minutes before slicing. Makes 4 servings.

 
 

Recipe courtesy of Cara's Cravings

Week 55: Spinach Polenta with Balsamic Tomatoes

I knew I was behind on posting, but I didn't realize I was THIS far behind. The only way I remembered what we cooked this week was from looking at the pictures on my camera. I'll use end-of-the-school-year-mania as my excuse, but now that I'm settling comfortably into the easy pace of summertime, I have time to catch up and share all of the delicious things that Abby and I have been cooking.

This recipe came from a Moosewood cookbook that the school nurse lent me. She let me borrow it after watching me eat packed lunches for a while in the teacher's lounge, and she thought this cookbook looked like my kind of food. She was right...there was some yummy-looking stuff in there.

I had never made polenta before, so I was kind of nervous getting started. I also don't have that much experience EATING polenta, which was either a good thing because I didn't have high expectations for it, or a bad thing because I didn't really even know what it was supposed to look like. I didn't stir the milk enough the first time, so it burnt onto the bottom of the pan and I had to start over. The second time was much better, and the polenta turned out to be creamy and delicious! The tangy balsamic tomatoes on top balanced it perfectly.

Year of Yum Rating: 3 1/2 STARS

INGREDIENTS
2 cups Water
2 cups Skim Milk
1 tsp Salt
1 cup Cornmeal, Polenta, Yellow (dry)
1 cup Parmesan, Grated Cheese
8 oz Baby Spinach
4 Tomatoes
2 cloves Garlic Clove
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Oregano, Dried
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

DIRECTIONS

For Polenta:
Boil water, milk, salt in a saucepan
Add polenta in a slow, steady stream while whisking
Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
Once polenta is thick, reduce heat and stir in cheese until melted
Fold in spinach a few handfuls at a time until just wilted

For topping:
Cut tomatoes into wedges
Cook garlic in oil for 1 minute
Add tomatoes, 1/2 tsp salt, oregano, and vinegar
Summer for about 5 minutes

Serve polenta hot and topped with tomato mixture