Roasted Veggie Polenta Lasagna

It's officially SUMMERTIME!  Can you feel this  teacher's excitement through your computer?!?!?  My room was packed, I said goodbye to my group of 20 five & six year olds and sent them on their way.  It was a mix of pure exhaustion, adrenaline, sadness, and excitement.  Oh, the end-of-the-year.  What a glorious time!


I spent the past week in NC visiting with my high school girlfriends over the weekend and my Mom, Sister, and nephew for the remainder of the week.  It was so nice to see familiar and loving faces.  Distance truly does make the hear grow fonder.  I enjoyed rubbing the bellies of my two pregnant friends, while feeling their babies kick, and playing my my ever-adorable nephew, Max.  We are so lucky to have him in our lives.  He's our little red-headed firecracker! 





Can't beat that face, can you?  I've already made it quite clear to my Mom that my own kids will never be this cute, just so she's prepared!












While in NC, I received the most relieving news I've heard in a while.  I had my 1st 4 month pap since my surgery to check on everything.  I was supposed to get the results on Friday but they never came in. Then came Memorial Day weekend, and I knew I was going to have to wait until Tuesday to hear anything.  Every so often, I would think about this throughout the weekend and my stomach would drop.  I hate the feeling of the unknown and being well aware that there's nothing I can do about it.  Anyways while browsing Kohl's with my Mom & Sister, I got the call.  Everything was GOOD!  I nearly collapsed at the news.  I ran to find my Mom to tell her the news and cried like a baby.  So now, I will go every 6 months to check on things rather than the typical year.

The reason I continue to share this with you is because I am a strong believer that what you put into your body is your medicine.  I have spent the last 9 1/2 months feeding my body tons of plant based foods, while cutting back on all animal products.  I am not saying that I don't eat some animal products like eggs & cheese, but the extent to which I eat those things have been drastically cut back.  For example, I have been regularly using soy or almond milk in my coffee and my cooking.  I will usually omit cheese in recipes or use Daiya brand instead.

Tonight I made a Roasted Veggie Polenta Lasagna.  I was craving Italian food, but didn't feel like stuffing my face with abnormal amounts of pasta like I would usually do.  It received the *Husband's Stamp of Approval* so I will definitely be making this again!

Roasted Veggie 

Polenta Lasagna

Roasted vegetables (Use whatever tickles your fancy!  Zucchini would have been great if I had it.)

1/2 a head of cauliflower, chopped into bite sized pieces.

2 handfuls chopped kale

Chopped mushroom of your choosing (about 2 c.)

1 small onion, chopped 

4 whole, peeled garlic cloves

1/4 c. grapeseed or coconut oil

S&P

Heat oven to 400°F.

Place chopped veggies in a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; mix until vegetables are coated with oil. Spread vegetables evenly on the pan, in a single layer. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes until vegetables are cooked through and golden brown. Pull garlic cloves from the mixture, place in a small bowl and mash with a fork. Place remaining vegetables in another bowl. Set both aside.

Polenta 

I used a pre-made tubed polenta with basil and other herbs.  I find this in the "Italian" section of my local Market. Slice into 1/2 inch thick slices.  Place on a baking sheet liked with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.  Sprinkle lightly with any melty cheese you choose.

Place into the already hot oven and back for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese had melted

Marinara sauce (Feel free to use some canned or jarred sauce if you'd like!)

1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes 

1 14 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes with green chilies for added spice!

Reserved garlic

1/4 c. chopped fresh herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme) or dried.

2 Tbsp. tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste

1T. EVOO

Heat oil  in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook for 2 minutes. Add tomato paste (and dried herbs, if using). Stir and cook another minute or so, then add crush tomatoes and reserved garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and fresh herbs (if using) to taste. Add reserved roasted vegetables to sauce and heat through.

To assemble:

Remove the polenta from the oven when the cheese is melted.

Place one polenta round on a plate and top with a spoonful of the vegetable-sauce mixture. Place another polenta square on top, followed by another spoonful of the sauce if you'd like.  Repeat with remaining squares and sauce.

Tip:  Use leftover sauce the next morning for breakfast!  Reheat in a skillet and top with eggs or egg whites and cover until the eggs cook through.  Or just reheat and sip it with some crusty bread!

My pictures don't do this justice, just sayin!

Have a lovely week!

Peace, Love, & Veggies :)

Baked Polenta with Spicy Vegan Ragu

Holy cow, it's been a busy week!  Between packing my classroom into boxes, finalizing end-of-the-year paperwork, lesson plans, report cards, oh, and teaching all day- I'm ready for a looong nap!  I had to forego my weekly trip to the market this past weekend because I needed some extra time to pack up my classroom.  I was lucky enough that my husband feels bad for me and came to help.  He got a free Starbucks out of it so that makes it all better!


These past few days, I've been finding myself coming home (exhausted to the max) changing straight into my pajamas and getting straight to the couch.  I have been making some time to read the Fifty Shades of Grey series!  Oh-my-wow!!!  Have any of you been reading these books???!?!??  


Anywho, I'm not in a uber talkative mood, so I will just leave you with tonight's recipe...

Baked Polenta with Spicy Vegan Ragu

Serve as an appetizer, side dish, or even the centerpiece of your meal!

Ingredients


-1 tube prepared organic polenta, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
-1 can organic fire roasted tomatoes with diced green chiles
-1/4-1/2 of a red onion think sliced then chopped
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1 vegan italian sausage, chopped into small pieces
-1T cooking wine
-Spices such as: oregano, thyme, parsley, basil
-1T EVOO
-S&P

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil & spray with cooking spray.

Place the sliced polenta on the baking sheet & sprinkle lightly with S&P.

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

While the polenta is baking, prepare the sauce.

Heat a pan over medium-high heat & line with 1T evoo.

Sautee onion & garlic until fragrant,

Add diced vegan sausage & cook until lightly browned.  

Deglaze the pan with cooking wine, being sure to scrape up the bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add the can of tomatoes & season with spices as you choose.

Let simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove the polenta from the oven and place on a plate.

Spoon sauce over the warm polenta and serve.

I made this one up as I went.  I have only used polenta a handful of times, but I really enjoy baking it.  It will be lightly crispy on the outside and creamy in the middle.  Yum, yum, yum!

8 more days of school... I THINK I CAN, I THINK I CAN...

Peace, Love, & Veggies