Polenta And Grilled Vegetables With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked instant polenta
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
vegetable oil cooking spray
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (or oregano)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 asparagus spears, ends trimmed
8 scallions, trimmed
2 small eggplants, trimmed and halved
1 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices
1 cup cherry tomatoes
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
12 ounces prepared roasted red peppers, drained
1/3 cup vegetable broth
1 large garlic clove, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus extra
fresh basil, to garnish
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Preparation

Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium-sized heavy saucepan. Add polenta, whisking quickly to combine. Reduce heat to a medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until thick- about 3-5 minutes. Whisk in 1/3 cup Parmesan and season with the cayenne pepper and salt. Coat a 9\" pie plate with cooking spray and pour the polenta into the prepared pie plate and smooth out the surface and let sit for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat grill (or broiler). Whisk together garlic, thyme, lemon juice, and oil in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Toss vegetables with the dressing. Coat a grill basket (or cooking tray) with cooking spray and arrange vegetables. Grill vegetables until tender and slightly charred- about 3-5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a platter.
Combine all sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Heat broiler, sprinkle polenta with remaining Parmesan cheese. Broil polenta until golden brown- about 2-3 minutes, then slice into 8 pieces. Divide polenta among 4 plates. Top with vegetable, drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with fresh basil.