Crunchy Mushrat

This recipe is named "Crunchy Mushrat" because I substituted the bell peppers that are normally in Ratatouille with mushrooms. The crunchy part comes in because it is served on brown rice, which makes it very Northern California "granola crunch". The optional use of soy yoghurt and the vegan-ness also helps to feed into the "granola crunch" vibe.

Crunchy Mushrat

5 Tbsp EVOO
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced paper thin
1 bay leaf, crushed
1 Tbsp basil
1 Tbsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
liberal dashes of black pepper, to taste
conservative dashes of salt, to taste

Eggplant (sliced in half lengthwise then cut into cubes)

2 medium zucchinis, halved and then thickly sliced
2 1/2 C button mushrooms *
1 fourteen ounce can of diced tomatoes

1) Heat EVOO in deep pan or in large stock pot. Sauté garlic, onion and herbs in EVOO. Sauté until onions soften and start to turn translucent.

2) Add eggplant. Toss to coat eggplant with EVOO mixture. Cover. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

3) Add zucchini, mushrooms and tomatoes. Toss to coat the zucchini and mushrooms. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and burning.

4) Serve over brown rice.

* Cut small buttons in half. Cut medium and large buttons into quarters.

Serving suggestion:

Serve with a large pitcher of herbal iced tea.

Garnish with sour cream, plain yoghurt or soy yoghurt.

A perfect dessert compliment to this is "Straw Cottage Salad".