Roasted Vegetables and Polenta

IKF is a wonderful husband. The way our schedules are arranged right now, he gets home before me everyday and makes dinner. This week however, I requested two nights of the kitchen to myself to try out some of the recipes that I uncovered in our new cook books. (Yay for wedding presents!)

I wish I had taken pictures because it was so pretty! But alas, a description will have to suffice and you'll have to see for yourself.

This entire preparation took less than 30 mins and was delicious. I am so thrilled to find ways to eat that are healthy (vegetable based, low-fat), affordable (no obscure and expensive ingredients), sophisticated (not tuna casserole or top ramen) and quick (30 mins max).

Shopping list:
Various vegetables - The more variety you have the less you need of each.
     This time I picked up:
     One small zucchini
     One small red onion
     One red bell pepper
     One handful of fresh green beans
Fresh rosemary (optional, but adds a neat flavor)
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Polenta (They sell this pre-made in tubes, but I couldn't find any. The dry kind only took 10 mins to make in the microwave however)
Goat Cheese or similar (This time I used Boursin. It is easy to find in the cheese section and I wanted to use it in another recipe this week. It is really flavorful, a little goes a long way.)

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400
Step 2: Make polenta in microwave according to the instructions on the package, pour into a dish (I used an 8 in square pyrex) and put it in the fridge to cool and firm.
Step 3: Chop the vegetables into bite size pieces. Throw them together in a bowl and drizzle in the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Make sure they are well coated, this recipe goes south when the vegetables get dry because they weren't covered.
Step 4: Spread the vegetables on an aluminum covered baking sheet, salt and pepper to taste, add a sprinkle of rosemary leaves. Roast in the oven, uncovered, for 20 mins.
Step 5: Pull out the polenta, turn over on a cutting board and cut into pieces. I cut the 8 inch square pan into four pieces. I like the larger, thicker polenta. Brown the polenta in a skillet on high heat using butter or olive oil.
Step 6: Assemble. Polenta on the plate, vegetables on top of the polenta, sprinkle with the goat cheese. Bon Appetite.

I turned out really well. IKF loved it. I was proud of myself.

Although next time I'm going to use a little more balsamic vinegar on the vegetables..