Happy Tuesday everyone! Today is an extra special post about a couple extraordinary bloggers and a very important cause.
Today we are joining together to help raise awareness for Heart Disease. Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic lost her Mom to heart disease when her mother was 47, and Kim was 15. Each year on the day her Mom passed she shares stories and photos of her Mom. This year she joined forces with Jen of Juanita’s Cocina, whose life was also touched by heart disease when her Stepfather had a heart attack. Jen’s Stepfather is alive and well more than a decade later, and for that, Jen is thankful every day. The ladies got in touch with other bloggers to ask them to share their own stories about how heart disease has touched their lives. So today we share stories and recipes from our hearts to yours, in memory and honour of Momzie, Kim’s Mom. We hope you will share your stories with us today as well.
I have been fortunate to not have been directly touched by heart disease in my life, but I know that the statistics are against me. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women – that’s why its so important to raise awareness and talk about ways we can all fight back, one healthy meal, morning workout, or meditation session at a time. It’s stories like Jen and Kim that humanize heart disease and remind us all to take extra care of ourselves and others.
I did a post earlier last week with my Maple Glazed Salmon recipe (SO yummy!) with a whole shlew of heart healthy tips from Ashley, RD. So check out the link here for a refresher on one of my fave fish recipes and some new moves for your health routine!
At the bottom of this post you’ll also find a gigantic list of the other fabulous bloggers participating in Kim and Jen’s Heart Health event and their yummy Heart Healthy recipe.
My contribution is one of my favorite vegetarian meals - Sauteed Ratatouille with Quinoa. It’s definitely a little bit more labor intensive than my usual recipes – give yourself at least 2 hours, start to finish, but I promise it is absolutely worth it. The vegetables are perfectly caramelized with a delicious blend of fresh herbs and juices. Served with quinoa this is a complete meal packed with nutrient dense veggies, heart healthy olive oil, and protein filled quinoa. It’s enough to serve about 6 people – so for a family of four or just a couple roommates this will last you a few days!
This is one of those dishes I so desperately wish I could package up and FedEx to you all! If you’ve got a free Sunday afternoon or a day off of work you need to try this ratatouille. Its the absolute yummiest way to devour a plate of veggies – hearty, filling, and so so yummy!!
Sauteed Ratatouille with Quinoa
This recipe is packed with fresh herbs – I would not recommend substituting dried for fresh here, in a pinch you definitely can, but the fresh herbs really truly make the dish!
Yields about 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. eggplant (1 medium globe), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks (about 3-1/2 cups)
- Kosher salt
- 5 1/2 teaspoons
- 8 oz. onion (1 medium), thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
- 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
- 1 lb. red bell peppers (2 medium), peeled (as much as possible with a vegetable peeler; serrated works best), cored and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
- 2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 lb. zucchini (3 or 4 small), halved lengthwise and cut into 1/8-inch-thick half-moons (about 3 cups)
- 1/4 cup chopped garlic (6 to 8 large cloves)
- 1 lb. tomatoes (2 medium), cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 3 cups)
- 1 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
- Few drops hot sauce
- 2 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh basil
- 2 Tbs. roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 cups uncooked quinoa
Preparation:
For the Ratatouille
- Toss the eggplant with 1 tsp. kosher salt in a colander and let sit in the sink or over a bowl while you prepare the other vegetables.
- Sauté the vegetables one at a time: In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, the thyme, and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and deep golden brown, 15 to 20 min. Scrape into a clean colander or large strainer that’s set over a bowl to catch the juices.
- In the same skillet, heat another 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften and get browned around the edges, about 5 min. Add the rosemary, lower the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they’re extremely soft and sweet, another 10 to 15 min. Gently fold into the onions in the colander.
- Heat another 1 teaspoon oil over high heat, and as soon as you see the first hint of smoke, add the zucchini and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt. Shake and stir to distribute the zucchini slices evenly in the pan so they all get browned. Cook over high heat until tender and nicely browned on both sides, 5 to 7 min. Add to the colander and gently fold with the onions and peppers.
- Finish with the eggplant and tomatoes: Dump the eggplant onto some paper towels, and pat to blot up surface water. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil in the skillet over high heat, add the eggplant (no additional salt), and shake and stir to distribute the cubes evenly in the pan so they all get browned. Cook over high heat until lightly browned on several surfaces, about 5 min, and then lower the heat to medium. Cook until the eggplant is very tender–not at all al dente–another 13 to 15 min. Fold into the other vegetables.
- Add the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil to the pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and let sizzle for about 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and all their juices and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt. Cook until the tomatoes collapse slightly and the juices thicken and darken a bit, 3 to 5 min. As you’re cooking, scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze all the cooked-on vegetable juices. Add to the colander, scraping out all the juice from the skillet, and fold everything together.
- Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and hot sauce to the juices caught under the colander. Combine juice mixture , vegetable mixture, basil, and parsley in a large bowl. Now make the quinoa:
For the Quinoa
- Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 15 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, and let sit 5 minutes. Serve with finished ratatouille.
Nutrition Information (per serving, ratatouille + quinoa); Calories: 273, Fat: 10 grams
Nutrition Information (per serving of just ratatouille); Calories: 113, Fat: 5 grams
Spicy Oven Fries by Cravings of a Lunatic
Healthy Snacking with Radish Dip by Juanita’s Cocina
Arugula, Walnut Pesto by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
Farro, Apple & Pecan Salad by It’s Yummilicious
Chicken-Quinoa Burgers with an Avocado Yogurt Sauce by The Spiffy Cookie
Pasta House Wilted Salad by Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker
Gooey Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars by The Cooking Actress
Dark Chocolate Covered Walnuts by All Day I Dream About Food
Mini Pear Walnut Crisps with Blood Orange Caramel Sauce by Chocolate Moosey
Kung Pao Chicken Tacos by The Dutch Baker’s Daughter
Honey Soy Glazed Salmon by Curry and Comfort
Apple Walnut Spinach Salad by Magnolia Days
Broiled Salmon Gyros with Cucumber Feta Yogurt Dip by Damn Delicious
Maple Mustard Glazed Salmon by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Make-Ahead Chocolate Oatmeal by Crumb
Hoisin Flounder by Taking on Magazines
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
Cheesy Quinoa and Asparagus Bake by Hungry Couple
Ahi Tuna Salad by Noshing with the Nolands
Canapes of Apricot, Goat Cheese, Almonds and Rosemary by Cook the Story
Thai Chicken Soup by From Cupcakes to Caviar
Italian Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf by Rachel Cooks
Black Bean Quesadillas by Pastry Chef Online
Sautéed Rataouille with Quinoa by Whipped
Polenta Rounds with Apples and Cheddar by Diethood
Perhaps if youuu made me veggies I’d eat em :P
I’ve been checking out a few of these posts and I have to say bravo to all of you for raising awareness about a cause that is dangerously prevalent in the US today. Very thankfully I have not personally been affected either, but my heart goes out to all who have – and this quinoa with ratatouille looks like a great meal regardless, so the fact that it’s heart healthy is a major plus :D Great post Kristina.
Thanks for such a thoughtful comment Jess, it really is so important, and this ratatouille is one of my favorites!! I’m obsessed with it. Like I already want to make it this weekend again… ha
Kristina,
This looks awesome – and totally up my alley for a weeknight meal. Now, I just need to get fresh herbs!
This looks like it is worth 4 hours work in the kitchen! YUM!
Thank you so much for joining us today!
Oh my word that looks soooooo good! I love Ratatouille. So delicious!
Okay this is totally being made by me. I love this dish. It’s beautiful.
Thanks so much for joining us today Kristina. I could not think of a blog that fits better with our pov than yours. You always post such amazing and healthy dishes that are gorgeous to boot. Keep on inspiring us lady! xx
Thanks Kim! You and Jen did such a fabulous job organizing the event, you definitely touched people.
Oh, I adore ratatouille…but seem to only make it in the summer! Now I’m craving a big dish…and served with quinoa sounds marvelous!!!
Thanks Liz! This is one of my vegetarian favorites :) I bet it’ll be 10x better too in the summer when all the produce is fresh!
Love that you added quinoa to the veggies, looks amazing! What a great healthy, and colorful sidedish.
So healthy and so nutrituous!!! thanks for sharing!!
Sowmya
Ongoing Event – What is with my Cuppa
Ongoing Event – HITS – Diabetic Friendly
Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!! I know I would love it!!
Good for you that you have not been touched with heart disease. It’s something so many people have to deal with.
Yum this looks really good and worth all the cooking time.
This is such a lovely recipe, Kristina. I love veggies, so this would be the perfect meal.
What a wonderful recipe in support of a really important cause. Kim and Juanita are both gems.
This is the second ratatouille recipe that I’ve seen this week and now I am completely convinced that I need to take the time to make it ASAP.
Ooo you need too! I made it a second time this week – I got hungry posting the pics :) It makes a pretty decent sized batch so you’ll have leftovers, more motivation to spend the extra time!
My Dad died when he was 47 and I was 19… mysterious circumstances, but most likely heart-related. It was devastating, truly. That’s why it’s so important to know about heart health. Thank you so much for this!
I’m so sorry to hear about your Dad Ashley, sending lots of love. And definitely – so important to keep ourselves educated about heart disease, awareness is out best line of defense
I love ratatouille so much. It is so simple but is so worth the cooking time. I love it with a lgiht sprinkle of goat cheese on top, yum! This looks perfect and so healthy!
Ooo yum! Goat cheese would be so good :) And agreed, definitely worth the cook time, I aways save it for a weekend!