5 Cauliflower Recipes

RECIPE TRIAL: CAULIFLOWER

I don't usually run to the produce section to snatch up some cauliflower. It's white. It just doesn't jump out at me. But that doesn't mean I don't like it. Because I do. I really do.

I am part of a vegetable co-op called Bountiful Baskets. Lately, they have been handing out a lot of cauliflower. One time recently I got two giant heads of it. Now that my friends is a lot of cauliflower. And well I wanted to change it up. Plain old steamed or roasted cauliflower was boring me to tears.

So I bring you two of my new favorite ways to eat it along with three recipes from other bloggers that are on my recipe trial list for this year.

Teriyaki Shredded Pork and Cauliflower

Ok I was also looking for another recipe for shredded pork that didn't end up on sandwiches or nachos. I had lots of leftovers from a pork butt recipe. This recipe was easy and solved two problems at once.

1 head of cauliflower or 1 bag frozen
About 2 cups of cooked shredded pork (here is one of my fave recipes.)
1/4 Cup of Teriyaki sauce (add more if you like yours really saucy)
1 Tb oil
Cornstarch
Cold water

Cut bottom and leaves off of cauliflower and cut it into florets. Steam in a few inches of water until crisp tender.

Heat a skillet to medium high heat with oil. Add cauliflower to skillet and stir fry for a couple minutes. Add shredded pork and stirfry for 1 minute. Add teriyaki sauce and toss with vegetables for a couple minutes.

If sauce is thin combine equal amounts of cornstarch 1 to 2 TB with cold water. Dissolve corn starch in water and add to skillet. Stir and heat until thickened.

Serve warm with rice.

Rosemary Cauliflower
Another Simple side dish. This is more of an AHA! idea then a real recipe. And yes it is steamed. Yet there is a subtle aroma and flavor of rosemary with the cauliflower that makes it special. I am steaming my cauliflower like this from now on.

2 Cups Cauliflower florets
salt to taste
1 stem of rosemary.

Add cauliflower to steamer. Sprinkle with Salt and add leaves of rosemary to steamer. Steam until desired tenderness. It takes about 10 minutes in my steamer. 

And just to tempt your tastebuds and prove that cauliflower is definitely not a one trick pony. Here are some cauliflower recipes from fellow bloggers. All photos belong to them. I can't wait to try these.

Cauliflower Steak With Mushrooms and Hee Hee
from Cook and Be Merry

Source: cookandbemerry.com via Rachelle on Pinterest

Cheesy Cauliflower Tots
from I Breathe I'm Hungry

Source: ibreatheimhungry.com via Rachelle on Pinterest

Parmigiano Crusted Rigatoni with Cauliflower and Prosciutto
From Food and Wine (love this magazine)

Source: foodandwine.com via Rachelle on Pinterest

Eggplant Caponata Sandwiches

Recipe Trial:

I have never made a caponata. So this recipe has been on my radar for a while. I have to say I am kind of in love with it. I am a big eggplant fan (and would dedicate space in my garden to this plump purple veggie if my husband and I were not the only ones eating it) and in this recipe it is just perfect. I love the way eggplant soaks up flavors and makes them better.

This recipe was even tastier the next day. Don't you just wish all leftovers were like that? I spooned it onto some hearty Italian bread, sprinkled it with some feta cheese and warmed it in the microwave for about 15 seconds. A perfect open faced sandwich. I almost retrieved the rest of the eggplant from the refrigerator so I could saute up some more caponata for the next day.

I altered this recipe a little from a recipe I found in Food and Wine. 
They added fresh avocado to theirs and I opted out (OK I didn't have any left. I have been eating avocados all week.) But I did add the feta which added that sharp tang and the Italian bread which soaked up all the tastiness. Mmm it was lip smacking.


Did I say I was in love with this recipe?

Recipe 

1. 1 to 2 tablespoons brined capers, drained
2. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3. One 1-pound eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/3-inch dice
4. 1 medium onion, finely chopped
5. 1 celery rib, finely chopped
6. 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
7. 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
8. 2 teaspoons sugar
9. 1 teaspoon pine nut
10. Salt and freshly ground pepper 
11. 1/4 Cup of feta cheese
12. Italian Bread 

1. In a small bowl, cover the capers with water and let soak for 15 minutes; drain. Add peeled and cubed eggplant to a colander sprinkle with salt and let sit in a sink or over a bowl for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes rinse and drain eggplant.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the eggplant and cook over moderately high heat until the bottom browns, 5 minutes. Stir and cook until browned all over, 10 minutes longer. Transfer the eggplant to a bowl.
3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the onion and celery to the skillet. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the tomato, cover and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
4. In a saucepan, simmer the vinegar and sugar to dissolve the sugar. Add the pine nuts and capers and cook for 1 minute.
5. Return the eggplant to the skillet. Stir in the vinegar mixture and cook over low heat for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Pile caponata on bread and add a few crumbles of feta to each open faced sandwich. Warm in microwave for 15 seconds if caponata has already cooled.

