Who would have ever thought a little chef from a Disney movie could make a wonderful Vegetable dish so popular. Dating back to the 18th century, The French have given us a vegetable creation that can only be called delicious. Eggplant, Red Bell Peppers, Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Onion, Garlic and Tomatoes will produce a delicious flavor that is amazing. This dish is truly an explosion of flavors that can only be considered comfort food… My version is a layered vegetable dish. Each vegetable is grilled and seasoned with a different spice. The end result is a blending of ingredients that creates a wonderful flavor to be enjoyed either as a side dish or a main course. The average dish of this type starts out at 450 mg’s of sodium and will climb from there. If seasoned well, you will find that salt is not the star attraction of this dish. At 136 mg’s of sodium you will be pleased at the wonderful flavors you are about to treat yourself too…


Ratatouille - Vegetable Stew  -  Serving's: 4
Per Serving: - Calories 227; Sodium 136 mg; 
Fat 16g; Protein 5 g; Carbohydrate 22g; 
Cholesterol 0 mg; Dietary fiber 7g
Ingredients:

Prepare Bouquet Garni Seasoning.






Preparing Tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Score the bottom of each tomato with an X. Place tomatoes in hot water 30 to 40 seconds then remove with a slotted spoon to the ice bath and chill 2 minutes. Strain from the water and peel. Dice Tomatoes and set aside till needed.

Chop Onion and Garlic.

Using a Mandolin or a Sharp Knife
Cut Eggplant into ½” rounds, Zucchini into ½” rounds, Round Zucchini 
        or Squash into ½” rounds,Yellow Squash into ½” rounds and cut 
        Bell Pepper into 1” pieces.


Let's get Cook' n...
Place a large skillet on the stove. 
Add olive oil and 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes. 
Heat skillet to medium low then place onions in skillet. Saute for 5 minutes till soft and translucent. Add no-salt seasoning, garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.
Add diced Tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Place Tomato mixture into a food processor. Pulse several times until very smooth.
Set aside till needed.

In the same skillet, squirt with olive oil spray then add Red Bell Pepper.         Season with Black Pepper and saute for 8 minutes till tender. When done place into a larger skillet.

In the same skillet, squirt with olive oil spray. 
Add Eggplant and season with Rosemary. 
Saute for 4 minutes then place into the large skillet 
with the bell pepper. Continue the same procedure cooking each vegetable one at a time in the same skillet, then adding them into the larger skillet.
   Zucchini – Season with Thyme, Yellow Squash – Season with Oregano, Round Zucchini or Squash – Season with Garlic Powder.

Once all of the veggies have been transferred to the larger skillet.
Place the tomato sauce in the smaller skillet. Using a spatula, scrap the flavor Yummies off the bottom of the skillet and mix into the sauce. Add sea salt and balsamic vinegar. Mix into sauce then place a lid on the skillet and  simmer for 10 minutes.

Add sauce to the larger skillet with all of the veggies. Mix sauce gently to blend – Do not break up veggies.
Place a lid on the skillet then simmer on low for 20 minutes.
Serve & Enjoy

Enjoy, 
From Our Unsalted Heart To Yours...
Note: see Ingredients for good sources of hard to find items.
The ingredients listed for this recipe have been chosen to help lower the sodium content of your final dish. 
This will help you with a heart healthy life style.
2 - largeJapanese or Chinese Eggplant 
or 1 small Italian Eggplant
2 - largeZucchini
2 - largeRound Zucchini or Squash
2 - largeYellow Squash
1 - largeRed Bell Pepper
1 - largeOnion
4 - cloves     Garlic
6 - largePlum Tomatoes
4 - TbspExtra Virgin Olive Oil
6 - squirts    Olive Oil Spray
¼        - tsp  Red Pepper Flakes
1 - tsp  Bouquet Garni
½        - tsp  No Salt Seasoning (Kirkland)
½- tsp  Oregano– dried
½- tsp  Rosemary – dried
2 - tsp  Parsley – dried
¼- tsp  Thyme - dried
½- tsp  Garlic Powder
¼- tsp  Sea Salt
¼- tsp  Ground Black Pepper
2 -Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

It’s important to prepare all of your ingredients before you start to cook. 
Do all of your chopping, grating and pre-measuring, and you will have a great meal that is easy to make.
Bouquet Garni Seasoning - Great for Soups, Stoups & Veggies

1 ½ tsp :Dill Weed, 1 Tbsp each of: Basil, Marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Savory, Tarragon, Thyme2 Tbsp: Parsley
Place into a spice / coffee grinder to create a season blend. And save the rest for next time…
Veggies
The UnSalted Heart.com
 Healthy Food with Great Taste
Recipes Designed To Help Lower Your Sodium For Life
A Heart Healthy Life Style
Ratatouille
- Vegetable Stew -
Recipe by  
Tony LeDonne