14 DAY TRIAL // Just type "Mediterranean diet" or "Mediterranean food" into any search engine, press enter and your search is bound to return virtually millions of hits with tips and recipes connected to this celebrated, heart-friendly lifestyle credited with everything from fighting off aging to protecting our hearts and brains, and fighting off cancer. You will definitely enjoy this recipe, particularly if you resort to a little trick and cut all the vegetables one day before actually making the dish and refrigerate them in covered containers overnight. Also, if you have time - for example, if you're planning on trying out this recipe for a Saturday or Sunday lunch - you can roast the mushrooms, eggplant, red peppers and zucchini in the morning, then cover and refrigerate them until you need to use them.
What you need:
1 1/2 cups coarse polenta (corn grits) 1 eggplant (small) peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices 1 yellow zucchini (small) cut into 1/4-inch slices 1 green zucchini (small) cut into 1/4-inch slices 6 dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in water to rehydrate, drained and chopped 2 plum (Roma) tomatoes, sliced 10 ripe olives, chopped 10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed 6 medium mushrooms, sliced 1 sweet red pepper, cored and cut into chunks 2 teaspoons trans-free margarine 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil 6 cups water 1/4 teaspoon crushed black pepper 2 teaspoons oregano
How you do it:
First of all, heat the broiler or grill and place the rack about 4 inches from the heat source. Then, brush the mushrooms, eggplant, red peppers and zucchini with one spoon of the olive oil and place them on a baking sheet in one single layer, then broil or grill them under low heat. Stand by and turn them if you deem it necessary, brushing them occasionally with some more olive oil. Remove them from the grill when they turn slightly brown and are tender, and set them aside for later use.
Then, preheat the oven to 350 F and coat an oven-proof 12-inch dish with cooking spray. In a separate saucepan, bring water to a boil, lower the heat and whisk in the polenta, stirring continually. Cook for about five minutes or until the polenta comes away from the side of the pan, then blend in the margarine and add a little black pepper. Remove from heat and spread the hot mixture onto the base and sides of the dish. Brush it with a teaspoon of olive oil and place it in the heated oven for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove it from the oven, but keep it warm.
Next, drain the spinach, making sure you remove as much of the water as possible. One thing you can do is place it between paper towels and press gently. Then add the spinach on top of the polenta, adding a further layer of olives, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and sliced tomatoes. Add the remaining vegetables on top, sprinkle with the remaining black pepper and the oregano, and place the dish back in the oven for another 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, cut into six slices and serve warm.
Nutritional information per serving (one slice)
Calories - 245 Monounsaturated fat - 4 g Protein - 6 g Cholesterol - 0 mg Carbohydrate - 39 g Total fat - 7 g Fiber - 7 g Saturated fat - 2 g