Butternut Squash and Greens -- New Fave Lunch

I work from home. Which means I eat lunch while working and if I don't have a gameplan, I eat bad fattening food. So, my new favorite lunch idea comes from one of my fave food blogs
http://www.emily-malloy.com/
Yes I think you should check her out.

Anyway she gave me this idea for lunch-- nutmeg butternut squash -- and I am in love with it. Once a week I go buy myself a small butternut squash. And twice a week I make it into a tasty satisfying lunch perfect for late Fall lunches eaten at my computer. No one else likes butternut squash in my family so instead of feeling all sorry for myself that the rest of my family is squash haters I have decided this lunch is all mine. A gift I buy myself. It is delicious and good for me and fills me right up.

I add some greens to the dish and it is perfect. My favorites right now -- Arugula or beet greens. Beet greens are my new favorite and not just because they are my favorite color purple. They are tender and tasty and I may just go build a mini winter greenhouse full of beet greens so I can eat them all winter.

The easiest lunch ever.

Emily peels her squash and cuts it into cubes (this cuts down on the cooking time but I don't want to peel a butternut squash -- It is a big pain)

Cut a butternut squash in half. Scoop out the seeds.
Put half in a glass dish cut side up. (save the rest for later)
Add about 1/4 inch water to dish.
Drizzle squash with olive oil
Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper
Sprinkle with nutmeg.
Cook in microwave on high for 5 to 7 minutes or until squash is fork tender.

Add spinach, arugula or beet greens to the dish and eat with bites of squash. Plus squash has a nice long shelf life.
A perfect seasonal dish that satisfies my need for something creamy and hearty once the chilly days settle in.

Blackberry and Bratwurst Salad

Blackberries are one of my favorite things about August. During the last two weeks, my blackberry and boysenberry bushes are ripe. Every day for a few weeks I have between a half pint and a pint of my little black beauties. I look forward to foraging for a good 5 to 10 minutes each day in my berry patch. Which means every day I am eating them. I am also saving them. Whatever I don't eat each day I flash freeze and then add to a ziploc bag. I almost have enough for jam.

What are you harvesting every day? How are you gobbling up your fresh produce from your living pantry? This week my favorite blackberry idea came when I found a leftover grilled bratwurst. I always try to use my leftovers in new ways. This is how we use our food wisely. Turns out bratwurst and blackberries make a beautiful, savory/sour combo with the tender leaves of spinach.

Blackberry and Bratwurst Salad.

For 1 large meal serving. Increase ingredients as needed per person.

1 to 1 1/2 Cups of Spinach leaves

1 grilled bratwurst sliced

1/2 Cup Blackberries or boysenberries



sliced cucumber
2 TB craisins
1 oz of torn white cheese such as meunster, swiss or fresh mozzarella
A few splashes of balsamic vinegraitte

Bacon Chayote Saute

What? How do bacon and chayotes have anything to do with a blog devoted to pantry or food storage cooking. Well hold on and I will tell you.

I pretty much like to believe that I live the real life version of Food Network's Chopped. I have to make awesome food from what I get. A couple times a month I order a veggie/fruit basket from a food co-op. For $15 I get an amazing amount of produce. But it is always a surprise. Especially when I get things like chayotes (which I have never cooked or eaten before.) I am a big believer in eating seasonal produce.

So this week I got 6 chayotes. They look like this.

And I got a care package from Foodbuzz and Tostitos offering some new dip seasonings to try. Now I do actually store powdered dip seasonings. I think of them as emergency seasoning or easy solutions for impromptu parties at my house that require delicious dip. I do have issues with some of these dip starters. I hate MSG and so I rarely buy the Hidden Valley seasonings. I was pretty excited to discover that the new Tostitos dip starters have no MSG. And the Golden Onion flavor sounded different.

