Vegetable Delight!

Let's Cook and Drink and Be Merry!

There are few people in this world who inherently love vegetables. Of course, there are the few annoying exceptions, ie: the health nuts who boast their arrogance upon friends and family, alike. But when prepared and cooked with TLC and a good recipe...vegetables can be delicious, flavorful, and satisfying. I tried out a new recipe tonight and thought I'd title it "The Damn Good Vegetable Casserole"...I paired this with falafel and a long-standing fav: tomato and onion balsamic vinegar salad. This recipe is entirely VEGAN, and ENTIRELY HEALTHY. Often, vegetarians stock up on carbohydrates and can feel tired and actually gain weight. This is a great way to keep the carbs low, and the nutrients high! Bon appetit!

Ingredients:

**Preheat oven to 350**

• About 12 Fingerling potatoes
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, your choice of color, chopped
• 1 eggplant, peeled and sliced
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Olive Oil
• Fresh basil
• Fresh garlic
• Oregano
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Slice fingerling potatoes into strips about 1/2" wide and 1" long

Eggplant. Such a delightful veggie.

Peeled. Slice it next into strips similar to the potatoes.

Slice up 2 bell peppers into little squares, about 1"x1"

Slice 1/2 a red onion

Oil a pan, and place all veggies inside. 

And in a separate bowl...

Mix a 1:1 ratio of olive oil with balsamic vinegar. It doesn't have to be exact, but about 2 tablespoons of each.

Chop up about 1 tablespoon of basil

Chop up 1 green onion

Mince 4 cloves of garlic. I do this by thinly slicing 1 clove at a time and then crushing with the back of my knife.

Add about 1 tablespoon of oregano

Whisk together until completely blended. 

Drizzle on top of veggies.

Pop in preheated oven at 350, for 20 minutes. Stir vegetables halfway through.

YUM!

*****************************

Falafel

You can get this organic Falafel Mix at the "Nature's Market" in Kroger or any health food store.

Add 1 1/4 cup of water to mix and stir. Let sit for 15 minutes to absorb all of the water.

Roll into little balls, about 1" big. THINK: healthy hushpuppies!

Fill a wok with about 1/2" of canola or vegetable oil. Submerge the little dudes and mix them around in there for about 3-5 minutes. In other words, fire up the fryer and don't feel bad about it! No breadcrumbs or carbs in these guys. Falafel is made of GROUND CHICKPEAS AND VEGGIE SEASONING. All protein!

**************************

Tomato-Onion Balsamic Vinegar Salad

This is an Italian recipe passed down from my mom. You can mix it up and vary it however you want; the flavor is what makes it so great! It's BEST with fresh French or sourdough bread. I didn't have any, so I made whole grain toast. If you plan this out, GET THE GOOD BREAD as it is SO worth it when you dunk and moan over the unbelievable deliciousness.

Ingredients:
1:1 balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, sliced
2 fresh tomatoes

This is much tastier when you add ITALIAN PARSLEY. My mom would kill me (she WILL kill me, I should say, when she reads this...) knowing I don't have any fresh parsley in my house. Sorry mommy!!! ALSO, you can make a lot more of this at once but I live alone, so this is a good proportion for a serving-for-one (with leftovers). It is best the next day, because the onion will soak up the flavor overnight, but it is still really good the day of!

Umm, basically mix it all together really well. Dunk bread in there and enjoy.

**********************

The Finished Product:

Enjoy! Feel good about eating this! Delicious and Nutritious!