Roasted Vegetables on Broiled Polenta

While looking for an alternative to the usual starchy side dish of potatoes or rice, I came across Karina's recipe for Roasted Vegetables on Broiled Polenta. It's the kind of recipe I really enjoy - a fridge cleaner. Take whatever veggies you have in the fridge and throw them on a pan. There isn't much to the recipe. No measurement or quantities. Usually I make stir fry's using this method so this roasted vegetable dish is a nice change. Using pre-cooked, store bought polenta is a real time saver too. What is polenta, you ask? It's just boiled cornmeal and it's darn tasty broiled with EVOO.

Serves 2-3

4-5 cups of assorted, chopped vegetables (I used brocoli, carrots, red onion, zucchini, beets and cherry tomatoes.)
4 cloves whole garlic, peeled
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Herb blend of your choice (I used a Vegetable seasoning blend from Epicure)
Salt & fresh ground pepper
Splash of balsamic vinegar
1 roll of pre-cooked polenta
Shaved Parmesan for garnish

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place chopped veggies (including garlic) on a baking sheet. Drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle herb blend, salt and pepper over top. Toss well. Drizzle with a bit of balsamic vinegar.

3. Roast for 30-40 minutes until nearly done.

4. Meanwhile, slice polenta into thin slices and arrange them on a separate baking sheet, drizzled with olive oil. Brush tops of slices with more olive oil. I used a garlic infused olive oil for this part.

5. When veggies are nearly done, cover with foil and place on bottom rack of oven. Set oven to broil and place polenta into the oven on the higher rack.

6. Broil until polenta is sizzling, just starting to brown on top and crispy around the edges (10-15 minutes).

7. Remove everything from the oven. Arrange a few polenta slices on each plate. Take one of the roasted garlic bulbs and squish it a bit then rub it across the polenta. (Add the rest of the roasted garlic to the veggie mix and eat them whole! Yum!) Top polenta with roasted veggies. Grate some fresh Parmesan over top and drizzle with more balsamic vinegar.