Heirloom Zucchini over Polenta and a Homemade Plum Tomato Sauce

9/05/12  Boulder Canyon- Boulder, CO

                         
  We go grocery shopping often.  2-3 times per week.  We eat so much fresh produce everyday, but have this little RV fridge which is approx ⅓ the space of a standard household fridge.   Some of it doesn’t need refrigeration but most does.  So today was a grocery shopping day.  I found some delicious looking heirloom zucchinis, which are now the inspiration for my dinner tonight. Heirloom Zucchini over polenta and a homemade fresh plum tomato sauce!
   If you've never had polenta with fresh tomato sauce you are missing out on something so glorious you will want it everyday.  Especially if you are a gluten free vegan who misses Italian food, oh my god, this is your new favorite thing ever.  I don’t have any problem with gluten, but I try to eat a variety of different grains and starches.  Polenta is cornmeal cooked into a thick paste which may not sound appetizing, but oh it is.  I buy organic polenta from the bulk bin at my local natural grocer.  Corn and soy beans are the most common crops that are genetically modified, so I always make sure any corn or soy product I buy is organic, to assure me it is non GMO.  Organic foods cannot be genetically modified.

Heirloom Zucchini
over Polenta and a Homemade Plum Tomato Sauce
(serves 2) Vegan, Gluten Free

2 heirloom zucchini, sliced lengthwise about 1/4" thick
1/4 c onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cayenne pepper, sliced thin
salt & pepper
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1tsp dried parsley
1 tsp fresh parsley
3 tsp olive oil, separated 1 tsp & 2 tsp
1 tbsp red wine
1 c grits or polenta
2 c water
pinch of fresh rosemary
1/4 c vegan cream cheese*

For the sauce:
med/high heat on the stove, heat a pan and add onion, garlic, tomatoes, cayenne, oregano, fennel, parsley, 1 tbsp olive oil, red wine, and salt & pepper to taste. Layer sliced zucchini right on top of the sauce and cover pan.  Cook until zucchini is tender.

For Polenta:
While sauce is cooking, in a separate pot, boil water, add grits, 2 tbsp olive oil, and salt & pepper, cook 20 min stirring often until polenta thickens.

Take tender strips of zucchini, spoon on a thin layer of cream cheese, and a layer of the sauce.

Spread polenta on a plate, add some of the sauce over the polenta, layer zucchini over the bed of polenta & sauce.  Sprinkle with fresh rosemary.  Serve hot.

* I made my own cream cheese using the recipe from VegNews Magazine's Sept/Oct 2012 issue.  It came out absolutely amazing.  You can also find vegan cream cheese in a natural grocer or health food store.

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