Ratatouille

I am currently following the Eat to Live way of life and this is a go to meal for me.  It makes about 6 servings and is very versatile. I will talk more about its versatility later. Enjoy!

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Tools: Large pot with lid, wooden spoon, cutting board, good knife

Added peas and lentils to my individual serving

Ingredients:
1 small eggplant
2 yellow squash
2 zucchinis
1 red, yellow or green pepper
2- 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes 
1 yellow onion
1 garlic clove
1 Tbsp oil of your choosing*
1 tsp thyme
black pepper to taste

Directions: Cut eggplant, squash, zucchinis, pepper and onion into 1/2 inch or 1 inch squares (depending on your preference). Mince the garlic. In large pot add a Tbsp of oil and set stove to medium high. Add your onions and garlic into the pot and let cook for 4 minutes. Stir regularly so they do not burn. No you can add your peppers. Let the peppers cook for about 3 minutes. Now stir in the thyme, black pepper and only one can of diced tomatoes. Stir together until blended. Now add your eggplant, squash and zucchini. Stir everything until blended (I usually use the folding method here, as to not make a mess and have vegetables flying out of the pot). Once everything is blended then blend in your second can of diced tomatoes. Turn stove top down to medium. Add a lid to your pot and let cook for about 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through. Stir occasionally.

*I usually use olive oil but on occasion I will use coconut oil if I want a sweeter effect.

Now about its versatility...

If you follow Eat to Live, like me, you can add 1/2 cup of beans and a tbsp of flax to this meal. I prefer lentils or garbanzo beans. Mostly I use lentils though. I love their flavor!
(I always cook my beans separate. That way I can make sure I am getting the 1/2 cup needed in each serving.)

      If your cooking your lentils separate and want a heartier option, you can cook the lentils
      with a chopped up sweet potato or russet potato and mix that into your ratatouille (if you
      do this, add an additional 1/2 cup water to the lentils when cooking)

You can serve this on a cooked bed of broccoli so that you get more green vegetables into your diet.

After you have cooked the Ratatouille you can turn your serving into a soup by simply adding water. I add peas and broccoli to my Ratatouille when I do this. It makes for a really good soup.

You can add leftover ratatouille into a wrap with hummus and lettuce.

My husband eats his with fried eggs and hot sauce - not so vegan- but he likes it and it saves me from having to cook separate meals.