Keep your Whole Foods Colorful

Okay, so entering my second month of a whole foods plant based diet I really thought I’d be craving meat and dairy by now.  The transition was really quite easy, but I’ve followed some sound advice on my journey.

First, keep your food colorful!  This has been the best advice I have followed as it is tough to replace the visual appeal a well grilled steak, barbecued ribs, or fried chicken add to a plate.  Here is perhaps the best looking recipe I’ve found.  Although the guts are mine, the idea came to me from a vegan cook book and I was really happy I tried it.

½ tsp of Marjoram, Salt, Rosemary, and Thyme

1 tsp of Paprika and Basil

½ cup pitted kalamata olives

1 onion

a bunch of shallots, thinly sliced

5 cloves of garlic, minced

Fresh basil Leaves

Olive Oil

Sea Salt

1 box of your favorite small tomaotoes  halved,  quarter the larger ones (grape are my favorite, but the Heathsville Food Lion has a variety pack that is awesome as well).

3 large Squash or Zucchini, cleaned and halved.

Saute the garlic in olive oil until they are well caramelized and add the Garlic and Shallots.  Saute for another minute or so until the flavors have blended in the aroma.  Add the spices, tomatoes, and olives.  I add some of the olive juice as well.  Worcestershire or brown sugar would make interesting variations of this sauce.  If you would like to add texture, try green peppers, water chestnuts or celery at the end of the cooking.  Let the moisture of the tomatoes and olives reduce a bit and lower the heat.  In a separate skillet, lay the Squash or Zucchini flat sides down half covered in water.  Let the water boil off on high heat covered (about five minutes).  This is the only tricky part, but if you time it right, it is awesome!  I let the water boil completely off and let the veggies caramelize just a bit.  You have just a few seconds between really good, and really burnt to the pan!  Good luck here.  Scoop out the insides of the veggie halves to make six veggie boats.  Add the ‘guts’ to the sauce you’ve made and let simmer until the flavors blend.  Fill the ‘boats’ and place on a baking stone.  Garnish with parmesian or Romano cheese and a large fresh basil leave.  Spritz with olive oil and sea salt and bake for 10-12 minutes on 350.  I have a variation with Mozerella where I also broil it for 3-5 minutes or until the mozerella begins to ‘toast’.   Serve hot as a main dish.