Well back to the Chopped episode of my life. I decided to come up with a recipe using Chayotes and the Golden Onion dip starter from Tostitos. And some bacon (in case I hated the chayote flavor)

Turns out I love chayotes. They are like the most exotic squash ever, being that they combine a little cucumber, green apple and squash in one. Sounds weird but they are tasty raw in a salad and they absorb flavors well when sauteed to a just crisp/tender stage. I absolutely love this delicious side dish that I came up with.

This post was entered in the Denny's and Foodbuzz baconalia contest.

Bacon Chayote Saute

2 Chayote peeled, pitted and chopped.
2 Tb of margarine or butter
1/2 onion diced.
2 slices of bacon chopped
1/2 green pepper chopped
1/2 bag of Tostitos golden onion dip mix (or other dip mix flavor)

Heat butter or margarine in saute pan. Add onion, bacon and green pepper to pan and cook until onions are tender.

Toss chopped chayote with dip mix and add to saute pan. Cook and stir occasionally until chayote is tender crisp.

Serve immediately

Tabbouleh Salad -- Perfect Pantry Staple

Now in my limited understanding of stocking up on grains I have been taught that three grains are essential for food storage. Wheat, rice and oatmeal. Ummm, boring. I already have all these things and nothing gives me a self sufficiency self esteem boost like grinding my own flour. But I need variety. I need things like flax and bulgur wheat and rye.

One of my favorite salads of all time is Tabbouleh. Maybe it is my French grandmother who grew up in North Africa rubbing off on me, but I love the stuff. (Yes I know it is Middle Eastern, but she ate stuff like this) It is so healthy, refreshing, filling and unique. Add some veggies and herbs to bulgur wheat and you have a lowfat, healthy lunch or side dish.

Now there are many ways to make tabbouleh. You can do it all from scratch by buying your own bulgar wheat. Or you can buy it in expensive mixes at the grocery or you can go down to the local health store and buy the mix in bulk. I buy mine in bulk at my health food store. Because it is cheaper and then I have an easy, handy, lunch that just takes some water, olive oil, tomatoes and cucumbers. Just keep in mind that although this is an easy dish it does require some preplanning. It needs at least an hour to soak.

If you buy a pre seasoned mix follow the directions on the box or.
add 1 1/4 cup boiling water to 1/4  cup tabbouleh.
Pour boiling water over mix and let soak for 1 hour.
Add 1/4 cup lemon juice and about 1/3 cup olive oil to reconstituted mixture.
Gently stir in 2 chopped tomatoes and 1 cup cucumber, chopped.


Here is the recipe from scratch.
3/4 Cup uncooked bulgur
3/4 cup boiling water
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
1 Tb extra virgin olive oil
2 med tomatoes chopped
1 cup diced cucumber
1/2 Cup  red onion (optional)
1/2 Cup chopped fresh parsley
2 md green onions
2 TB fresh mint, chopped
3 md garlic close
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Stir together bulgur and boiling water.
Let stand 1 hour.
Add lemon juice and oil and toss with bulgur mixture.
Gently add remaining ingredients and let chill for 1 hour.

Keeps for up to 3 days.

Canned Dill Pickles

I have a serious pickle lover in my house -- as in she can eat a pickle a day for 30 days. Therefore, I need to pickle cucumbers every summer. And so with my sister's pickle recipe I bottled up some cukes. Now there are a few things to consider when bottling pickles. 1. I always use the cucumbers that are pickling cucumbers. This keeps your cukes crisper. A pickling cucumber is stubby with ridges and prickly raised bumps. 2. A little secret spice called Alum keeps your pickles crispier.

Also, I know there are many recipes for pickles. I love this recipe because I first tasted them on a lake beach out of my sister's cooler and they were delicious. They are pretty strong and are a combo of dill and a kosher flavors combining both dill and mustard seed in the brine.

The recipe
To each pint add: (Double amount for quarts)
1/16 tsp alum
1/2 TB Mustard seed
1 clove garlic
1/2 head of fresh dill weed,

Hot liquid:
2 C Water
2 C Vinegar
2 TB pickling salt

Cucumbers. I can fit 4-6 pickles in each pint jar if they are medium sized. Usually I end up slicing my pickles to fit more into the jar. Pickling cukes are such fat little odd shaped things. Sometimes it is hard to get them into pints if you don't slice or spear the cukes.

Directions.

Wash and sanitize jars and lids. Keep jars warm until ready to use. I just keep them on the heated dry setting in my dishwasher. Heat lids according to manufacturers directions.

Wash and prepare pickles. Many state extension offices say you need to cut a small slice off the blossom end of the pickles. To tell you the the truth I don't always do this. But it is always better to be safe than sorry.

