Vegetable Ratatouille | Casserole | Stewed Vegetables

You might want to check out my easy recipe for Ratatouille Stewed Vegetables, which is so easy it cooks up in an hour! Mediterranean diet friendly !

Want a way to get your kids off of the couch and save some money at the same time? Start a family vegetable garden. It seems that kids spend most of their time indoors playing video games or watching television these days. Once the joys of your harvest have produced, put up some vegetables in the freezer for other seasons.

You can even make this easy Ratatouille stew in a crockpot I like to put up in Once a Month Cooking Glass Food Storage Containers for OAMC Freezer Cooking. 

When I was a child my family always planted a vegetable garden out in the "way back" yard.  We were growing cucumbers,  fresh lettuce, eggplant, peas, green beans, and radishes.  To this day, I still enjoy a fresh-picked hot radish, roots and all attached.  I now get  bunches from the farm stand, take them home, wash them, salt and enjoy  just as is!

My daughter and charming son-in-law recently purchased a new home, and it's obvious that at one point in time the previous owners had planted a vegetable garden.  There's a small picket fence around a now neglected small plot of land that I'm sure at one time supplied the family with plenty of fresh veggies.

My husband was never the type to enjoy tilling the earth, so I'm hoping that my daughter, hubby and the grandkids will plant a garden next year so I can put on my gardening shoes and stop over and "help."

Freeze or give away extra vegetables. You'll have enough for the months when nothing is growing. Sharing your vegetables with friends and neighbors, or bringing them a homemade recipe dish such as Mock Crab Cakes from Zucchini, a dessert or bread  from your extra zucchini or fruits might inspire them to begin their own vegetable garden!

Do you want a family activity that's environmentally sound and saves money? Start a family garden using the tips above. Also contact your local cooperative extension office or State Department of Agriculture for more information on gardening.

Easy cleanup with Handmade Dish Cloths from Moomettes Crochet Shop !

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Ratatouille Stewed Vegetables

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 oregeno 1 tsp basil Saute onions and garlic in EEVO olive oil until tender. Add peppers, zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes (chopped in chunks). Simmer for about 1 hour. Makes own juice. This recipe can also be made in a crockpot or slow cooker, or make it ahead when you prepare your freezer cooking meals. 

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Ratatouille Recipe | Eggplant Veggie Stew

Enjoy trying this summer Ratatouille recipe made with eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, onions and fresh garden veggies! It's a great meatless crockpot recipe. It's very Mediterranean Diet Friendly.

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.

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© Frugal New England Kitchen