Roasted-Vegetable Ratatouille from Meatless Cookbook

I love new inspirations when it comes to cooking. No matter how much you embrace that kitchen and arm yourself with all the gadgets, bags of dried beans, quinoa, and fresh veggies, and oh-so-much more… there are times you just feel stuck. ‘What do we eat today?’ becomes a random puzzled thought that comes into my head once in a while. (sometimes too often)…

Cooking truly is one of my passions – but I don’t go skipping to the kitchen every time. There’s days I need to be lured into that kitchen, days I need to feel inspired and just in plain need of help!

That’s why I loved this new book from The Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living, called Meatless.

‘Meatless’  is true eye candy of recipes that excite all the senses. It is a beautiful book of 200 recipes that are all vegetarian, with some vegan and even gluten-free options. The beautiful recipes come alive on the pages and delight and inspire the chef in you.

I loved the great variety of flavours and food categories throughout the book. From lunches to comfort-food dinners and so much more, I was really impressed with the wide selection of goodness right in front of me. Seriously — soups, stews, chilis, pizzas, casseroles, gratins, salsas, dips, burgers — and so much more. You can’t get bored of this book.  This one book has it all to please a hungry vegetarian palate. There’s also lots of vegan options and gluten-free as well as ‘special diet’ which exclude dairy, wheat, soy or nuts ~ and these symbols are easy to find with each recipe. It’s also great for families who even do eat meat or fish, but want to have easy options available to change the menu once in a while. So if you’re not ready to give up meat all the way, this is a great way to include meatless meals in a delicious way.

With so many delicious options in front of me, I didn’t know what I would pick to cook for my family… but as I flipped through the bright pages of this cookbook, one yummy recipe with an interesting name caught my eye…. and I decided to make the Roasted-Vegetable Ratatouille.

Roasted-Vegetable Ratatouille

from the kitchens of Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 medium zucchini,
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh thyme
• coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 onions, halved and cut into half-moons
• 6 pounds tomatoes, peeled and cut into quarters, seeds discarded
• 2 bell peppers (1 red and 1 yellow), roasted and sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick strips
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss eggplant, zucchini, 1/2 cup oil, and thyme on a large baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and spread out evenly. Roast, tossing occasionally until golden, about 1 hour.
2.  Heat remaining oil in  a large skillet over medium-high. Add garlic and onions, cook stirring frequently until soft, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and peppers: cook until tomatoes are soft.
3. Add eggplant and zucchini, 1/4 cup basil and remaining tablespoon thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very soft, about 30 minutes. Stir in parsley and remaining 1/4 cup basil. Cook just until heated through, about 1 minute more. Serve hot or at room temperature.

I loved making this recipe, the fresh flavours all mingling together and sitting down with my family to eat it. Everyone loved this dish; including my husband and our 5 year old daughter. (Eggplant happens to be one of her top favourite vegetables!) I knew that ;) And I also knew that she would love the name of this dish being ‘Ratatouille’ from the movie we’ve seen about the mouse chef!

So I made my family happy, and that makes me smile and feel good… and know that there will be 199 more great recipes to try out… and more to cook as for sure some are already meant to be repeated as our favourites.

 

You know what else is exciting…. I have one extra copy to give as a giveaway to one of Lifeologia readers! Excited? Yes!!

 (Giveaway Closed) 

I was completely thrilled to receive this beautiful book from The Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living. I am certain you will love it too!

To check out a sneak peek of ‘Meatless’, please visit this page for more!