 Boil hot liquid ingredients:
Fill each pint with herbs and garlic. Stuff with pickles. Ladle hot liquid over pickles to within 1/2 inch of top. Top with lids and process in a boiling water canner. For 1000 feet elevation and under process 10 minutes for pints and 15 minutes for Quarts. For 1100-6000 ft. -- 15 minutes, pints and 20 minutes, quarts; for 6100 ft and over -- 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts.

Remove from canner and allow to cool on towel or place mat on the counter. Label and store.

Chard Pesto

This recipe is just one more reason to love Swiss chard. Pesto is an obsession with me. One of my favorite pestos for sandwiches is spinach pesto so it didn't take me long to wonder how a Swiss chard pesto would turn out. Of course it is yummy. I know that all you chard growers out there have copious amounts of chard. I know you are thinking how can I use up this overflowing bounty. Pesto my fellow chard growers, PESTO!
And pesto can be frozen in tablespoon portions in an ice cube tray and then placed in a freezer bag for use all year.

First I need to give chard its moment in the sun. If you do not grow this stuff you should. It has a longer growing season than spinach, and is slower to bolt. It can withstand the warm weather. It is bursting with nutrients and it is as versatile as spinach in recipes. In some cases, more so. It is not as tender as spinach but it holds up better to steaming and can be stuffed beautifully. OK enough already, you get the point I love chard. Just don't overdo it in you garden because it will overwhelm you.

This pesto has a lemony tang that I just love smeared onto a piece of heavy bread. Top it with tomatoes and you have the perfect summer sandwich.

Pesto Chard
2 Cups lightly packed chard, torn and ribs removed
1/4 cup toasted walnuts
2 tsp fresh lemon zest.
2 Tb fresh lemon juice or 1/2 lemon
1/4 to 1/3 Cup olive oil
1/8 to 1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/3 Cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese

Process chard, walnuts, lemon zest and lemon juice until paste starts to form. Gradually add oil and blend until creamy.

Stir in parmesan cheese and salt and pepper.

Freeze in ice cube trays for individual portions or store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Baked Butternut Squash

Never take on a weekly posting challenge when it is deadline week for your online magazine. Just a little note to say I almost missed the Daily Special Challenge because I am more than a little overwhelmed. That said I am sharing a basic and easy recipe for Baked Butternut Squash. I have had several people ask me how to make butternut squash and so I am sharing the simple technique for a roasted squash.

Let me just put a little plug in for this orange fleshed beauty. I love the stuff -- seriously. It is like a rich comforting buttery food without the butter or fat and all the goodness of a vegetable. I ate half of one for lunch today. I did sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on top but that was it and it was heaven.

Baked Butternut Squash
Preheat oven to 350 farenheit.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat to keep cleanup easy.
Slice butternut lengthwise in half. Using a spoon scoop out seeds.
Place squash cut side down on lined cookie sheet.
Place in the oven for 35 minutes.
Remove from oven and turn squash over continue to cook for 10 to 20 minutes or until tender.

Remove and scoop or cut squash flesh out. I seriousl just it straight out of the skin. I also refrigerate the leftovers for lunch later in the week

How easy is that. I made one for the next day while I was busy getting dinner for that night. See, I am a multi tasker and no matter what everyday hold I have to spend hours in the kitchen. Check out today's daily special. Kitchen Mats

Peas Please! Pea Salad and a Food Storage Giveaway

This post has so many different purposes. First I want to reveiw the Freeze dried peas I received from The Ready Store. Second, I want to give you a recipe for  a yummy pea salad and Finally, I want to give away some of the amazing bounty from The Ready Store. They gave me so much and I feel the need to share.

I love fresh peas. So much so, that I have issues with canned peas. In fact, I have issues with a lot of canned veggies. I stock up on frozen peas (they are a staple in so many recipes) but I like to have a backup plan for when the power goes out or other emergencies (like I forgot to buy peas on the last shopping trip). This is a pantry/food storage cooking blog after all. And in Southern Utah we have a lot of power outages. I don't know why. We just do. So, I try to keep a couple cans of canned peas in my food storage. But frankly, I just can't bring myself to eat them. Enter the big #10 can of Saratoga Farms freeze dried peas from The Ready Store. Hmmm. Could these be the answer to my pea woes? 

These are the peas straight out of the can. Just add some water to these and let soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Then drain. I prefer a longer soak time. These peas have a little crunchiness to them and a little extra soaking time helps get rid of the freeze dried tastse.

