Mint Veggie Touiller by HLife Photography
In my latest CSA (Farm Fresh To You) box I received a whole bunch of zucchinis. Inspiration quickly took over me and I thought: Ratatouille. The thing about being me is that I don’t follow recipes and more then anything I love recreating and inventing new ones based on inspiring old recipes. I just go with the flow of my excitement for flavor, the variety that the plant kingdom has to offer, and I let my creativity run the rest of my culinary and nutritional experience. So, obviously ratatouille didn’t happen, BUT, even better (for me), Mint Veggie Touiller did. Enjoy.
Prep: Place a large stainless steel saute pan (one that has a lid) under high heat and add 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil. Once the oil melts, add in the onions, garlic, tempeh, rosemary and tamari. Saute for about a minute. Bring to medium high and add the potato and mint and blend in. Add more of the coconut oil as needed. Once the potato and onion mix is well blended, add the rest of the veggies and coconut oil. If you feel like adding a bit more coconut oil, go ahead. Add the sea salt, then mix and toss all ingredients well, put the lid on, and bring the heat down just a bit. Let it simmer for about ten minutes or so. Make sure that the coconut oil has coated all veggies well before putting the lid on. Check it in ten minutes, taste it and make sure the potato is thoroughly cooked (not “al dente”, well-cooked) in order to serve and eat. Sea salt to taste. Serve it with a bit of brown rice and a side of a limey and raw dark green salad. YUM!
Nutritional info: In the spirit of our July’s HFood Coconut, it was a conscious choice to use coconut oil for this dish. Please check out the Coconut article in our HFood section to find out all of its amazingly nourishing properties. Zucchini is high in fiber and carbohydrates. Due to zucchinis’ mucilage content, they have a mild diuretic action and stimulate the intestines. Carrots contain loads of vitamin A in beta-carotene form (skin health and immune protection) and also the essential mineral selenium, which is had to find in foods. Potatoes contain a hefty quantity of Vitamin C and B vitamins, and they are also 10% protein. They are high in potassium with average amounts of magnesium, manganese, iron, and zinc. The natural oils of onions are antiseptic. Both onions and garlic come from the allium family, which has been shown to reduce total cholesterol and LDL (bad cholesterol) levels while at the same time raising HDL (good cholesterol) levels and reducing the risk of prostate and colon cancer. They have also been shown to lower high blood pressure. Garlic seems to have a positive effect in balancing blood sugar. Tempeh (fermented soy beans) and peas are extremely high in protein. They are low in calories and fat, a good complex carbohydrate, great source of fiber. Mixing these two high protein legumes with brown rice or millet in a 1:3 (bean to grain) ratio would aid in lowering gas and making it a complete protein. Soy is fairly high in iron, calcium, potassium, and phosphorous. Peas are the highest in Vitamin C out of all the legumes and they also contain a great supply of minerals, including iron, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Mint has the ability to soothe the digestive tract and reduce stomach aches. It has also been known as an anticancer food and is thought to have anti-fungal properties.
this sounds great…..will try it Thursday night. Thanks hlife