Cooking . . . It's a Family Thing!

I'm sure there are many different recipes for Ratatouille but this one is really, really good. I can't wait to have it as "leftovers" for lunch tomorrow. I served this for dinner tonight with crusty wheat bread with olive oil for dipping and chicken breast tenderloins that I marinated in pineapple juice, soy sauce & Italian Dressing. I just cooked them in a non stick pan on the stove. If you have a griddle pan that would be a good way to cook these also. I could have definitely done without the chicken but Richard doesn't want dinner without meat. So there!

1 large Eggplant

2 medium Squash (I used 1 zucchini & 1 yellow) that's what I had

2 small to medium Bell Peppers (any color you have will do)

1 small Onion

8 oz of Sun dried Tomato Vinaigrette (I had some of this & some leftover Tomato Basil Soup so I just mixed this together and used)

2-3 fresh Tomatoes (or a 16 oz can of diced tomatoes)

2 T Garlic Powder

Salt, Pepper, Parsley & Basil to taste (use fresh if you have)

2 T grated Parmesan Cheese

1-2 cups of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1)Slice eggplant into rounds and then quarter rounds. Slice squash into rounds. Dice onion. Slice peppers into strips and cut into smaller segments (2-3 slices per strip). Add all these ingredients to a large sauce pan along with the Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette (if you don't have this substitute a small can of tomato sauce). Cook on medium-high heat for 8 minutes.

2)Meanwhile dice tomatoes if using fresh or drain tomatoes if you're using canned. After the 8 minutes of cooking add tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil, parsley & garlic powder. Cook for an additional 15 minutes.

3)Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add contents of pot to a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan Cheese and Mozzarella Cheese (use as much or as little cheese as you like, this is really a personal preference). Bake for about 15 minutes until cheese is nicely melted.