Eating Real Food

This blog has moved to www.chardetc.com. See you there. :)

I saw a post recently warning folks about safety issues with certain vitamins and supplements.  The post also alluded to "big medical".  Isn't it less expensive and better for our bodies to eat real food that's been grown in a thoughtful way (and doesn't contain corn unless it's actually corn) and move 15 minutes a day?  And if someone wants to stick it to "big medical" they can do it by eating right and moving our bodies enough to avoid overweight and obesity with all its attendant (expensive) medical care and drugs. :)

It just seems better for the soul to spend the time searching for recipes and shopping for things someone has grown in the ground, cooking something tasty and enjoying it with the fam instead of wasting time and money researching and purchasing bottles of pills.

Ratatouille Tart

OK, off the soapbox.  My discovery of the week was a sort of modified ratatouille tart.  I used the savory tart recipe from Mark Bittman's Best Recipes of the World, layered grilled eggplant, peppers, onions and squash in the partially cooked tart, then poured into it 5 eggs mixed with some gruyere or Jarlsberg-type cheese I had on hand. I then topped it with sliced fresh tomatoes, Parmiggiano Reggiano and extra olive oil, popped in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes or so, and voila!

Single serving of that yummy Rataouille Tart

Below is another super-easy thing to do with grilled veggies, and everyone reading this has probably thought of it already but I'll share anyway.  Once the veggies are grilled, they can just be piled onto boiled rice (or other more healthful grains) and drizzled with an extra virgin olive oil.  Sprinkle a bit of thyme or chives or parsley to dress it up and give it a little more flavor, and serve with a Cotes du Rhone or other light red wine.

Grilled eggplant, squash and peppers on rice.