Ratatouille!!

Years ago, my mom & brother decided to be adventurous & discover eggplant with me. After watching Disney's Ratatouille, we took to the kitchen. My brother had the recipe on his PSP, though it was a little more complicated than this one. Rather than following a recipe this time, I decided to just do what I remembered, but also alter it slightly. Obviously some ratatouille's contain parmesan, but mine is better without it :)
(**last time we tried it with nutritional yeast & it was pretty fantastic).

While my mom feels no love for eggplant, at least she tried it :) I love it, & have enjoyed it many times since. Ratatouille often calls for about 1/2 cup of olive oil, but I used coconut oil for the frying, & didn't add extra. When heated, olive oil creates free radicals, which are carcinogenic. And rather than pouring in more oil to simmer (which is traditional), I just used more water. This is an easy, lowfat way to enjoy eggplant, zucchini & tomatoes. I <3 veggies :)

From my kitchen to yours <3

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, sliced
1 large yellow zucchini, sliced
1 large green zucchini, sliced
6 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 tbs coconut oil, for frying
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup water
basil & oregano, fresh or dried, to taste
sea salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:
1) In a large wok over medium heat, fry the garlic in coconut oil until golden brown. Add the eggplant & cook until lightly browned. Flip over & allow to lightly brown on the other side.
2) Add sliced zucchini on top of eggplant & then top with tomatoes. Pour water over top, & place cover over wok.
3) Allow to cook for 15-20 minutes, until veggies are soft.
4) When serving, top with basil, oregano, sea salt & pepper.
5) Get your happy on :)

peace, love, food <3
Char, xo