Wow, these look like real peas. And here is my review: They are sweet and flavorful but just a little chewy or crunchy sometimes. I may not eat them plain as a side dish but they are infinitely better than those mushy canned stuff and they are really tasty in the following creamy pea salad. I also think that they would work well in a soup or casserole.  The best part:: There are no additives or preservatives. One ingredient only. Peas

The info: Cost $19.95

Servings per container: 24

Shelf Life 30 years unopened (that is forever) or several weeks once opened.

Now give this tasty creamy pea salad a try with any peas (except canned)

I used the rehydrated freeze dried peas and it turned out pretty tasty.

Adapted from a recipe by Camille Schank

This recipe can easily be halved

20 oz of frozen peas, defrosted  or 3 cups fresh or rehydrated freeze dried peas

1/4 Cup green onions, chopped

8 slices of bacon, chopped

1/4 Cup mayo

1/4 cup Sour Cream or plain yogurt ( I used greek yogurt because that is what I had)

2 TB parsley or 2 Tsp parsley flakes

salt and pepper to taste

dillweed to taste

Mix mayo, yogurt or sour cream, parsley, salt and pepper and dillweed. Combine with remaining ingredients: peas, onions and bacon. Chill for at least 1/2 hour.

The Give-Away 

 The Ready Store sent me a full box of goodies and I want to share some of the goodies with my readers. I am keeping a few of the items including the wind up rechargeable flashlight/FM/Am radio/Siren/cell phone charger. What an awesome idea. This will be perfect for our 72 hour kits.

It is a double whammy prize: 

I already have lots of dried apple chips in my food storage. They are one of my family's favorite snacks. So, I am giving away a #10 can of freeze dried cinnamon apple chips from The Ready Store. I am also giving away one of their emergency kit portable canisters. I already have something similar in each of my cars and I think they are a handy space saving emergency kit that can be tossed in cars or a backpack for a day hike.

Each portable kit includes

1) 32 oz Water Bottle
Warmth & Shelter (4 Pieces):
(1) Emergency Blanket
(1) Emergency Poncho
(2) 8-Hour Handwarmers
Light & Communication (2 Pieces):
(1) 12-Hour Lightstick
(1) Mini LED Flashlight with Batteries
Emergency Tools (2 Pieces):
(1) 5-in-1 Survival Aid with Compass
(1) 12-Function Swiss Style Knife
First Aid (1 Piece):
(1) 12pc First-Aid Kit

Here is how you win. Please make a comment at the bottom of this post on what you want to stock up on in your pantry this month, whether it is Nutella or turkey gravy, I am interested to know what people want in their food storage. Please leave some way to email you either through a link to your contact info or with your email address, The contest starts April 12 and ends on April 19th. Due to shipping costs, I need to limit this contest to residents in the United States. The winner will be randomly chosen on April 19th.

Good Luck!.

Chunky Garden Salsa for Canning

Deep Breath! I opened my last jar of last year's salsa and the tomatoes have been ripening on the vine. It is time to can salsa. This is no one day project for me. I need lots of salsa. Because this is no short process and totally a labor of love, this post is going to be a little lengthy. And so I bring you my salsa recipe with a couple words of warning. Once you have had your own freshly canned salsa you will never ever go back to that store bought stuff again. You will not be able to stomach it. You will be forever enslaved over the stove every Fall as you stock up on your own salsa version. Here is mine. It is my own recipe and definitely has some secret ingredients that I promise to share with you. It has some heat but it is definitely not in the upper heat ranges. I would say it is medium. I recently updated my recipe to include the safe amounts of citric acid, a.k.a vinegar or lemon or lime juice, needed for canning salsa with veggies.

Secret #1: Use a variety of tomatoes. Some recipes call for all paste or romas. But where is the fun in that? Every tomato variety has a different flavor, texture and acidity. The more varieties you use the more complex your salsa flavor. I used 4th of July, beefsteak and Mr. Stripey tomatoes this year because that is what I had access to. I also always add one or two yellow tomatoes to my salsa. If you don't have the yellows in your garden visit your local farmer's market.

Secret #2 Tomatillos. I always and I mean always add six or seven tomatillos to each salsa batch. In the past I have grown tomatillos but this year I didn't. So, I bought some from a lady at the Farmer's Market who had three different varieties. Was I ever giddy. The tomatillos add a lemony zing to the salsa.

Secret #3 I substituted some of my vinegar with lime juice.

