Monday, June 15, 2009

Recipe: Ratatouille

My husband (who can eat just about anything) requests this meal, and I realized I have not made it in quite some time. It is easy to prepare, very hardy, and incredibly tasty. We had it for dinner last night. Prepare for your kitchen to be filled with a wonderful aroma! Ratatouille is perfect for special diets, and is a comfort food to turn to while on the yeast elimination diet. It is a perfect recipe for this time of year, as we eagerly await the arrival of zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes from our garden...and then have to try to figure out what to do with them all!

Ingredients (serves 6-8):

2 T olive oil
2 onions, diced
2 eggplants, cut into 1 inch cubes (no need to take the skin off)
3 medium zucchinis, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 35 oz can diced tomatoes or 2 1/2 C diced fresh tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T dried oregano
2 t salt
1 t ground pepper
1/3 c Milled Flax Seed or Hemp Seed (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven. Add the onions and let cook for about 3 minutes, then add all of the other ingredients except for the flax or hemp (if you are using one of these). The pot will be very full like this:

Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and put the lid on the dutch oven. Allow to simmer for about 20 - 25 minutes or until the veggies have reduced down and "melted" together. Then stir in the optional flax or hemp. It will look like this:
Serving suggestions:
* Perfect over chic peas
* Pour over rice, quinoa, or millet
* Great with flat bread or crackers

I had mine straight up:
Notes:
* If you add the flax or hemp, it will kick up the nutritional value, thicken the Ratatouille, and make it even heartier!
* Cut the recipe in 1/4 to make a wonderful dip for your guests.
* Ratatouille is a hit with my 11 year old niece who needs to be tricked into eating her veggies!
* This can also be made in the slow cooker - combine all ingredients (except for flax or hemp) and cook on high for 3 1/2 - 4 hours or on low for 7 - 8 hours. If using flax or hemp, stir in at the end.

Enjoy!

5 comments:

  1. This looks very satisfying. It's something I've never made but always intend to. You mentioned a yeast elimination diet which I'm guessing is different than Candida. The information I read on the Candida elimination diet excludes things like tomatoes from a can, vinegar, mushrooms, peanuts and a ton of other delicious ingredients. I like your version.

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  2. I love ratatouille, but haven't made it in a while because of the hot weather. That will definitely be on my menu this fall. Thanks for sharing it and reminding me of what a great dish it is.

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  3. Hi Diane,

    I actually did mean the same as the candida diet. You are right - no canned tomatoes on that diet, which is why I included the fresh tomatoes as an option. I would also leave out the tomato paste when I was "starving" my candida overgrowth, which is a point I did not make in the recipe. Thanks for the question!

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  4. I love ratatouille. I just made a big pot...I've made it several different ways but the last time I made it was my favorite. I cooked all the veggies separately and then put them back in the pot to finish the process and let it simmer for about an hour. No matter how you cook it, though, it's absolutely incredible. The first time I had it I couldn't believe that the flavor came just from veggies. It was eye-opening for sure!

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  5. I'll have to try this when the cooler weather sets in. I love all the fresh ingredients. Thanks for sharing.

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