Ratatouille, At Last!!!!

It has been the strangest summer for me.  Usually, by this time, I would have made several batches of ratatouille, given that I would have had 2-3 weeks of eggplants from the CSA.  However, between moving and traveling, I have not had time to do any major cooking.  So, today, I decided it was time.  I made a roasted ratatouille today (my favorite type because roasting gives another layer of flavor).  To make it acceptable to my diet, I then took a bunch and made a quiche (the cheese, milk and eggs give me protein).  Here are both recipes:

Oven-Roasted Ratatouille

• 1 medium eggplant*
• 1 medium zucchini*
• 1 small yellow squash*
• 5 small local Amish tomatoes*
• 1 red pepper*
• 1 orange pepper*
• canola oil
• Italian seasoning
• Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 400F.  Wash all vegetables.  Trim ends of eggplant. Quarter the eggplant lengthwise and then slice into 1/4" slices.  Trim ends of zucchini and squash. Cut in half lengthwise and then slice into 1/8" slices.  Quarter tomatoes and the coarsely chop. Roughly chop the peppers.  Place all vegetables into a zip bag (2 if needed).  Drizzle oil over vegetables and then sprinkle with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.  Shake bag(s) until the vegetables are evenly coated with oil and seasonings.  Pour into a prepared roasting pan and roast for 45-60 minutes, stirring the vegetables every 15 minutes to cook evenly.

 Ratatouille Quiche

• 1 1/2 cups Roasted Ratatouille (see above)
• 1 cup Italian Cheese blend
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cup 1% milk
• salt & pepper
• dried basil

Reduce heat of oven to 350F.  Drain 1 1/2 cups of roasted ratatouille on paper towels.  Press out as much moisture as possible as the vegetables will likely release more moisture during baking.   Place the vegetables into the bottom of a prepared round baking pan.  Beat eggs with milk and seasonings.  Sprinkle the cheese over the vegetables and then pour the egg mixture over the filling.  Bake for 35 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

*Farmers market ingredients