After making hubby (poor baby has a cold) homemade meatballs in Italian tomato sauce yesterday for a duo of mozzarella covered heroes, I used the leftover sauce and meatballs, serving it over spaghetti with garlic bread as a side.  I decided I would love a quick Sunday  Italian feast as well and proceeded to make it vegan.

At Trader Jo’s I bought Organic Polenta sold in a round, sausage like tube.  Always buy corn or corn products organic because this starch is highly gmo’d and sprayed.  Everything but the bread was organic.  Try to purchase your tomato products in glass or vacuum packed cartons.  The cans leach BPA chemicals unless you purchase cans free of this purposely so check your label.

For this one person meal you will need:

non-stick pan or foil

200 grams or 7 ounces of Polenta Tube cut into 1/4″ rounds.  Approximately 6-7 circles

olive oil spray

garlic powder

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 cup veggie broth

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

salt and sugar to taste

1-2 Tbsp. vegan parmesan (use 1/2 cup nutritional yeast plus 2 Tbsp. raw walnuts and whir in a blender or bullet)

For Salad:

one bag of Romaine lettuce

2 Tbsp. Bitchin Sauce found at Mother’s Market or online

5 tsps. fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 500 and spray olive oil onto pan or foil.  Place thin rounds of polenta on pan and spray tops lightly then dust (just barely) with garlic powder.  Place in oven and bake for 5 –  10 minutes, then turn over and bake another 5- 10 minutes.  Ovens vary so much and have such idiosyncrasic personalities that they are all different and you have to know yours well so timing is crucial according to yours.  Don’t always go by a recipe. Check and then re-check.

Meanwhile, heat a bottom heavy or non-stick saucepan with broth over medium heat and add onions.  Stir and cover till onions are translucent.  Using the red onions gives the sauce a sweeter flavor but you can always substitute regular brown or yellow onions as long as you keep it organic.  Add paste, sauce, oregano and salt (or veggie Better Than Boullion paste).  Stir and lower heat to a simmer.  Taste for sugar content and add 1/4 tsp to as much as 2 tsps. according to the acid index of your tomatoes and savoriness acquired by cooking down the sauce – it must taste balanced to you.

For salad:

Place Romaine or any lettuce of choice in a medium bowl.  Whisk Bitchin Sauce with lemon juice and toss to coat.  It will taste like a Caesar Salad.

Remove rounds (they should be crispy on the outside or just about) from oven and place on plate in a decorative manner.  Spoon sauce over rounds and sprinkle vegan parm over sauce.  Serve with salad and a heated up roll.Happy Sunday!