Sauté Vegetables

Love these Sauté vegetables! So easy to make and so delicious! It’s great with eggs, as a side dish with meat or pasta, as an appetizer, or even as a spread on bread. You can make it as spicy as you like and eat it warm or cold any time of the day! 
The nice thing about this recipe is that you can modify it to incorporate vegetables you like or have on hand.
For example, you can skip zucchini and add broccoli or asparagus instead. If you don't have tomato paste, don't worry and use the ketchup. Fresh tomato and parsley can be added as well.
Have fun with this healthy and tasty dish and I promise neither you or your guests will be disappointed.

Ingredients

2-3 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cloves minced garlic
2 eggplants, peeled and cut to 1cm x 1cm cubes
2 bell peppers of various colors, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium size carrots, peeled and graded
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed, minced (optional)
1 small can (156ml) tomato paste (about 3-4 tbsp)
Salt, pepper, paprika to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

Directions

In a large sauté pan heat the oil over the medium heat. Add the onions and sauté, stirring, until golden. 

Add first eggplants, then bell peppers, and zucchini and cook until just starting to wilt, stirring occasionally and adding a bit of water if you see the vegetables starting to stick to the pan because the oil was absorbed by the vegetables.

You need to add the water only first time it happens because soon enough the vegetables will produce the juice and additional water or oil won't be required.

Tip: You can definetely cut all the vegetables first and then gradully add them to the pan one at a time: onions, then eggplants, followed later by bell peppers, zucchini, and at the end carrots. If you put all the vegetables at the same time, the ones that cook faster, like carrots will be ready in no time and then will become too soft while others, like eggplants and bell peppers will take more time and still be raw. That is why I don't chop vegetables in advance, only as they cook, in order I listed above. By the time I finish cutting eggplants my onions are golden, and when I finish cutting bell peppers they can be added to the mixture, and so on. This way you just peel, wash, cut, add, mix one after another all the vegetables and there is no waiting time between them. I also like Vegetable's Sauté the best when cold, after being in a fridge for at least couple of hours.

Add carrots, garlic, and jalapeno pepper, if you like the heat as we do :) 

Add salt ,spices, and a tomato paste. Mixthe vegetables well, but carefully - you don't want the vegetables to be mushy.  Continue cooking until carrots are softer but not mushy, for about 3-5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let it cool. Keep refrigerated up to a week.