Sunday, August 24, 2008

'Cheesy' Polenta-Green Tomato Gratin

I wanted some way to use up the beautiful crop of farmer's market green tomatoes before their season ended! This gratin is like a spoonful of comfort.

In a saucepan, combine 1 and 3/4 cups plain soy milk (such as Silk), 3/4 cup water and 1/4 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil (be careful not to let the soy milk burn to the bottom of the pan - medium-high heat is better than very high). Once boiling, stir in 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes until thick - you'll want to stir frequently to prevent splattering. Transfer to an 8x8 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray - don't worry if the polenta mixture is still a little runny, as it will set once in the pan.

Heat a teaspoon and a half of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 1/2 cups chopped, firm green tomatoes, 1/2 cup chopped green onions, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. cumin, one chopped and seeded jalapeno, and one minced garlic glove. Saute for 6 minutes until the tomatoes are tender. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro if you like (I always think I have some in my fridge and then realize at the last minute it's parsley, so I had to skip this step!).

Pour the green tomato mixture evenly over the polenta. The original recipe called to top with a mixture of queso fresco and Monterey Jack. For the queso fresco, try the vegan feta from Sunergia (www.sunergiasoyfoods.com) crumbled to equal 3/4 cup. For the latter, try the vegan Monterey Jack from Vegan Gourmet (www.imearthkind.com) shredded to equal 1/2 cup.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 425 degrees. Divide into six equal portions of 200 calories each.

Cost:
soy milk $2.39
green tomato $5.00
green onions $0.98
jalapeno $0.20
'feta' $3.69
'Monterey Jack' $4.19

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The Vegan Pantry

  • Vegan yogurt - Whole Soy http://www.wholesoyco.com/
  • Vegan milk - Silk http://www.silksoymilk.com/
  • Vegan Feta - Sunergia http://www.sunergiasoyfoods.com/
  • Vegan Cheese - Galaxy Foods http://www.galaxyfoods.com/
  • Vegan Eggs - Ener-G http://www.ener-g.com/
  • Vegan Butter - Earth Balance http://www.earthbalance.net/product.html