Category: zucchini

dinner, eggplant, recipe, vegan, vegetarian, zucchini

Ratatouille 2

CleanEatingMama

Brrrrr!

It has been cold this winter! My bones are cold, my feet are cold, my hands are cold… but my stomach is nice and toasty! Why? Because I have heaps and heaps of hot Ratatouille in my belly!!!

rat 3

Big chunks of veggies, tomato broth and an amazing array of herbs makes this dish one of those meals that is great for lunch or dinner, alone of with a crowd. Want to come over and have some?

Rat 2

~ Ratatouille ~
Makes roughly 3 quarts
Adapted from this recipe

Ingredients

1 large can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes
4-6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large eggplant (1 pound), cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large yellow onions, diced large
6 fresh garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
2 bell peppers (any color – I used red), seeded and diced large
2 large zucchini (1 pound total), diced large
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon oregano leaves
1 tablespoon basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup water

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the entire can of tomatoes on a baking sheet. Take a knife and chop them into 1/2 inch pieces. Drizzle with olive oil (approx 2-3 tablespoons), salt, pepper and died basil flakes. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.

  • In a large bowl, toss eggplant with a good pinch of salt. In a large heavy pot, heat about 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, a pinch of salt and pepper and let cook for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until onions and garlic are soft, about 5 minutes. Add peppers and cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes minutes. Season with salt and pepper and herbs.

  • The add tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, bay leaf and water to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook partially covered until veggies are soft. Approx 20 minutes. Taste to see if you need to add any more seasonings. Serve with warm crusty bread and a salad.

    • Rat 1

    XxOo Tasha

    pasta, raw, recipe, vegan, zucchini

    Raw Zucchini Pasta with Vegetable Ragu

    CleanEatingMama

    rawpasta1

    If you are looking for a new way to incorporate more veggies into your diet, try raw zucchini noodles. I use my spiralizer but you could easily cut small strips with a knife or use shreds from a grater. They don’t have much of a taste so it is a perfect vehicle for any kind of topping.

    I created this hearty ragu which contains mushrooms, fresh herbs, red bell peppers and red wine. This meal is half raw and 100% vegan. I hope you try it for dinner soon!

    • 1 zucchini, washed and ends trimmed
    • half of a large yellow onion, chopped
    • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
    • 6-8 crimini mushrooms sliced, or 2 cups sliced mushrooms
    • 1 half red bell pepper, chopped
    • 6-8 kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • handfuls of fresh parsley and basil, chopped
    • salt/pepper to taste
    • 1/2 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
    • 1/2 cup red wine

    Heat a large sauce pan with oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, pepper and a pinch of salt. Let it cook down for 5 minutes, or until onion is somewhat transparent and soft. Add mushrooms, olives and herbs. (I used 4-5 sprigs of Italian parsley and 10 fresh basil leaves, all chopped up). Let cook down for 5 or so minutes.

    Now add your wine. Crank up the heat to medium-high and let it cook out. Reduce heat to medium-low and add your half of jar of sauce and simmer. If it’s to thick for you you can always add a little bit of water. Add salt and pepper to taste.

    To prepare the noodles, take your zucchini and spiralize/shred/grate the entire thing. No need to warm up or heat.

    rawpastacollage 

    Pour sauce over the noodles and serve. Makes 2-3 servings.

    rawpasta3

     

    tasha

    carrots, recipe, vegan, vegetarian, zucchini

    Zucchini & Carrot Pancakes

    CleanEatingMama

    zucchini pancake5

     

    I recently discovered this little blog called Seattle Seedling. Stacy, who is an urban farmer, writes about her life as a Seattlite but living a life not common in the city. Her little city home is complete with gardens, chickens, positive energy and good karma. She eats from the Earth and understands how to live off the grid as much as possible. She also has a compassionate soul. She has started a separate garden where all of the produce grown is donated to local food banks. How amazing is that?! I encourage you all to take a few minutes to visit her darling blog… urban farm living is doable and easier than you may think!

    I saw her recipe of zucchini pancakes and I knew I had to make them for myself. They are crisp, light and full of hearty flavor and texture. I used her basic recipe but added a few more ingredients. Why can I never keep a recipe simple? These vegetable cakes reminded me of latkes, which I love. Enjoy!

     

      zucchini pancakes3

     

    • 2 large organic carrots, grated
    • 1 medium zucchini (about 8 inches long), grated
    • 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
    • 2 large cloves of garlic, diced
    • handful of basil leaves, chopped or torn into thin ribbons
    • 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (or olive oil)
    • 1/3 + extra white, unbleached flour (feel free to use gluten free flour or whole wheat flour)
    • 1 tablespoon dried dill
    • salt and pepper to taste

     

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    Grate carrot and zucchini in a large bowl. Take a clean towel and place mixture on the towel and wring extra moisture out. Place back in the bowel.
    Add the remaining ingredients, MINUS the coconut oil, and only 1/3 cup flour. Mix with your hands until you can make a ball and it will not fall apart. You may have to add more flour to achieve the desired consistency. On a separate plate, sprinkle some flour with some salt and pepper – this is for dredging the mixture.

    In a large skillet, add coconut oil and heat on medium heat. Let warm up for a minute. Take the mixture and divide it into fourths. Take one serving of the mixture, roll it into a ball and roll into the flour mixture on the plate. Carefully place into the skillet, flattening until your desired size and thickness. Do this for all 4 servings. Let cook for 8-10 minutes on each side. You may have to add more oil when you flip. Make sure they do not burn.

    Simple and delicious!

    I was searching for a good condiment to dip in. Although, these are so full of flavor that they really do not need anything. But alas, I was still searching. I tried ketchup (no go), hot sauce (pretty good), hummus (getting better!) but nothing was cutting it. Until I remember Stacy mentioning that she sometimes heated them up for breakfast and topped them with maple syrup.

    Bingo.

    The sweet and savory combination was so amazing! Because the coconut oil definitely added to the sweetness, I am not sure it would have the same flavor profile if you used olive oil, but I would still give it a try. Maple syrup is pretty amazing on anything.

    maple syrup

     

    tashasig