Eat your veggies!

Last weekend my family visited from Spain. My parents and their best friends, M&MT, came from Madrid to see us and the American capital. It was a great weekend of walking around DC, speaking Spanish, seeing museums, eating at great restaurants and enjoying the company. The weather could not have been better.

Yesterday, back to normal life, I realized that I had been eating out all weekend and that veggies had not been part of the menu. I'm a fruit and vegetable addict, and I was already feeling the withdrawal. Luckily, my mom bought me some veggies and some chicken at Eastern Market on Sunday, so making a healthy dinner was easy peasy.

This recipe doesn't have to be strictly followed. You can adapt it to your needs and taste as much as you want. You can substitute any of the veggies for others like butternut squash, yellow squash, green or red peppers. You can also change the quantities and you can't really go wrong with it. For the chicken, same thing. I made it with boneless skinless chicken thighs, but you can make it with bone-in thighs, breasts, drumsticks or whatever your favorite part of the chicken is. 

Pan seared chicken with ratatouille

Serves 4

For the ratatouille:

1/3 cup olive oil

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

2 small zucchinis, diced

1 small eggplant, peeled, diced

1 14oz can of diced tomatoes, drained.

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp herbes de provence

For the chicken:

4 tbsp olive oil

8 chicken thighs (I used boneless skinless)

Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a heavy deep skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Stir in the pepper and let it cook for 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and the eggplant and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Stir in the diced tomatoes and the sugar.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and add the spices. Cook, stirring often, until desired doneness, for about 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile make the chicken.

Preheat the oven to 450°F/ 230°C. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and sear the chicken over medium-high heat, 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a roasting pan. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes or until desired doneness.

Serve the chicken over a bed of ratatouille.