Polenta Rounds with Eggplant Caponata – Gluten-Free + Vegan!

Our recipe theme for the month of September is glutenfree and we are excited to once again welcome guest contributor Beth of Tasty Yummies This super simple dish is a wonderful way to celebrate everything that September has to offer It isn8217t quite autumn yet but if you are anything like me once Labor Day passes I am already looking for those comforting fall flavors What better way to embrace it than with a delicious eggplant caponata served over top crispy polenta rounds with just a little melted cheese This is great as an appetizer a snack or just on its own as a meal So many great flavors come from the fresh and inseason eggplant tomatoes and pepper and that is complemented so nicely with the fresh basil and the tart red wine vinegar Top it off with your favorite vegan cheese I like Daiya or if you aren8217t vegan or dairyfree a sprinkle of a shredded parmesan or mozzarella cheese Polenta Rounds with Eggplant Caponata 8211 Glutenfree Vegan Makes about 1518 rounds Eggplant Caponata Makes about 23 cups This is likely more than you will need for the polenta rounds but it is great on its own tossed with pasta or rice etc 1 medium eggplant diced 23 medium tomatoes diced 1 2 cup black olives diced 2 cloves garlic minced 1 small onion diced 2 small stacks celery diced 1 pepper diced I used a beautiful cubanelle pepper from our CSA but you could also use a green or red bell pepper Pinch or two red pepper flakes optional 1 4 cup red wine vinegar 24 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 4 cup basil roughly chopped Preheat the oven to 375 F In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients and toss well to combine and coat everything in the oil and vinegar Pour the mixture to a 913 glass baking dish Bake for 45 minutes to an hour until eggplant is tender Remove the caponata from the oven and Prada Company Handbags Replica then start preparing your polenta Polenta Rounds 1 8211 18 ounce tube premade organic polenta I used a basil garlic polenta Preheat your broiler on high Cut the polenta into 1 28243 rounds and place on greased cookie sheet Place in the hot broiler cook for 1012 minutes until warmed and slightly browned flipping a couple times during cooking Make sure to watch carefully so they don8217t burn Alternately if you wish to make your own polenta just cook a batch to your liking spread it on a baking sheet while still hot in a 1 28243 layer and cool it in the fridge for an hour or until firm then use a juice glass to cut small disks out of the polenta Assembly 1 2 cup shredded mozzarella or vegan cheese such as Daiya which I used Fresh basil for garnish When Cheap Replica Prada Handbags Cheap the polenta rounds are warmed through and slightly browned top each round with a spoonful of caponata and a sprinkle of cheese or vegan 8220cheese8221 Broil for another 23 minutes to melt the cheese Serve immediately with a little chopped basil For more of Beth recipes visit her blog Tasty Yummies More healthy recipes from the BLDG 25 Blog Tags gluten free gluten free recipes healthy recipes recipe vegan vegan recipes