A Summer Sizzler To Enjoy Now Or Later

Well so far the Summer hasn’t really been sizzling hot but we are enjoying a glut of seasonal produce in the markets that are all the better for sizzling in a pan. My local Farmer’s Market has bargains galore at the moment on courgettes/zucchini, peppers/capsicums, tomatoes and onions. My own vegetable garden also promises a good harvest in a couple of weeks time of the same plus handfuls of fresh herbs.

 

It’s the perfect time therefore to make one of the summer’s most tasty vegetable dishes…ratatouille. I make pots of this when the ingredients are cheap, plentiful and at their nutritious best and we feast on it when freshly-cooked but I also freeze away a good quantity for the darker days of winter.

 

It’s a fabulous dish to serve as is with wholegrain rice or couscous if you can tolerate it (remember to chew, chew, chew) but also amazing with grilled meats, fish and poultry keeping it moist and especially flavoursome. I also like to serve it with scrambled eggs or as a soft omelette filling.

 

STIR-FRY RATATOUILLE

Ingredients

Metric/US

Frylight low-fat extra virgin olive oil spray

1 large red onion, cut into chunks

3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 large red, yellow and green pepper/capsicum, deseeded and cut into chunks

3 medium courgettes/zucchini, cut into chunks

5 large vine-ripened tomatoes, diced

150 ml/2/3 cup vegetable stock/vegetable bouillon

1 tbsp tomato puree/tomato paste

1 tbsp chopped fresh basil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Method

1.  Warm a large, non-stick saute pan, spray about 12 times with the Frylight, then add the onion, increase the heat to medium-high and stir-fry for 5 minutes.

2.  Add the garlic, peppers/capsicums and courgettes/zucchini, spray 5 times with the Frylight and cook for 5 minutes, stirring well until beginning to colour.

3.  Add the tomatoes, stock/bouillon and tomato puree/tomato paste and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring from time to time until the tomatoes have become pulpy and the sauce has reduced a little.

4.  Stir in the basil and season to taste if needed.

 

SERVES 4

WLS PORTION: 1/2

V  suitable for Vegetarians

*  suitable for Freezing

 

CALORIES PER PORTION: 95

PROTEIN:  4.5g

CARBOHYDRATE:  16g

FAT:  1.5g

Image courtesy of Frylight