A Big Bowl of Vegetables

Sometimes, I just crave a big bowl of vegetables.

The term was first coined by my long-time-vegetarian-finally-turned-omnivore friend while we backpacked through Europe after we graduated high school. The cheapest and easiest foods to buy while traveling are not necessarily fresh produce, and by the end of our five weeks, she had us all fantasizing about carrots and tomatoes and fresh corn.

I still go into “big bowl of vegetables” mode, usually after a week like this one, where somehow I ended up eating things like fast food pizza (guilty pleasure) and vast amounts of cheese (no guilt whatsoever).

This vegetable moussaka is actually a combination of two moussaka recipes I found at Almost Turkish. The first was a layered and baked version, which I liked the look of, however I didn’t want the meat portion: I was in big bowl of vegetable mode. The second was a chickpea and zucchini Turkish style moussaka, which is really more of a stew than the Greek-inspired layered versions. I put the two together, and what I got was this: a big, layered tray of vegetables that perfectly satisfied my need for a filling meal that was low in fat and high in vitamins and minerals.

This moussaka is also my entry into the third round of Cooking to Combat Cancer. I have never participated in this event before, but for the past year, my family has been dealing with my grandfather’s battle with cancer, something I have not mentioned on this blog.

My grandfather is an amazingly strong man: when I was growing up, he was already in his sixties, and weekends found him “weaseling” in the woods, complete with a pipe and overalls, trundling in and out with wheelbarrows filled with branches and leaves. Now, he is in his eighties, and he has undergone severe chemotherapy and radiation as part of his cancer treatment. He has been lucky to keep his hair and to not suffer much from nausea as many people do. Mostly, his therapy just makes him tired, and he and my grandmother have taken to eating dinner in front of the television so that he can stay on the couch with a blanket.

This dish has tomatoes, legumes and onions and garlic, all of which are cancer-fighting foods. There is also no knife-and-fork action to deal with, which makes it easy to eat in front of the TV.

If you’d like to participate in this event, you have until April 29th to send in your entries. More information can be found at Mele Cotte.

Zucchini Moussaka (inspired by Almost Turkish)

1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 can (800 g.) whole tomatoes
1 can (800 g.) chickpeas, drained
1 tsp. dried mint
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 zucchini, sliced into rounds
1 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy bottomed pot. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook 2-3 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Add the tomatoes and chickpeas and cook until the chickpeas have softened and the tomatoes are cooked down, about 20 minutes. Add the mint and oregano and cook another 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the mixture into a baking pan and top with the zucchini and feta. Bake until the zucchini is cooked through, about 10-15 minutes, and then broil to melt the cheese and brown the top.

Note: I usually serve this as-is, but you can also serve it with whole wheat couscous (cancer-fighting whole grains) to make it more filling.