EZ VEGAN Alphabet Recipe Challenge Portobello Polenta Stacks
by Katerina Lorenzatos Makris
To commemorate Oprah Winfrey’s “Vegan Challenge,” wherein the media mogul plus 378 of her staff members at Harpo Productions pledged to give up eating animal products for seven days, AnimalBeat.org set a challenge of our own.
AnimalBeat.org’s EZ VEGAN has created five original main course recipes, each featuring a different ingredient with a name whose first letter occurs in the word “Oprah.”
Portobello Polenta Stacks
Today’s EZ VEGAN Alphabet Recipe
EZ VEGAN Portobello Polenta Stacks (P is for OPRAH)
Serves four Prep time: about 60 minutes
4 portobello mushrooms, gently rinsed, stems removed (try to select wider, flatter ones) 1 small eggplant, sliced thinly about ¼ - ½ inch, crosswise (need 8 slices) 24 oz. vegan pasta sauce 1 large yellow onion, sliced thinly about ¼ inch (need 8 slices) 1 roll prepared vegan polenta roll, sliced thinly about ½ inch (need 8 slices) 8 thin slices mozzarella-flavor soy cheese 12 oz. red quinoa, cooked according to package directions ¼ cup olive oil
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
1. Lightly coat mushrooms and eggplant slices with olive oil with a brush or your fingers.
2. Place mushrooms and eggplant and onion on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, cover with foil, and bake till pierced easily with a fork, about 20 – 30 minutes. (Onions might be ready before the other items, and mushrooms might take longer if they’re thicker than the eggplant slices.)
3. Place polenta on a lightly oiled oven sheet or pan. Bake till hot, 5 - 10 minutes.
4. Allow all the items above to cool until they’re just comfortable enough to handle.
5. Assemble four Portobello Polenta Stacks in the following way. In an oven sheet or pan, begin each stack with a generous circle of pasta sauce (about 5 tablespoons) on the bottom of the pan. Place an eggplant slice atop each circle, then a slice of soy cheese, then a slice of onion, then a slice of polenta, then a second circle of pasta sauce, a second eggplant slice, a second soy cheese slice, a second onion slice, a second polenta slice, and finally top with a portobello mushroom.
6. Bake at 375 degrees, covered with foil, just until hot and cheese is melted, about 5 – 10 minutes.
7. Heat the quinoa.
8. Heat the remaining pasta sauce.
9. To serve, place each Portobello Polenta Stack on a bed of heated pasta sauce, accompanied by a half-cup of quinoa. Garnish with fresh herbs such as parsley or basil.
Suggested side dishes: Salad of baby greens with walnuts, sliced pears, and vinaigrette dressing of olive oil and raspberry vinegar. Steamed asparagus and carrots
