Veggie Time!

Today I will take the time to talk about veggies because let's be honest...we really do need to get all the nutrients that they have and the vegetarian movement is stronger than ever. When I first started my cooking classes while doing my first bachelors in hospitality management, I learned very basic things. How to chop, baking 101, how to be clean etc...and even though I already knew how to cook and experiment in the kitchen, I got to learn things that I consider very important in order to be successful in the kitchen. Among those basic skills there were several recipes that are soooo simple but oh so good that it would be horrible of me not to share them.

The recipe you see below, is one that I guarantee will be a hit. It is quick to make and it can be served as the main dish or as a side dish. Please note that you can substitute for whatever veggies you prefer, I just happen to like this particular combination which is actually the closest to Julia Childs version. Also, this is a french dish and the original calls to be seasoned with Herbes de Provence but that is not always available or affordable for all, so salt and pepper do the trick here. You can also chop the veggies, or slice them just like Pixar did in their animated film Ratatouille. Above all, I encourage you to try this recipe so that you can fall in love with veggies all over again.

Ratatouille
What you need:
1 can tomato sauce
1 zucchini
1 onion
2 green peppers
1 medium eggplant
2 medium tomatos
4 garlic cloves
Extra virgin olive oil
Butter
Salt & pepper to taste

Chop all ingredients into about 1 inch cubes. In a hot pot put in the following order: coat with just enough olive oil and about a teaspoon of butter (you want the taste of the butter, and the temperature of the oil together), then add the onion, zucchini, green pepper, tomato, eggplant and about 1/2 cup of water. Every time you add a veggie stir for 2 minutes before adding the next. Once the water goes in, stir for 5 minutes to allow it to steam and finish cooking the veggies. Last, add the tomato sauce and then salt and pepper. This goes perfect with plain white rice.

Enjoy!