I always believed the reason I enjoyed cooking was because I love to eat. However I recently came to a realization that eating is not the only thing that motivates me to do what I do.

Often when I cook it’s a therapeutic and stress-relieving experience. But I found out that another thing that gives me drive is a good challenge. Anybody who knows me knows I am determined (Andy calls it stubborn) so when I need to create something out of my comfort zone I tackle it with a little uncertainty, but lots of will.

That brings me to this week’s recipe. This Thursday I will have the pleasure of preparing some dishes for a very nice family hosting a pre-wedding celebration for their son and future daughter in law. Normally that wouldn’t be a big deal for me because I’m comfortable with preparing foods for social gatherings. But the difference in this situation is the bride-to-be follows a vegan diet, and naturally the hosts want to include some vegan-friendly dishes. So I had to do some research and found out that vegans not only don’t eat meat, but they do not eat any foods derived from animals such as dairy, eggs and even honey. Talk about going from one end of the spectrum to the other. Me, a girl who could eat a nice medium-rare steak every day of the week and has a love affair with cheese, preparing a dish that

doesn’t include either of those ingredients. All I could think was “thank goodness for garlic and onions!”

So I continued researching and after referencing several Web sites and carefully reading the packaging of anything I used, I created this dish. It was inspired by a vegetable dish I made about a year ago (but never wrote the recipe down) that had cheese and butter in it and all I had to do was jog my memory and modify the recipe by using olive oil and veggie broth. To be completely honest, I couldn’t believe how good this dish turned out; it was not only full of flavor, but very hearty and satisfying.

I look forward to Thursday and I feel quite honored to help with this special celebration. I’m also excited that my challenge was a successful one and an experience that exposed me to a different and healthy way of preparing some of my favorite foods. Enjoy!

Vegan Veggie Gratin

3-5 tablespoons Olive oil

1 large onion — thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper — seeded & thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper — seeded and thinly sliced

3-5 garlic cloves — cracked & thinly sliced

1 cup toasted white bread crumbs bread crumbs

1 zucchini — cut into large chunks

1 yellow squash — cut into large chunks

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves or 1 tablespoon dry

¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 large russet potatoes — sliced thin

1-2 cans (depending on preference) artichoke hearts in water — drained

1 large tomato — sliced thin

1/3 cup vegetable broth

Salt & pepper for seasoning

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large sauté pan or skillet heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, peppers, garlic and a pinch of salt. Sauté for 5 minutes until soft, but not browned. Turn off heat and add ½ cup of the bread crumbs, stir well to combine then add cut zucchini, squash, thyme and fresh parsley. Stir well and season lightly with fresh ground pepper.

Grease the bottom of a casserole dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil then add ½ of the onions, pepper, and zucchini mixture. On top of that lay the sliced potatoes and artichoke hearts then add remaining onion, pepper, and zucchini mixture. Slowly pour vegetable broth over the vegetables then top with sliced tomatoes and lightly season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup of bread crumbs on top and drizzle with about 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and the top has developed a nice brown crust.

Cooks note:

This recipe is totally vegan friendly and versatile. You can add or substitute your favorite veggies (carrots, eggplant, etc.) instead of what the recipe calls for. If you are familiar with preparing fresh artichoke hearts, do so, it will make this recipe even more flavorful.

Instead of drizzling olive oil on top of the bread crumbs (for the crust) try using, grape seed, hazelnut or walnut oil — it will add a nice boost of flavor.

If you’re not a vegan, you can sauté the veggies in butter and olive oil. And instead of using 1 cup of plain white bread crumbs, you can use ½ cup bread crumbs combined with ½ cup grated parmesan or Romano cheese.