It's Cold Outside, Bring On the Hot Food!

Roasted Sausage, Peppers, Onions, and Garlic over Soft Polenta, it's the cure for what ails, yah! It is vegan comfort food. It is the kind of food that you can smell coming in the door, and you run to the kitchen and say "Something smells good! What's for dinner?"

Well, actually, I don't run in the door and say something smells good, because I'm the one inside making the meal. I bring home the vegan bacon, fry it up in a pan, and never, never let you forget you're a man . . . cause I'm a woman . . Angelieee" (1970s commercial reference. I'm probably getting the name of the product a little wrong, but it was a catchy tune.)

We now return to our regularly scheduled program:

This is a great dish! Thanks to the packages of 6 red bell peppers at Wegmans, I just happened to have peppers on hand. I bought organic polenta and vegan Italian-style sausages at Healthy U, and all the other ingredients are in my fabulously stocked pantry and frig.

I planned ahead to make this mid-week meal, so I had an undisturbed hour in my kitchen. However, I didn't need it. Cutting the peppers and onions into a uniform rough chop took 5 minutes max. I use pre-minced garlic, so I had the veggies assembled and on a jelly-roll pan in my 425 degree oven in no time flat. While those cooked I sliced the vegan sausage links and whipped up the polenta.

(I think this would also be good on pre-made polenta. You could slice it and fry it in a pan to give it a brown crusty "edge" and I think it would make a really nice dinner presentation. Added bonus: quicker and less stirring and watching the pot.)

Anyway, After 20 minutes, I added the sausage to the veggies and they all cook for another 20 minutes. This is the part that makes the kitchen smell fabulous! 14 year old came home and wanted to eat it out of the oven, it smelled that good.

Results: I enjoyed a big helping as did my 14 year old. 10 year old boycotted the whole dish because his desire to terrorize the neighborhood on his bike outweighed his need for sustenance. Husband came home, hinted at the existence of onions (hidden and limited in his dish) but perked up at the mention of polenta.

Note: Don't skimp on or forget to drizzle the EVOO and/or balsamic vinegar. It gives the dish a nice finish and zip.

Penny Pinching: If you buy peppers in season, this meal is cheap! Sausages will set you back $6.00, but that isn't much to feed a family of four. Polenta is cheapest if you buy it dry and make it yourself with broth. Pre-made polenta would push up the price another $3.00.

Variations: If your family is veggie friendly, but doesn't favor onions, I think adding zuchini rounds would be a nice addition. It would also add some contrasting color. If you wanted multiple protein sources you could add cubed and pan-fried tofu squares.