Ingredients:

3 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 t dried basil
1/8 t ground black pepper
1/4 t turmeric
2 twists of kosher salt
1 medium globe eggplant, cubed
1 zucchini, sliced
1/2 sweet onion, sliced
2 banana peppers, deseeded, deveined, and cut into 1inch strips
1 bell pepper, deseeded, deveined, and cut into 1 inch strips
8 oz small cremini mushrooms, rinsed, dried, and thickly sliced
2 large tomatoes, chopped, about 1 1/2 cups
2 T parsley, roughly chopped
1 t lemon juice

Spoon Mage™ Note:

You may either skin the eggplant, or leave the skin on. Some people find the skin bitter, but it does hold a great lot of vitamins! If you are sensitive to the flavor, try using a couple Japanese eggplants instead of globe eggplant. The skin is much thinner and lighter in flavor.

Use any peppers you have – even jalapenos! Measured, the peppers should equal about 2 cups.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450° F. Lightly spray a 15x10x1 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, stir together oil, garlic, basil, black pepper, turmeric, and salt.

Place sliced eggplant, zucchini, onions, peppers, and mushrooms in a large bowl.

Drizzle the seasoned oil over vegetables and toss well to coat. The eggplants will try to take on all the oil. Toss for a good minute or two until you can see that the oil is covering the other veggies as well.

Pour the veggies into the prepared pan.

Roast, uncovered, for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned.

Combine the tomatoes, parsley, and lemon juice.

After the vegetables are browned, spread the tomatoes over the top.

Return the pan to the oven and roast, uncovered, for another 10-15 minutes more or until tomatoes are very soft and start to exude their juices.

Ratatouille is a deliciously healthy side dish for just about any meal. We particularly love it with lamb and couscous.