Yummies: Volume 8

I was somewhat delirious when I made my Sunday trip to the Farmers Market this past weekend. I had just experienced a major sinus attack and I wanted to be in and out of there as quickly as possible. In my delirium, I purchased an eggplant, a pint of cherry tomatoes, a head of kale, an onion, two carrots and a red pepper. I stopped at my local health food store on the way home to acquire some proteins for the week and I picked up a quinoa-polenta log, feta cheese, and some chicken-sausage - amongst some other snacking items. When I got home I just put everything away and forgot about it for a couple of days, until I had to make a meal for myself last night. Not remembering the last time I prepared eggplant, and kale being somewhat of a new addition to my Nor Cal diet, I was racking my brain for a tasty meal that incorporated my produce and wouldn't take too long to prepare. (Side note: Most of the brain-racking happened during my after work swim. I tend to get most of my culinary inspiration during workouts, probably because I can't wait to eat). So I made a quick decision to buy some tomato sauce on my way home from the pool, hoping that my purchase would somehow bring everything together. I knew I wanted to use the oven in some way so that I could multi-task while I prepared dinner. Just whip something together, throw it in the over, shower, eat and watch Glee. And that's exactly what I did.

Polenta Eggplant Saucy Deliciousness
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• polenta log (like the one pictured above)
• two large tomatoes (I used cherry, but larger ones are easier to layer)
  
• one large eggplant
• one head of kale
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
• two Tablespoons of olive oil
• salt, pepper, red pepper flakes to taste

Preparation:

• preheat the over at 375 degrees
• drizzle 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a 9x13 glass baking dish
• slice the polenta log into circular discs and lay across the dish
• top with sliced tomato
• top with sliced eggplant
• drizzle 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over the eggplant slices
• rip up the kale into smaller pieces and blanket over the eggplant
• cover in tomato sauce
• top with feta cheese, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes
• place in the top shelf in the over and bake for 30 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and the cheese is starting to brown or melt
• let cool for a few minutes and serve

Notes:

• if you want to make a smaller portion, cut the recipe in half and use a round glass pie dish
• if you have leftovers, it makes for great lunch heated up for two minutes in the microwave