Polenta And Grilled Vegetables With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 cup uncooked instant polenta
• 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• vegetable oil cooking spray
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (or oregano)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 asparagus spears, ends trimmed
• 8 scallions, trimmed
• 2 small eggplants, trimmed and halved
• 1 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 12 ounces prepared roasted red peppers, drained
• 1/3 cup vegetable broth
• 1 large garlic clove, chopped
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus extra
• fresh basil, to garnish
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Recipe

• 1 bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium-sized heavy saucepan. add polenta, whisking quickly to combine. reduce heat to a medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until thick- about 3-5 minutes. whisk in 1/3 cup parmesan and season with the cayenne pepper and salt. coat a 9" pie plate with cooking spray and pour the polenta into the prepared pie plate and smooth out the surface and let sit for 15 minutes.
• 2 meanwhile, heat grill (or broiler). whisk together garlic, thyme, lemon juice, and oil in a bowl. season with salt and pepper. toss vegetables with the dressing. coat a grill basket (or cooking tray) with cooking spray and arrange vegetables. grill vegetables until tender and slightly charred- about 3-5 minutes on each side. transfer to a platter.
• 3 combine all sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
• 4 heat broiler, sprinkle polenta with remaining parmesan cheese. broil polenta until golden brown- about 2-3 minutes, then slice into 8 pieces. divide polenta among 4 plates. top with vegetable, drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with fresh basil.