Creamy Vegan Polenta Bake
7I don’t know anyone that doesn’t enjoy a good vegetarian lasagne layered with complex bursts of flavour. Oh, the rich tomato sauce carefully woven in amongst sharp cheesy vegetable bites. But if you are on a vegan, macrobiotic, or any other kind of “special” dairy free diet, you need to dip your snout in a trough of a different kind. I am always searching for a show-stopping vegan, gluten free alternative to the beloved cheese dream, and offer this tasty little macrobiotic-inspired polenta bake as a satisfying alternative.
Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing cheesy about this polenta “lasagne”. For that, you will need to head over to vegan cheese land and wait for a different recipe post. I have decided not to tackle that beast today; as I generally find that soy cheeses don’t generally cut the mustard, commercial gluten free pasta sheets make me weep for wheat; and I am satiated, but left dreaming. Today, if I can’t match it, all bets are off, and I want to play at another table.
For me, trying to replicate a traditional lasagne with vegan, gluten free alternatives is like soy sausages and vegan bacon. It tastes OK, but at the end of the day, just isn’t the real thing. Having said that, there are some phenomenal raw “lasagne” recipes out there. But they can be a bit fiddly and time consuming for the average dinner. For now, I am jumping ship, leaving the lasagne love boat, opting for something quick and easy, and putting my money on this fantastic macrobiotic-inspired vegan polenta bake recipe from Tony Chiodo.
Oh Tony! You come to the rescue again! Tony is a wonderful friend of mine. He is a macrobiotic chef and teacher, trained in Ayurveda and Steiner principles, amongst many other things. He shares a wealth of knowledge about natural cooking and whole foods. Check out more of his recipes at Eating Well Daily; and be sure to look out for his new vegetarian cookbook to be released in July.
Those of you who have scoured this vegetarian recipe blog would be familiar with his tofu vegan cream and sour cream recipes. I will post more of Tony’s fabulous vegetarian recipes as time goes on. But for now, let’s dive into this one! I love vegan polenta recipes, and I first came across this gluten free recipe about ten years ago when I assisted Tony in one of his vegetarian cooking classes. I have been serving this vegan polenta bake up to rave reviews ever since.
Like so many of the easy gluten free vegetarian recipes on this food blog, it responds really well to adaptation and imagination. I have kept this vegan polenta bake simple here, as I like the mild flavours, with a few greens. But feel free to add any vegetables or protein you want -- bok choy, and asparagus work really well, as do tempeh strips and chunks of tofu. Layers of roasted peppers/capsicums, zucchini and eggplant is absolutely delicious. Some olives would be wonderful too. Just trust the power of fresh vegetables. I learnt a valuable lesson the day I first made this recipe. I was a little bit nervous about helping in the class, and I was frantically stirring the polenta within an inch of its life, praying I would not screw it up. Tony gently came up to me, put his hand on my wooden spoon, and said “You don’t need to push these ingredients. They’re whole foods. They know what they need to do”. Amen to that!
This vegan polenta bake recipe is delicious, and more than satisfies the wheat weeper and cream dreamer in me. The veggie-layered polenta topped with sweet potato tofu sauce will fool even the most savvy cream coveter. It is quick, easy and scrumptious. If you are allergic to soy, you could always cream it up with some cashews or macadamias. Those of you in Australia, with the fabulous Japanese pumpkin, could roast pumpkin instead of sweet potato. I will say, that for me, the key to making this vegan polenta bake taste fantastic is layering a lot of different vegetables and using strong stock to cook the polenta. Otherwise it might be a little bland for those of you more accustomed to the strong cheesy flavours of traditional vegetarian bakes. But I like the milder flavour with a hint of zesty ginger. Feel free to add more ginger into the sauce to taste. Either way, serve with a zesty green salad and you have a easy healthy vegetarian meal that will appeal. If you are looking for quick easy allergy free recipes this vegan polenta bake is a winner. It is gluten free, dairy free, egg free and nut free. This easy healthy recipe is a safe bet for the whole family. Thanks again Tony. You ROCK!
Creamy Vegan Polenta Bake
Base
- 2 cups polenta
- 6 cups strong vegetable broth
- 2 cups finely diced red onion
- 1 cup frozen corn defrosted
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh flat leaf Italian parsley or 1 large bunch
- 2 cups of broccoli cut up into small heads and lightly steamed
- 1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt or more to taste
Creamy Topping
- 3 cups of roasted sweet potato – about 500gms raw
- 1 red onion cut into wedges
- 2 Tbsp Hulled Tahini
- 1 1/2 tsp freshly minced/grated ginger (to get it juicy) or more to taste
- 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
- 1 package of soft silken tofu – 300 gms / 10 ounces
- Bring water or veggie stock to the boil with the corn, onions and a pinch of sea salt to bring out the sweetness.
- Stir in the cornmeal, lower the heat a little and cook for about 40 minutes or until cooked stirring regularly and adding water as needed to avoid sticking and burning.
- Once cooked stir in the parsley and spinach and pour into a well oiled rectangular baking dish – 33cm by 25cm and 5 cm deep.
- Press the little broccoli pieces stalk down into the base so the heads are popping up and covering the top of the polenta.
- Put all of the topping ingredients into your blender (I like to use a VItamix) and puree until you get a beautiful thick, smooth, creamy consistency.
- Pour over the polenta and broccoli and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Published here courtesy of Tony Chiodo
Piggy Cooking Tips
the best way to clean your blender
After blending up something sticky, gooey or smelly, just place a few drops of soap in the carriage with some warm water and blend on high until all of the congealed food slips away from the blades and sides. Then repeat this process. Then rinse with water and presto! Clean carriage.
If you have smells or stains repeat this process with some bicarbonate of soda or lemon juice and water.
Check out the video on A No Hassle Way To Clean Your Blender that I did as part of the Chow Tips Series.
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Piggy Grunts!
Add Your GruntThis sounds amazing! However, although my taste buds are fine with tofu, my body does not love tofu of any kind! That’s really the truth. Is there something else that can be used instead…like an Avocado, which actually takes on the taste of whatever you mix it with and has a beautiful way of making the texture of things creamy, if that is your desire? Looking forward to your response? Big thanks!
Hey Kim
I am wondering how palatable the avocado would be once it is baked? I would try some raw cashews or macadamias blended into the mix to cream it up. Hope this helps.
This is so tasty! I rarely use Polenta but it works so great in this recipe. Felt so healthy and fresh. Yum!