Baked Polenta with Tomato-Pepper Sauce

Adapted from Sunset Magazine (November 2006).

Tom and I made this for Heather's bday celebration last night. It was relatively quick to make -- I was even able to do some prep with Dylan in tow -- and it got quite a positive response. You can do a lot of the prep in advance and then just save the final broiling to just before mealtime....

We doubled the recipe and had more than enough for 5 big adult eaters (well, 4 big eaters and one small eater).

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1-28 oz. can of Fire Roasted crushed tomatoes (or just crushed tomatoes)
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano (or Italian herbs)
• 1 medium yellow onion, halved lengthwise and then cut into thin wedges
• 1 medium bell pepper, cut lengthwise into thin slices
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• one small head of broccoli cut into small bite-size pieces
• 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
• 2 tubes of prepared polenta sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
• 8 oz. Follow Your Heart vegan mozarella, cut into 1/4 inch slices.

Pre-heat broiler to high.

Heat 3 tbsp. oil in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan set over medium heat.

Add tomatoes and oregano and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

While tomatoes are simmering, heat 1 tbsp. of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, chili flakes, and broccoli and stir to combine.

Cover pan and lower heat to medium and cook until broccoli is done, about 5-8 minutes.

Add in tomato sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.

While sauce is cooking, pour remaining 1 1/2 tbsp. oil into a 9x13 baking pan and tilt to coat the bottom of the pan.

Add polenta slices to pan and turn to coat them in oil.

Arrange polenta slices in slightly overlapping rows.

Broil polenta about 4 inches from heating element until golden brown and crispy (about 10-15 minutes).

Pour sauce over broiled polenta, then arrange mozarella slices over the top.

Broil until cheese is melted and beginning to brown (about 2 minutes).

Let cool slightly before serving.

Tapioca Pudding

Adapted from the recipe on the back of Bob's Red Mill Small Pearl Tapioca package.

We eliminated the salt and eggs and reduced the sweetener by 1/3 of the original amount and used a combination of maple syrup and sugar. We also used a combination of almond and vanilla extract instead of using only vanilla extract.

Ingredients

• 2/3 c. small pearl tapioca
• 1.5 c. water
• 4.5 c. Silk Vanilla soy milk
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract

In a 1.5 quart saucepan, soak small pearl tapioca in water for 30 minutes.

Add soymilk and stir over medium heat until boiling.

Simmer over very low heat for 10-15 minutes. Stir often to prevent tapioca from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Stir in sugar and maple syrup.

Let sit for 15 minutes, then stir in almond and vanilla extracts.

Serve either warm or chilled!

For chocolate tapioca, stir in 4 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder when adding sugar and maple syrup.

Banana Bread

Heather's recipe modified from the New Joy of Cooking.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 c. all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp.bbaking soda
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 5 1/3 tbsp. unsalted margarine
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 2 egg-equivalent of egg replacer
• 1 c. mashed very ripe bananas
• 1/2 c. coarsely chopped walnuts

Begin by having all ingredients at room temperature....

Position rack in lower of 1/3 oven and preheat oven to 350F.

Grease 8.5" x 4.5" loaf pan.

Thoroughly whisk together all dry ingredients, except the sugar.

In a large bowl, combine sugar and margarine and beat on high speed with until lightened in color and texture, about 3 minutes.

Beat in flour mixture until blended and is the consistency of brown sugar.

Gradually beat in egg replacer.

Fold in mashed bananas and walnuts until combined.

Bake until toothpick comes clean, about 50-60 minutes.

Let cool for 5-10 minutes before unmolding. Cool on rack.

Butternut Squash and Corn Risotto

Tom made this for our first wedding anniversary dinner. We served it with sliced francese, David's salad and some sauteed brussels sprouts. Delicious!

To save prep time while our guests were here, we stirred in most of the stock and let it absorb into the risotto, then put it in the refrigerator while we played a game of Puerto Rico with Heather, David, and Assaf. Right before dinner, we reheated the remaining stock, ladled it in, and served it immediately.

Ingredients

• 1 pound butternut squash
• 4 c. vegetable stock
• 4 c. corn chowder
• 4 oz. fresh or frozen corn
• 2 tbsp. minced Italian parsley
• olive oil for sauteeing
• 1 tsp. dried thyme or 2 tsp. fresh thyme
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 c. dry white wine
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1.5 c. arborio rice

Cut the butternut squash in half, lengthwise and bake it face down on a lined cookie sheet for 30 minutes at 375F.

Scoop the squash out of the skin and place it in a food processor.

Add a 1/4 c. of the stock, nutmeg, and parsley.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Puree until smooth.

Put the butternut squash sauce on a burner on low and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, bring the remaining vegetable stock and corn chowder to a simmer.

In a large wok or saute pan, saute the onions until soft (about 5 minutes).

Add the arborio rice. Saute another 3 minutes until rice is translucent, stirring constantly to keep rice from sticking.

Add the wine and stir until absorbed.

Add vegetable stock one ladle-ful at a time. Stir until liquid is absorbed before adding the next.

After about 1/3 of the stock has been absorbed, add the corn and thyme and stir in.

Continue adding stock per previous instructions.

When all of the stock has been added, stir in 1/4 c. of the butternut squash sauce.

Divide the remaining sauce onto 6 plates and scoop about 1 c. of arborio rice onto the sauce.

If desired, add a sprig of parsley to the top and serve.

Gallo Pinto

We discovered this dish when we traveled to Costa Rica. It was a reliably tasty dish practically everywhere we went. It's traditionally a breakfast dish, but we also like to eat it for dinner.

Ingredients

• 2 c. cooked long grain rice
• 1 c. red or black beans
• 1/2 c. finely diced white onions
• 3 tsp. vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
• Salt to taste
• Lizano Sauce (a sauce similiar to Tabasco but milder -- you can substitute with Tabasco or, better yet, fresh salsa)

more...

Heat oil in a frying pan for approximately 1 minute. Saute onions until caramelized. Add beans and to the sautéed onions and stir over medium-low heat for a minute. Combine cooked rice to sautéed onion and beans. Mix well and simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste. Add cilantro. Serve immediately and add the Lizano Sauce (or salsa) to taste.

Chickpea and Tomato Salad

(modified from Sunset Magazine, July 2006)

This was a big hit at Heather and Assaf's the other night.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. tomatoes, rinsed, cored, and chopped
• 2 15 oz. cans of unsalted chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 c. chopped sweet onion
• 1/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 tbsp. sherry vinegar
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp. coarse salt
• chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Mix chickpeas, tomatoes and onion in a large bowl.

In a medium bowl or jar, combine olive oil, vinegar and salt.

Shortly before serving, whisk or shake oil mixture well and pour over chickpea mixture.

Stir. Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with parsley, if desired.

Iced Herb Gazpacho

(from Natural Home and Garden)

Thusfar untried! If you try this recipe, please leave comments on how well you liked it...!

Ingredients

• 6 large tomatoes
• 4 cloves fresh garlic, pressed
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 c. red wine vinegar
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 3 sprigs basil leaves
• 3 sprigs cilantro leaves
• 3 sprigs parsley leaves
• salt and pepper

Roughly puree tomatoes, garlic, cucumber, red pepper flakes, vinegar and oil. Add scallions and herbs and pulse until just chopped, being careful not to over-do it! Add salt and pepper to taste. If possible, chill overnight to allow flavors to blend.