A Dish That Keeps On Giving

 
Don't you ever wish you were the kind of person who whipped up gourmet meals every night of the week, even when in a pinch? I know I do! There's nothing better than a home cooked meal, and sometimes nothing more daunting at the end of a long day.
 
When I was little I thought left overs happened by accident. That my mom kept those Tupperware containers just in case we didn't finish a meal. Now I know, the smartest home cooks make extras on the weekends so that they have one step, one ingredient, even, prepped for a few meals. Ratatouille, a French peasant's dish, is the answer to squeezing extra veggies and flavor into your weeknight meals. This dish, filled with whatever vegetables you may have on hand, simmers over low heat for an hour permeating every room in your house. What you have at the end of that hour is a dish that keeps on giving, for at least 3 other meals, if you make enough.
 

 
Some ideas for your leftovers:

• Breakfast: ratatouille-filled omlette or tofu scramble
• Lunch: spread hummus on a ww wrap and fill with ratatouille
• Dinner: combine with white beans, or crumble tofu 

And if you still have some:

• Food process ratatouille for a veggie-filled pasta sauce
• Add vegetable stock for a veg soup
• Serve over brown rice or combine with quinoa
• Serve over fresh spinach with olives as an antipasti

Ingredients:
 
1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves fresh garlic
3 stalks of celery
1 c. diced bell peppers
1 28oz. can whole tomatoes (w/ basil)
2 medium zucchini
1 medium eggplant
2 Tbs. Herbes de Provence (or a thyme, rosemary, oregano)
dash of salt
dash of pepper
optional:
1 can of white beans
red pepper flakes


Directions:
 
1. Saute chopped garlic over medium heat in a large saucepan.
 
2. Add chopped celery and stir occasionally, careful not to burn.
 
3. Pour juices from canned tomatoes over veggies, squish whole tomatoes over pan. (Fun and not an exact science)
 

 
4. Chop bell peppers, zucchini and eggplant. Remember ratatouille is a peasant's dish so no need to chop like a professional chef!
 

 
5. Put remaining vegetables in pan. Stir and turn down to low heat.
 
6. Add seasoning (and beans, if using), stir and cover for 60 minutes or until vegetables are desired firmness.