Day Two Hundred Eighty-Three

Am I the only one who exists by eating garbage all through the month of December and then just wants to eat vegetables in January? No? Why do we do that?

I mean, why must I eat so much junk that I actually get sick of junk? That seems unwise.

(Don't answer why. I actually do know the answer. I just don't know why I did it this year.)

In preparation for Vegetable-palooza in January, I started digging up my favorite recipes. First up, ratatouille.

Ratatouille

1 medium white onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red pepper, diced
1 medium eggplant, cubed
1 small yellow squash, cubed
1 zucchini, cubed
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup olive oil (approximate)
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil in a large pot. Add the onion and garlic. Cook until soft.

2. In a large skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Sauté the pepper until soft. Add to the large pot that's holding the onion and garlic.

3. Add another 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil to your large skillet. This time sauté the eggplant until it's soft. Move it to the large pot when it's done.

4. Next, it's time to sauté the zucchini and yellow squash until softened. Same thing as before--throw some oil into the large skillet and sauté away. Add the zucchini and squash to the large pot once they are softened.

5. Throw the tomatoes into that large pot with the vegetables.

6. Add the seasonings. Cook everything over medium heat for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until the tomatoes cook down completely. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

7. Tah-dah! It's so easy Walt Disney thought a rat could make it. Disney was probably right.