Polenta & Orange Salad With Fennel Salsa (GF)

Another recipe, wahoo! Like I said last weekend, I broke into my cookbook collection for some recipe-inspiration. Husband and I love polenta on the grill. Remember my gluten-free grilled polenta bruschetta? Something just magical happens when sizzling brown grill marks are formed on the polenta, making it crispy on the outside and warm and creamy on the inside...mouth watering...Anyway! When going through Makini Howell's cookbook, Plum, and saw the recipe for Polenta & Orange Salad with Fennel Salsa, I knew that was a must try recipe! Grilled Polenta — Vegan — Gluten Free — What are you waiting for? Fire up your grills people!

I ventured slightly off the recipe, what else is new, right?

Ingredients

1 - 18 oz. sleeve of polenta — If you have ever made polenta from scratch, you know how time consuming it can be, stirring endlessly for proper consistency — This is an excellent short-cut to get dinner on the table quickly after work.

6 cups arugula

orange-cilantro vinaigrette

fennel salsa

Orange-Cilantro Vinaigrette

1 T. vinegar

1 T. chopped fresh cilantro, leaves and stems

1 T. gluten-free tamari

1 T. minced, peeled fresh ginger

1 t. sugar

3 T. olive oil

2 T. orange juice

1. Whisk together the vinegar, cilantro, tamari, ginger, sugar, olive oil and orange juice.

Fennel Salsa

2 T. olive oil

2 T. white wine vinegar

2 T. chopped fresh cilantro, leaves and stems

2 t. gluten-free tamari

2 t. minced, peeled fresh ginger

2 t. sugar

3 medium oranges, peeled, segmented, pith and membranes removed

1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced into 1/4-inch-wide by 2-inch long matchsticks

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

sea salt & freshly ground pepper

1. In a medium bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, cilantro, tamari, ginger, and sugar. Gently stir in the oranges, fennel, and onion. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Any leftover salsa will keep a good two weeks in the refrigerator. You can use it as a salad dressing or even as a condiment on a sandwich!

To Serve

1. Cut the polenta into discs and lightly brush each side with olive oil. Heat the grill to medium-high heat, and cook the cakes for 1-3 minutes on each side or until distinct grill marks form.

2. In a large bowl, combine the arugula and fennel salsa. Dress the mixture with 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette.

3. Divide the salad among the plates and arrange your polenta cakes alongside the greens.

4. Enjoy!

Another excellent recipe from Plum is the vegan mac & cheese, check out the recipe here.

Snow (ice) Cream

So what does a snow day look like around your house?

Ours looks like a bundled up dog wearing socks as boots, held on with hair ties...poor thing!

But really, for us it is a bitter feels like temperature of -40, high of -12, low of -17. Bitter is the right word for that! BRR. Well, we are staying inside with many layers and blankets.

Today I am thankful for my warm house with a working heater.

I am thankful for the food in my refrigerator.

I am thankful for a laptop that I can work from home on.

But most of all, I am thankful for my mom who always created memories for me as a child.

I remember as a small girl when we'd get a fresh snowfall, my mom would send me outside with a bowl to gather snow. I would come inside and we'd make snow (ice) cream. Needless to say I haven't had it in years and Husband had never had it (only yellow snow — just kidding)! So of course with the recent excess snowfall, we made snow (ice) cream!

1 c plain soy milk (you can use whatever milk you prefer)
1/3 c granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt
8 c of clean snow (more or less)

In a large bowl, whisk soy milk, sugar, vanilla and salt together.

Bundle up and quickly run outside in the arctic air and scoop up some clean white snow!

Immediately run back inside and stir it into the soy milk mixture until it is your preferred ice cream texture (fluffy and not runny). Snow (ice) cream melts quickly so enjoy right away. Top with your favorite sundae toppings or even sprinkles! YUM.

Have you ever made snow (ice) cream? What fun memories do you have as a child or are making with your own kids today?

Ratatouille

Two weeks ago, I posted this photo on instagram, of my ratatouille in the making:

Following the post, people emailed, facebooked and commented, clamoring for the recipe. So dear readers, your wish is my command. This dish is delicious, has a beautiful presentation, yet is super simple to make.

So maybe this isn't the true traditional French version. But it is my version. Before we get to the recipe, let me introduce you to my sous chef, Braxton:

Okay, okay...so maybe he isn't the best kitchen help, other than quickly catching dropped veggies or sitting on my feet to keep them warm, but I think I'll keep him around...

Now that you've met the kitchen help, onto the recipe!

Ingredients
2 cups marinara sauce — I like Classico brand — Tomato & Basil flavor
1 japanese eggplant — I like to use the japanese eggplant because the circumference is similar in size to a zucchini which you'll understand why this is important later
1 bell pepper — whatever color your heart desires
1 zucchini
1/2 red onion
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
olive oil
salt & pepper
red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Pour marinara sauce into the bottom of a round 2 quart baking dish.

Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini, onion and core the bell pepper. On a mandoline, cut the veggies into very thin slices. If you don't have a mandoline, you can use a knife to carefully and very thinly slice.

Arrange the slices of veggies from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, alternating vegetables. Pack the slices in tight so that they stand up. Once all the vegetables are assembled in the dish, squeeze the thin garlic slices sporadically between veggie slices.

Drizzle a little olive oil overtop the veggies and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cover the dish and bake for about 45 minutes, until the vegetables are clearly cooked, though you don't want the veggies to be mush — they should still hold their structure and the marinara sauce is bubbling up around them.

Serve alone or with pasta or even a beautiful fresh loaf of bakery bread. Or with quinoa or Israeli couscous...The options are endless.

To stay afloat of what is going on in the Passionate Parsley's kitchen and to see items that may not appear on the blog, follow me on instagram @passionateparsley