On The Ninth Day of Christmas My True Love Made For Me…

Polenta is made from corn.  Corn is high in carotenoids, which are great antioxidants.  Corn is also a good source of dietary fiber. Eggplant is high in a phytonutrient called nasunin. Nasunin is a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger that has been shown to protect cell membranes from damage. Eggplant also lowers cholesterol which is a good thing during the holiday season!

Eggplant and Polenta Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons grape seed oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds fresh plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped or 2- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
• 1  medium eggplant, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1 log polenta, sliced into thinly
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft and lightly golden, about 8 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in vinegar, italian seasoning, basil and black pepper. Remove sauce from heat.
4. Meanwhile, heat a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium heat
5. Lightly brush eggplant slices with the remaining tablespoon oil. Working in batches, lay slices in skillet in a single layer; cook until browned and they begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
6. In a large skillet, add enough oil to coat the bottom.  Add polenta slices and cook until slightly brown on both sides
7. Spoon about 1/2 cup tomato sauce into a baking dish, spreading to coat evenly. Arrange eggplant slices snugly in a single layer. Spoon about 1 cup tomato sauce over eggplant, and arrange polenta rounds in slightly overlapping slices on top. Repeat with sauce and another layer of eggplant. Finish by dotting with remaining tomato sauce.
8. Cover with foil and bake until bubbling, about 30 minutes
9. Remove foil and continue baking about 15 minutes more
10. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and serve

Cook Time and Prep Time: 60 min

Serves: 4

Recipe Courtesy of Martha Stewart Living with adjustments made by me!

Eggplant and Polenta Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons grape seed oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds fresh plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped or 2- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
• 1  medium eggplant, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1 log polenta, sliced into thinly
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft and lightly golden, about 8 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in vinegar, italian seasoning, basil and black pepper. Remove sauce from heat.
4. Meanwhile, heat a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium heat
5. Lightly brush eggplant slices with the remaining tablespoon oil. Working in batches, lay slices in skillet in a single layer; cook until browned and they begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
6. In a large skillet, add enough oil to coat the bottom.  Add polenta slices and cook until slightly brown on both sides
7. Spoon about 1/2 cup tomato sauce into a baking dish, spreading to coat evenly. Arrange eggplant slices snugly in a single layer. Spoon about 1 cup tomato sauce over eggplant, and arrange polenta rounds in slightly overlapping slices on top. Repeat with sauce and another layer of eggplant. Finish by dotting with remaining tomato sauce.
8. Cover with foil and bake until bubbling, about 30 minutes
9. Remove foil and continue baking about 15 minutes more
10. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and serve

Cook Time and Prep Time: 60 min

Serves: 4

Recipe Courtesy of Martha Stewart Living with adjustments made by me!

Polenta Lasagna – Gluten Free!

Ingredients

• 1 package of polenta sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
• 3 cloves garlic pressed
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 zucchini diced
• 5-6 mushrooms quartered
• 3 cups spinach
• feta cheese (optional) omit to make this vegan
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• coconut oil

Directions

• In a large skillet add about 1 tsp of coconut oil and lightly brown polenta on each side and set aside
• In a medium sauce pan, heat 1 tsp coconut oil and saute onions until translucent on medium heat
• Add garlic, zucchini, and mushroom and saute additional 5 min
• Add marinara sauce
• Add sea salt, black pepper and any other seasoning to taste if needed
• Heat and then turn off stove and set aside
• In a casserole dish add a small amount of sauce at bottom and cover entire surface with sauce
• Layer polenta, then spinach, then feta cheese, then repeat
• Bake in oven at 375 F for 20 minutes

Prep time and Cook time: 60 min

Serves: 4-6

Mushroom Polenta

Ingredients

• 1 large prepacked package of mushrooms
• 1 medium onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp fresh thyme
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp water
• sea salt to taste
• 1 roll of polenta sliced as seen in picture
• gluten free bread crumbs

Directions

• Heat coconut oil in a medium sized sauce pan on low-medium heat
• Add onions – saute until translucent
• Add mushrooms and garlic – saute until mushrooms with lid covered until they are soft (about 7 minutes)
• Add balsamic vinegar
• Add, italian seasoning, thyme, garlic powder, black pepper, salt and fresh thyme
• Add water
• Saute for another 3 minutes with lid on
• Pulse blend until mushrooms texture is like a chunky spaghetti sauce (add more water if required – consistency should be like a thick spaghetti sauce) – set aside.
• Cut polenta into 1/2 cm slices and coat with extra virgin olive oil – bake in oven for 7-10 minutes, flip over and bake for another 5 minutes
• In a casserole dish layer polenta with mushroom mixture, then another layer of polenta and then lastly another layer of mushroom mixture
• Top with bread crumbs
• Bake in oven at 350 F, for 20 minutes

Serves 4-6

Recipe courtesy of my sister-in-law – Priya Malik-Patel!