Ratatouille from the Grill

With summer right around the corner, I wanted to share with you one of my FAVORITE dishes! Ratatouille from the Grill. Darren and I probably make this once a week, it’s so good! You can change up the vegetables too. We’ve added asparagus to it and it’s so Delicious!! This dish is also perfect if you have company coming over because it’s served at room temperature, so you can get all the grilling done ahead of time! This recipe is from William Sonoma, Complete grilling book.

Ratatouille from the Grill
1 large eggplant
Salt for sprinkling, plus 1 tsp. salt
1 large yellow onion
2 zucchini or yellow crookneck squashes
2 red or green bell peppers
8-10 large fresh mushrooms
¾ extra virgin olive oil
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
3 tablespoons whit wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic minced
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
½ cup chopped frosh basil

Prepare Grill
~Trim the eggplant & then cut crosswise into slices about ½ inch thick. Place in a colander & salt liberally to draw out the moisture. Let stand for 30 minutes.
~Rinse the eggplant slices and pat them dry with paper towels. Set aside.
~Prepare the remaining vegetables as follows: Cut the onion into slices ½ inch thick. Half the squashes lengthwise. Cut the bell peppers into rings 1 inch thick, removing the seeds and ribs. Trim the stem ends of the mushrooms.
~Arrange the vegetable on the grill, turning two or three times and brushing them with ½ cup od the olive oil, until tender crisp when pierced, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the grill and let cool. Cut into bite size pieces.
~Meanwhile, in a large serving bowl, stir or whisk together the remaining ¼ cup olive oil, the tomato, vinegar, garlic, the 1 teaspoon salt, the pepper, and the basil. Add the vegetables to the tomato mixture and toss gently to combine. Serve at room temperature.
SERVES 6

I serve this along with brown rice. It is the perfect summer dish, so light and healthy!

Enjoy!!!

Snack Attack

Portion Control!

So often, we hear health advisors telling us to watch our portions. But, how do we do that? It is critical to understand what an appropriate portion size of food is to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle. So here is a simple way to remember your portion sizes, by using your hand as a guideline:

Palm=Proteins
-Protein portions should be the size of your palm. Protein can be found in animal products, like fish, meats, and cottage cheese. Some veggies with protein include beans, tofu, and wheat glutens.

Thumb=Fats
-Fats are important, but also very dense, so match portions to the size of your thumb. Good fat sources are avocados, olive oil, nuts, and seeds.

Fist=Fruits, Grains, etc.
-Your bread, fruit, cereal, rice, and grain portions should be about the same size of your closed fist. (Whole grains are always the best choice).

Hand=Veggies
-Open your hand and spread your fingers as wide as you can. That is a good vegetable portion. Raw vegetables are loaded with fiber and nutrients, and contain very few calories.

Shamrock Shakeology Beats Shamrock Shake from Mcdonalds!