Chellie’s “Have it Your Way” Ratatouille by Chellie H., OH Member Services Team
This is a great recipe for any season, but as eggplant and zucchini are easily available in the summer, it is a summer favorite for me. I love making a huge double or triple batch of veggies and adding meat or seafood to the veggie leftovers… it’s like having a new meal every time I open the fridge. It works great as a main meal with the meat mixed in, or using the veggies alone as an awesome side dish. The versatility of this dish is a crowd pleaser in my family.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 large chopped onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 pound of zucchini, diced into 1/2-inch
1 large eggplant, unpeeled, diced into 1/2-inch
1/2 red bell pepper, diced into 1/2-inch
1/2 green bell pepper, diced into 1/2-inch (I like to use orange bell peppers for color)
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced into 1/2-inch
1 pound of fresh tomatoes, skinned and chopped (or one 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (use red pepper flakes if you want it spicy)
4 sprigs of thyme (optional)
1 sprig of rosemary (optional)
2 pounds of your favorite protein (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Using a large oven-proof pan over medium-high heat, sauté onions in olive oil until they begin to soften. (About 5 minutes.) Add garlic and reduce heat to low.
2. While the onions and garlic are cooking over low heat, put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in another large skillet over high heat. As soon as the pan gets hot, add enough zucchini cubes to form a layer on the bottom of the pan. Cook over high heat; stir until zucchini is lightly browned on all sides. Remove zucchini cubes, and add them to pan with the onions.
3. Repeat process until all of the zucchini cubes have been cooked. Continue with the bell peppers, then the eggplant cubes, adding the browned vegetables to the onion pan as soon as they are cooked. Add more olive oil as needed.
4. Add the tomatoes (and their juice) to your large oven-proof pan with the rest of the vegetables, along with salt, black pepper, red pepper, thyme, rosemary and 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil.
5. Brown 2 pounds of your favorite protein in skillet, drain and mix in pan with vegetables.
6. Transfer to the oven and cook, for 30-40 minutes, until the mixture is cooked through and flavors are melded together.
Notes:
a. You can substitute any lean protein you like or enjoy it with the vegetables only. The nutritional information below is listed for some options.
b. The fat per-serving can be cut down by reducing the amount of olive oil or substituting cooking spray.
Nutritional Information per Serving:
Veggies Only Ground Meat - 95 percent lean meat Sausage Shrimp Scallops
Calories 62 148 300 163 120
Total Fat 3 5 22 3 4
Carbs 8 0 0 1.4 3
Protein 1 23 20 32 18
Dietary Fiber 3 0 0 0 0
Chicken and Spinach Salad
Makes 4 servings
12 ounces chicken tenders
nonstick cooking spray
4 cups washed, stemmed and shredded spinach
2 cups washed and torn romaine lettuce
8 thin slices red onion, separated into rings
2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) crumbled blue cheese
1 large grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
½ cup frozen citrus blend concentrate, thawed
¼ cup prepared fat-free Italian salad dressing
Cut chicken into 2 X ½ inc strips. Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat until hot. Add chicken; cook and stir 5 minutes or until no longer pink in the center. Remove from skillet; set aside.
Divide spinach, lettuce onion, cheese, grapefruit and chicken among 4 salad plates. Combine citrus blend concentrate and Italian dressing in small bowl; drizzle over salads.
Nutrients per serving:
Calories: 218, Calories from Fat: 15%, total fat: 4 gms, saturated fat: 1 gm., cholesterol: 55 mg, Sodium: 361 mg, carbohydrate: 23 gms, fiber: 3 gms, protein: 23 gms. Dietary exchanges: 1 fruit, 2 vegetable, 2 meat