Crockpot Eggplant Ratatouille
Your annual summer Cookout or BBQ is quickly approaching. Whether you’re expecting vegetarian guests, you’ve newly transitioned to vegetarianism yourself, or you’d just like to incorporate more meatless recipes to give some variety to your cookout menu, there are all kind of ways to prepare meatless options with healthy veggies.
Before beginning, remember that most vegetarian foods are more fragile than meat, and do not contain as much fat. Therefore, clean and well-lubricated grill is essential to successfully grilling vegetables. It’d be a shame for those beautifully grilled peppers to stick to the grill!
Traditionally, vegetables have been considered a side dish in most meals, but at a cookout they can take center stage as the entrée. Almost any kind of vegetable is great for grilling. Complement your meal by serving them over pasta, rice or polenta. You can also make them into extraordinary sandwiches with a soy-based cheese and some freshly baked rolls or bread. Cut the vegetables lengthwise into thin slices in the case of zucchini and eggplant, or into thick rings, in the case of onions, tomatoes and peppers. If you'd rather have your veggies in handy bite-size pieces for serving with pasta and the like, try using a stainless steel vegetable basket for the Weber grill with small holes that keep the veggies from falling through the grill and being lost. And probably the easiest way to grill vegetables on the grill is shish-ka-bob style!
Don’t forget to balance out those grilled vegetables with some fresh fruit salads, perfectly chilled and juicy. Watermelon, strawberries, grapes, and citrus fruits all complement one another well in a delightful fruit salad prepared with non-dairy whipped cream. Also use fruits to experiment with some fun smoothies and slushies for the kids – they’re fun and better for them than sugary sodas.
Here's my favorite family recipe that my sister-in-law gave me some 30 years ago for Ratatouille. While we don't have a vegetable garden, our neighbors share their plentiful harvest bounty of the summer with us.
I find this to be a very versatile ratatouille recipe and use it as a side dish at dinner, or you can add pasta and and make it into an easy and quick chicken cacciatore meal. You can also make it in a slow cooker or crockpot.
Easy clean up with my Handmade Kitchen Dish Cloths from Moomettes Crochet Shop !
Ratatouille Recipe
Ratatouille (pronounced /ˌrætəˈtuːiː/ rat-ə-too-ee; French: [ʁatatuj]) is a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish, originating in Nice. The full name of the dish is ratatouille niçoise. (Wikipedia)
3 onions
1 eggplant, peeled
3 or 4 green and yellow zucchini squash
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
1 can tomatoes, drained (or use several fresh)
1 tsp dill
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
Saute onions and garlic in oil until tender.
Add peppers, zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes (chopped in chunks).
Simmer for about 1 hour. Makes own juice.
Saute onions and garlic in oil until tender.
Add peppers, zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes (chopped in chunks).
Simmer for about 1 hour. Makes own juice.