Salsa Directions Makes 9 to 10 pints
18 to 20 Cups of tomatoes,scalded peeled and cored (use a variety) .
6 or 7 tomatillos, chopped (pepery husk removed)
3 jalapenos, finely chopped (1 with seeds) you can devein and seed the other two if you want. Use caution when chopping peppers. Do not touch your face or use gloves.
2 green peppers, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 anaheim peppers (seeded) chopped
2 - 12 oz cans of tomato paste
4 medium yellow or white onions finely chopped
4 TB salt
1 Tb black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 Cup vinegar
1/2 Cup lime juice or lemon juice
3/4 TB cumin
3/4 Tb oregano
1/2 Tb chili powder
1 tsp brown sugar (optional)

Prepare tomatoes by placing in boiling water for 15 to 30 seconds.Remove from boiling water and plunge into ice water. Peel skins by breaking skin with a knife and sliding off. Remove blemishes and upper core. Chop over large stock pot. Add remaining ingredients.


Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add to warm canning jars. (I keep my clean jars in the dishwasher and run the rinse cycle again right before using.) Leave a 1/2 inch head space. Wipe jar rim with clean paper towel and add two piece lids. Process in a boiling water bath or steam canner for 20 minutes. Remove and let cool on a kitchen towel for 24 hours. Check for seal. Remove outer rings. Wipe any leaks or spills and store.

Tip: Wipe down your chopping area with milk when finished to neutralize any juices from those potent chilies.

Herbed Quick Pickles

I am addicted. Is it bad to be addicted to pickles? I am so in love with these quick sage and rosemary pickles. They are the perfect low fat snack. I got the recipe from Herb Companion magazine and because I did not change a single thing I am going to give you the recipe link. ROSEMARY AND SAGE QUICK PICKLES.

I love this recipe for immediate pickle joy with a hint of onion and herbs because it is immediate and refillable. I just keep refilling the jar with more cucumber slices from my garden. Kept in the refrigerator they make a cold refreshing afternoon snack or salad ingredient. If you are wondering what to do with all those cucumbers and herbs in your garden, give this recipe a try.

Ratatouille -- Heritage Cooking

Featured Food: Zucchini for Zucchini week

Ratatouille makes me smile from the beginning. I catch myself grinning as I chop eggplant and slice green peppers. I admit there is always a certain silent zen that I achieve when I am chopping veggies but the thought of making this dish my French grandmother used to make for me, brings me sheer joy. Perhaps you have a dish that brings you joy from the making all the way to the eating. Hopefully, this post will inspire you to go make your happy food. My first bite of a perfect ratatouille is the beautiful fusion of memory and present. I just wish my kids could experience the same ratatouille nirvana. Someday, I tell myself, they will totally get it. For now, they at least love the couscous I serve it on.

I know every foodie out there knows how to make ratatouille. But this is the recipe my French Grandma Mimi who grew up in Morocco taught my mother, her daughter-in-law, and I love it. My family version takes about half an hour to cook. Although it is all about the fresh veggies and there are few pantry items in sight, most of the ingredients can come straight from the garden and I believe a garden is a living pantry. I do so love summer when so fewer things come out of a box or a can. I did have to go buy the eggplant. But only because last year when I grew eggplant I was the only one in the family eating it. This year I decided to give more space to a more well loved veggie, cucumbers.

Grandma Mimi's Ratatouille (I halved my recipe because this really does make a lot)

1 Tb Olive Oil

1 eggplant cubed

2 medium zucchini cubed

2 medium onions sliced

1 green pepper sliced

1 to 2 med tomatoes cubed ( I actually used some of my canned tomatoes)

1- 8 oz can of tomato sauce

Dash of cumin (you really need the cumin but don't overdo it)

1 tsp of garlic powder or a little more to taste.

Dash of salt.

Prepare eggplant by peeling and chopping into cubes. Place a layer of eggplant in strainer and sprinkle with salt. Repeat layers and salt. Let sit over a bowl or in sink for 10 minutes. Drain. This process reduces the bitter flavor of eggplant.

Heat oil in frying pan over medium heat. Saute onion 2 to 3 minutes. Add green pepper; saute 2 to 3 minutes. Add zucchini and saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomato sauce, eggplant, and spices. Stir well and cook over medium low heat for about 15 minutes or until veggies are tender/crisp. Stir often but you can cover between stirring.

Serve over rice or couscous.

TIP: Ratatouille makes a great vegetarian meal and the leftovers make an even better low cal lunch the next day.