Whew, this week has been a doozie! I can’t pinpoint one thing that’s made it feel cray cray. I think it’s just the fact that I’m finally catching up on everything in life that was pushed to the back burner while I was in Mexico a couple weeks ago. My email inbox is now in the double digits rather than the triples, most of my laundry is done and you can finally see about 80% of the table cloth on the dining room table rather than 10%. Making strides! But please riddle me this — why does the dining room table seem to collect everything? It drives me nuts.
The other thing that’s made this week different? The first day of my 28 Day Transformation started on Monday! I’ve been working on putting this clean eating program together for months so I’m pretty darn excited, but also a little stressed! I just want to make sure everything goes perfectly, ya know? Anyhow, I’m going to be sharing more about the 28 Day Transformation soon. The August session goes from August 4 – 31, but I’ll probably do another session before the end of the year.
Okay, on to today’s recipe which was inspired by all the fresh veggies that we have scattered across our kitchen counter right now. We have limited counter space and the veggies are taking up a good portion of it but I’m not complaining because 1) our zucchini, eggplant, jalapeño, and basil plants are thriving and 2) the fresh tomatoes and squash from Isaac’s parents’ garden taste amazing. I’m in summer veggie heaven!
Zucchini, squash, eggplant, green beans and tomatoes have been making up at least 75% of my diet — again, I’m not complaining.
This dish is all about highlighting summer’s bounty. It is August after all and soon all these veggies will be gone so now’s the time to overdose.
As an added bonus, this is a great weeknight meal because you can throw it together in less than 30 minutes. Plus you only have one pan to wash. Woot woot!
I almost made this a regular ratatouille but then I started to get creative and added some things — a jalapeño, curry powder, black beans, a few raisins, a little apple cider vinegar.. it may sound like a strange combo, but trust me — it works. I’ve made this same dish for dinner two times and it’s really quite tasty — I love the flavor of the curry powder and the sweetness that the raisins add.
I should probably also note that the leftovers of this ratatouille, cold (straight from the fridge) are quite amazing for lunch on a hot summer day. Oh man, I’d make this just for the leftovers.
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PinIngredients
- 1/2 Tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 cups Japanese eggplant, sliced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
- 2 cups yellow squash, halved and sliced
- 1 1/2 cups zucchini, halved and sliced
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped
- 2 heaping Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1-2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- ground pepper, to taste
- cooked quinoa for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a large sauté pan/skillet over medium heat and add the coconut oil. Once melted, add the onions and garlic to the pan. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are translucent and lightly caramelized, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the eggplant and thyme to the pan and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is partially cooked, about 5 minutes.
- Add the jalapeño pepper, zucchini, and squash and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, basil, apple cider vinegar, curry powder, black beans, raisins salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 more minutes. Stir well to blend and serve either hot or at room temperature. We served ours warm over cooked quinoa.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe (without quinoa)
- Calories: 253
- Sugar: 13g
- Fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 47g
- Fiber: 14g
- Protein: 14g
PS – I’m thinking of ordering myself one of these shirts. What do you guys think? People may look at me a little funny but I think it’s cute.
I think the 30 day clean eating plan is a fabulous idea. However, I know you don’t choose the advertisements that run on the sidebars, but it’s ironic that the ad today accompanying the clean eating post is for Fruit Loops. What could be less clean!
Gah! Yeah, Fruit Loops are definitely not part of the clean eating plan. Unfortunately I don’t get to choose which ads display but if there’s something that I really disagree with I am able to request that it’s taken off my site so at least there’s that option.
thanks for sharing this information with us 🙂
Brittany, do you think this recipe would freeze well? I’m in freezer meal making mode in prep for the baby!
Emma
Hey Emma. I haven’t tried freezing it but I don’t see why it wouldn’t freeze well!
Love this idea! I make ratatouille a lot during the summer months and this is a great spin on it. Def will have to try!
How about slicing into portions, freezing them covered but not permanently, then using something like a Food Saver and sealing them so they don’t get freezer frost? Wonder if you could take them out and heat them in boiling water on top of the stove? However you heat it, I’m sure it will be fast and yummy! We do this a lot since there are only 2 of us!