Recipe of the Week: Shug's Polenta Salad

Those of you who have the pleasure of knowing Shug in person also know that he cooks about two things: leftovers and t.v. dinners. It's not for lack of ability or the excess dribbles of machismo, it's just he's never really learned how to cook. When there are days I know I won't be home until 8pm, I always ask Shug to "take care of dinner," which usually means delicious take-out of some kind and my favorite bottle of wine.

So last week, when I passed dinner responsibility over to Shug, I was expecting some styrofoam clam shell brimming with heaps of Pad Thai or Tibetan spicy potatoes, but Shug had actually PREPARED dinner for us. Yes, it's true, and no, it's not the apocalypse.

Shug made the most delicious and healthy meal in under 30 minutes! So today's recipe is all Shug's!

Shug's Polenta Salad
Serves 2 hungry folks or 4 appetizers
Ingredients:
One tube of prepped polenta, we like the sun-dried tomato and basil flavor, sliced into 1/2 inch discs
6 ounces of goat cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
White wine vinegar
Juice from half a lemon
1 clove of garlic, minced
Pinch of dried basil
Pinch of dried oregano
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
1/4 cup of sliced sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
Heaps of fresh spring greens

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. On a cookie sheet that has been prepped with extra virgin olive oil, plop down the polenta discs and give each one a little more love with the olive oil. Put cookie sheet in the oven and let bake for ten minutes.

While your polenta is crisping up, portion your spring greens into bowls. Add equal portions of the sun-dried tomatoes to each bed of greens. To make the dressing, add equal parts olive oil and white wine vinegar to a small container you can lid and shake. Add the lemon juice, garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Shake it like a polaroid picture. Set aside.

Pull the polenta out of the oven and quickly add a dollop of goat cheese to each disk. Return to oven for 5-7 minutes or until the goat cheese is all melty and awesome. Remove polenta from the oven and portion the disks evenly onto the bowls of spring greens. Dress with the Italian dressing.

Kiss the cook.