Fried Polenta Cakes with Marinara & a Spinach Saute

Hard to believe, but I've only been personally cooking with polenta for roughly over a year - and now I just wanna make it all the time. I started out by frying it up as a substitute for hash browns; although potatoes are naturally gluten-free, most pre-packaged hash browns contain wheat flour as a binder, & making my own is just a bit too much of a hassle for my taste. The other night I needed to use up the veggies from a previous dish* and was feeling Italian, soo...

Ingredients:

• Trader Joe's Polenta, 1/2" slices (comes in 18-oz. tube kinda like breakfast sausage, & you can find it in the pasta aisle)
• Trader Joe's Tomato Basil Marinara
• fresh baby spinach
• sliced red onion
• sliced baby portabellas
• chopped garlic
• diced fresh tomato (optional, since you're already using marinara... I just used what was left over from a previous dish)
• olive or vegetable oil
• dried Italian seasonings, salt, pepper
• Parmesan cheese
• fresh basil (optional)

1. frying the polenta will take the longest, so even if you're making the saute fresh, get the polenta started first - don't use too much oil, fry/saute on med-high
2. season with an Italian blend or your choice, but NOT salt
3. prep the veggies for the saute while the polenta fries
4. when polenta is golden brown on both sides, remove from pan and place on paper towels
5. if you're only making a couple of servings and want to conserve dishes, let the pan/oil cool slightly before using it to saute the veggies - they won't take long, and the polenta will be crazy hot anyway (carefully dump some of the oil, if necessary)
6. heat and season the mushrooms, onion, and garlic, then toss in tomatoes and a ton of spinach at the last minute
7. heat the marinara in the microwave or separate saucepan
8. top polenta cakes with marinara, parmesan cheese, and optional basil garnish; serve spinach saute on the side; devour.

p.s. this was the first time 2 of my housemates had ever tried polenta, and they fell in love - one is excited because she loves pasta sauces but doesn't like noodles...

*Chicken Breast with Spinach Saute & Rosemary Brown Rice