A simple delicious gluten-free and vegan-adaptable recipe that is very aromatic and elegant. It features crispy polenta topped with spinach, sautéed squash with cumin, tomatoes, green salsa and greek yogurt.
500gramscooked polentabuy pre-cooked polenta or precook homemade polenta and set it in a baking dish
1/2cuponionsdiced
1/2tspcumin seeds
1/4tspsalt
Other ingredients:
1/2cupbaby spinach
2/3cupgreen salsastore-bought or homemade
handful fresh cilantrowashes and chopped
2/3cupgreen yogurtor unsweetened vegan yogurt or cashew cheese spread
handful of cherry tomatoeshalved (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F (200C)
Unwrap pre-cooked or store-bought polenta*, cut into square slabs (2 inches x 2 inches and 1/2 inch thick). The shape and size is not that important, just ensure they are not thinner than 1/2 inch so they are not too flimsy. If you are working with homemade polenta set it to be 1/2 and inch thick and cut into 2 inches by 2 inches squares.
Grease a large cast-iron skillet or baking sheet with a generous amount of olive oil. I recommend a cast-iron skillet because the heat distributes more evenly, allowing polenta to become crunchy on the outside.
Roast polenta for 20 - 30 minutes, checking frequently: roasting varies greatly from one oven to another.
While polenta is roasting, peel delicata squash, cut in half, clean out seeds, and cut into half-inch cubes.
Heat olive oil in a skillet to medium-hot, add cumin, toast for about 1 minute then add onions. Sauté onions for around 2 minutes or until they start to brown. Add in cubed delicata squash, salt and sauté until just tender, remove from heat.
Assemble:
Divide your roasted polenta into four equal portions – there will be about 2 - 3 pieces per plate.
Divide the remaining ingredients among the four plates. Starting with fresh baby spinach, followed by roasted squash, followed by green salsa, tomatoes, yogurt, and cilantro.
Notes
*Usually store-bought polenta comes in a cylinder: lay cylinder on its side, cut lengthwise into three equal parts and cut those into three.