Mediterranean Vegetable Stew over Soft Polenta

Here's a quick entree for a weeknight - and I do mean quick! Have all the ingredients prepped and ready to go because things move fast once the burner is lit.

Heat a teaspoon of olive oil over medium-high heat - the original recipe suggested using a large saucepan, but I used a medium skillet because I needed my saucepan for the polenta (see below).

Add 1 cup (1/4-inch thick) sliced zucchini and 3/4 tsp. minced garlic and saute 30 seconds. (Using bottled minced garlic makes prep time even shorter, but I minced a fresh clove).

Add 1 (14 ounce) can of diced tomatoes, 3/4 cups of undrained, canned stewed tomatoes (about half of a 14 ounce can), and 3/4 cups rinsed and drained canned chickpeas (about half of a 14 ounce can), along with 1/8 tsp. black pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

While the vegetable stew simmers, bring 1 and 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add 1/2 cup dried polenta, stirring with a whisk. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally - watch it carefully, because polenta expands and gets stiff quickly! In place of Parmesan, stir in 3/4 cup grated vegan cheese of your choice - I used the vegan mozzarella block from Galaxy Foods.

Place 2/3 cup polenta on each of 3 plates, and top each serving with 1 cup of the stew. Each serving is 360 calories.

Cost:
zucchini $1.55
garlic$0.42
canned diced tomatoes $1.19
canned stewed tomatoes $2.19
canned chickpeas $1.79
vegan mozzarella $3.39