Speedy Easy Ratatouille

One of the biggest contributing factors to unhealthy eating? The convenience factor. To eat well, it seems, one must have at least two of the following: money, time, and skill. So today we have a health dish that’s cheap, quick, and easy!

(You won’t need a rat in a hat to help you with this one)

You will need

• 3 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 2 zucchini, halved and chopped into thick batons
• 2 portobello mushrooms, sliced into ½” slices
• 1 large red pepper, cut into thick chunks
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 2 tsp garlic paste
• 2 tsp thyme leaves, destalked
• 1 tsp rosemary leaves, destalked
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• 1 tsp black pepper
• Optional: 1 tsp MSG, or 1 tsp low sodium salt (the MSG is the healthier option as it contains less sodium than even low sodium salt)
• Optional: other vegetables, chopped. Use what’s in your fridge! This is a great way to use up leftovers. Particularly good options include chopped eggplant, chopped red onion, and/or chopped carrot.

Method

(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

1) Put the olive oil into a sauté pan and set the heat on medium. When hot but smoking, add the mushrooms and any optional vegetables (but not the others from the list yet), and fry for 5 minutes.

Note: if you aren’t pressed for time, then you can diverge from the “speedy” part of this by cooking each of the vegetables separately before combining, which allows each to keep its flavor more distinct.

2) Add the garlic, followed by the zucchini, red pepper, chili flakes, and thyme; stir periodically (you shouldn’t have to stir constantly) for 10 minutes.

3) Add the tomatoes and a cup of water to the pan, along with any MSG/salt. Cover with the lid and allow to simmer for a further 10 minutes.

4) Serve, adding the garnish.

Enjoy!

Want to learn more?

For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

• Level-Up Your Fiber Intake! (Without Difficulty Or Discomfort)
• The Magic Of Mushrooms: “The Longevity Vitamin” (That’s Not A Vitamin)
• Our Top 5 Spices: How Much Is Enough For Benefits? ← we had 3/5 today!
• Monosodium Glutamate: Sinless Flavor-Enhancer Or Terrible Health Risk?
• MSG vs Salt: Sodium Comparison

Take care!