Blog Revival

For some reason, I've decided to do this again. I cannot predict how long this fascination will last, but I hope you and I enjoy it for a bit. This revival is mostly caused by the fact that I recently bought a new Mollie Katzen cookbook. She is my vegetarian cooking idol.
This weekend, I spent a ridiculous amount of time tabbing off recipes in my new cookbook, The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, and back issues of Vegetarian Times. And then... this is good... I made the recipes into a LIST. I'm the kind of dork who loves flipping through cookbooks and loves making lists. It's a match made in heaven. Anyway, broccoli strudel and vegetable upside-down cake are among the dishes on this week's menu.

Vegetable upside-down cake is amazing. First, it's a casserole, which I always love. I can't understand why the culinary world often acts like they are unexciting or outdated. They are perfect. With all the ingredients in one place, the spices can accent all the food together and you feel like you're really getting a full meal. This vegetable upside-down cake is one of the best I've tried so far. It's a bunch of fresh-tasting vegetables with a crust of herb biscuit. You're supposed to be able to turn it over but that was just not going to happen. It was still just as good. The prep took a while but I'd highly recommend it.

Notes: Spreading the dough part on top is like impossible to do neatly. No worries. Just go with it. Also, the recipe calls for cayenne to taste but I wasn't a fan of that so I left it out.

VEGETABLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
from Mollie Katzen's Enchanted Broccoli Forest

For the Vegetables:

1. 1 onion, chopped
2. 1 head broccoli, chopped
3. 1 large carrot, chopped
4. 1 head cauliflower, chopped
5. 1 red bell pepper, chopped
6. 1 cup corn
7. 5 cloves garlic, minced
8. 5 scallions, minced
9. a bit of salt and pepper

• Oven preheated to 350. Greese a 9 x 13" baking dish and set aside. Sautee the onion for about 8 minutes.


• Boil some water. Drop in the broccoli, carrot, and cauliflower for 30 seconds. Then drain it in a colander, and immediately move into ice water. Then drain again.


• Add sauteed onion and blanched veggies and the uncooked vegetables all together in a bowl.


• Dump the vegetables into the dish and then cover with 1 cup of grated cheddar.

For the cake:

• 1 cup white flour


• 1/2 cup whole wheat flower


• 1 tsp. baking powder


• 1/2 tsp baking soda


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 1 Tbs. sugar


• 1/2 tsp each: oregano and thyme


• 2 Tbs. dill


• 1 egg


• 1 cup plain yogurt


• 2 Tbs. melted butter
  
  1.) Combine flour, powder, soda, and salt in a bowl with the sugar and herbs.
  2.) Make a well in the center and beat together eggs, yogurt, and butter.
  3.) Mix it all together and do your best to spread it over the vegetables.
  BAKE THE WHOLE THING FOR 40 MINUTES! ENJOY!