Ratatouille

     Upon looking for a new recipe in which to use eggplant I stumble across ratatouille on the internet. I had never thought of making that before—I didn't even realize it was a vegan dish. The first time my daughter and I made it we didn't even have all the right vegetables the recipe called for so we improvised with what we had. It was so good we ended up making it again a couple days later with the correct ingredients and enjoyed it that way too. I guess there is no totally wrong way to make it. Ratatouille is a great way to use all the abundance of veggies coming out of your garden this summer. The word ratatouille is french for "stirred vegetables" I'm told. So there you go—stir the veggies—doesn't seem to matter which veggies so much or how they are even cut. You can cook it in the oven or on the stove. I think there are as many different ways to make ratatouille as their are french cooks! One thing is certain, it's easy, delicious and good for you! Here is the way we have been enjoying it lately.

1 eggplant, diced

1 medium to large zucchini, sliced

1 medium onion, sliced

1 medium bell pepper, sliced

2 cups sliced mushrooms

4 cups diced tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic, minced

olive oil

parsley

salt to taste

Vegan Parmesan (recipe in last post)

Sauté garlic and parsley in olive oil.

Add diced eggplant and cook until tender.

At this point you are going to layer everything. Salt and sprinkle the Vegan Parmesan on each layer.

The pictures will show you the way.

Bake in a 350-375 degree oven for about an hour or until all the veggies are tender.

Serve plain, over pasta or my favorite way ... over a crusty artisan bread.

Voila!  Bon appétit!

For more delicious vegan recipes like this and more go to HealthAndHappinessOnline.com