Upside-down Vegetable Cake

How I missed cooking this past week as I lived in a dorm room at the University of Minnesota for six days. So tonight I happily prepared this lovely Mollie Katzen recipe from her Enchanted Broccoli Forest cookbook. I like the way Mollie's books always tell you how to lighten things up, and she adds photographs and some of her own drawings. This recipe is an old favorite.

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease an 8-inch pan with a bit of vegetable oil and then prepare the first layer of your vegetable cake:

1 onion, chopped and sautéd with five cloves of garlic

1 to 1 and 1/2 c broccoli, chopped
1 to 1 and 1/2 c cauliflower, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup corn (I use corn from a can)
salt and pepper and cayenne to taste
Mollie also calls for 5 minced scallions, but we were all out.

After you sauté your onion and garlic, begin boiling a medium saucepan for the rest of your vegetables. When the water begins to boil, Mollie tells you to drop in your veggies for 30 seconds before blanching them in a bowl of ice. Then drain and mix all your vegetables together before putting them in your baking dish. Then sprinkle 1 c of shredded cheddar cheese over the veggies, your second layer.

Then prepare the bread, your third and final layer. This part calls for the following ingredients:

1 c all purpose flour

1/2 c whole wheat flour

1 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 T sugar

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (I was out of thyme tonight and skipped it - again, the bread tasted just as good as usual)

2 T dill

1 egg

1 c yogurt (I use Stonyfield's plain yogurt)

2 T melted butter

Mix your dry ingredients in a bowl, along with the sugar and herbs. Then in another smaller bowl, beat the egg, yogurt and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the center of the dry ingredients. While Mollie instructs you to use your hands until the mixture is combined, I use my spoon instead (just as good). You then spread the dough over the vegetables until they are covered, and then bake for 40-45 minutes. After it cools, flip it over for a more aesthetically-pleasing dinner (I love aesthetic food -- and this is comfort food, too).
Voila!