Polenta and Vegetable Bake (Nancy)

I got this one off Dr. Oz's great site, RealAge.com, and I've made it a couple of times. It's very hearty for a vegetarian recipe -- and it also freezes well.

2 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium eggplant, diced
1 small zucchini, finely diced
0.5 teaspoon(s) salt
0.5 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
0.5 cup(s) water
10 ounce(s) baby spinach
1.5 cup(s) prepared marinara sauce
0.5 cup(s) chopped fresh basil
14 ounce(s) prepared polenta, sliced lengthwise into 6 thin slices
1.5 cup(s) shredded part-skim mozzarella, divided

Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggplant, zucchini, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and just beginning to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add water and spinach; cover and cook until wilted, stirring once, about 3 minutes. Stir marinara sauce into the vegetables and heat through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in basil.

Place polenta slices in a single layer in the prepared baking dish, trimming to fit if necessary. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup cheese, top with the eggplant mixture and sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake until bubbling and the cheese has just melted, 12 to 15 minutes. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.

Nancy's tips:
--Polenta is so easy to make, I disregard the directions about the prepared stuff. Most grocery stores have the coarsely ground cornmeal used for polenta. I make a couple cups of it for this recipe (and it's even yummier if you throw some Parmesan cheese in toward the end of cooking).
--This calls for a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, but I prefer using a small, round casserole dish (think Corningware).

Creamy cole slaw (Nancy)

This is one of our faves from Dr. Oz's "You on a Diet" ... You have to take a leap of faith to substitute yogurt for mayonnaise -- but it really does work. Who knew! You can eat this stuff with impunity.

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
3 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon caraway seed, or celery seed (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 cups shredded red cabbage, (1/4 of a small head)
2 cups shredded green cabbage, (1/4 of a small head)
1 cup grated carrots, (2 medium)
(Or you can substitute with five cups from a bag of cabbage and carrots already cut up for cole slaw)

Directions
1. Combine mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard, vinegar and sugar in a large bowl. Add caraway seed (or celery seed), if using. Season with salt and pepper. Add cabbage and carrots and toss well. (It's best if you let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.)

Nutrition Information
Per serving
Calories: 49
Carbohydrates: 7g
Fat: 2g
Saturated Fat: 0g
Monounsaturated Fat: 0g
Protein: 1g
Cholesterol: 2mg
Dietary Fiber: 2g
Potassium: 174mg
Sodium: 153mg
Nutrition Bonus: 50% dv vitamin a, 22 mg vitamin c (35% dv).