Vegan cooking for the soul

Yesterday was yet another beautiful fall day in the Midwest and one of the first times I have relaxed in months. My cooking revelation occurred when I had a little faith in my taste buds and allowed them to dictate what was on the menu. Man, those taste buds are smart because this meal rocked! I visited the farmer's market over the weekend and ended up with several root veggies (sweet potato, turnip, beets) and some Mizuna, a subtly spicy green (the guy at the booth basically told me this green would change my life, how could I say no?). Several days later the meal just came together in my mind after hours of involuntary starvation and I stopped at the store to pick up the rest of the ingredients. Here is a delicious vegan fall meal that will fill you up and leave your conscience clear! I bring you polenta with herbed mushrooms and mizuna served with orange-herb roasted root vegetables.

Polenta with herbed mushrooms and mizuna:

Ingredients -

1 cup medium-grind cornmeal

4 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

Earth balance margarine

1 small package fresh "poultry" herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme)

4 medium portabella caps, sliced into small pieces

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1 large handful mizuna, stalks trimmed off, leaves chopped (if you can't find mizuna, arugula works fine)

Directions -

Finely chop herb leaves and set aside, each part of the recipe calls for some. Bring water to a boil in a large saucepot, add salt, reduce heat to medium. Very slowly shake in cornmeal, stirring with a whisk. Simmer while whisking for a couple minutes. Reduce heat to very low, simmer covered, stirring every ten minutes or so with a wooden spoon until polenta has a mild flavor (35-40 minutes). Stir in a couple teaspoons earth balance and a couple teaspoons oil. Add about a Tbsp of the chopped herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the mushrooms, heat some olive oil in a pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add sliced garlic and saute one minute. Add mushroom pieces and another Tbsp of the herbs and cook until browned and juices release, salt to taste.

Serve polenta topped with mushrooms and a handful of mizuna. The mizuna will wilt beautifully into the polenta, mmm...

Orange-herb roasted root vegetables:

Ingredients -

5-6 small beets

1 medium sweet potato

1 medium turnip

1 large parsnip

1 Tbsp honey or maple syrup

zest of 1/2 orange

salt to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp)

1-2 Tbsp chopped herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme)

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

Directions -

Heat oven to 415 degrees F. Peel the root vegetables and cut into 3/4-1 inch pieces.Toss with remaining ingredients. Spread on a baking sheet (I used nonstick foil) and roast for about 30 minutes. Stir and roast for 10-15 minutes more.

Serve these two together for an exciting comfort food experience that could very well heal your soul!