It has been a crazy last week and a half - a week ago Tuesday I was in a small accident that has resulted a lot of dental work.
I'll spare you the details as this is a food blog, but suffice it to say, I have been on a strict soft-foods only diet since May 27th.
While I initially celebrated the incident as an excuse to indulge in milkshakes, I was so over them by day 3.
Instead, I've been looking for other recipes that will get me actual nutrition. A perfect recipe for me this week is one I use all the time in the summer, ratatouille.
It makes use of all the amazing summer vegetables that are about to be in season and it cooks them down together into a flavorful, healthy dish.
The recipe below is from my book, but I promise there will be original content next week!
The recipe makes quite a few servings and can be eaten by itself or eaten over pasta. It's also versatile and is good at room temperature or heated, making it perfect for work lunches!
Ingredients
1 medium eggplant, cubed
salt
1 small to medium zucchini
1 yellow onion
1 green bell pepper
1 large tomato
2 garlic cloves, diced
red pepper flaked (optional)
3 basil leaves, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 pint-sized mason jars (if you want to bring it to work)
Preparation:
Peel the eggplant and cut it into 1-inch cubes. Place the cubes on a paper-towel-covered plate, then sprinkle with salt to draw out excess moisture.
Let sit for 30 min and then pat the eggplant pieces dry.
Meanwhile, cut the zucchini into 1-inch cubes, roughly dice the onion, and cut the pepper into strips. Cut the tomato into eighths.
Once the eggplant is ready, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan at medium heat.
Add the eggplant, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and red pepper flakes, if using.
Cook until the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the tomato wedges and basil and simmer, uncovered for 30 min.
Remove from the heat and serve hot, or let cool and transfer to Mason jars for lunch.
Seal the jars and refrigerate until ready to use. Reheat before eating.
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