Organically Me: Crisp: Not Just for the Fruits

I get the most recipe ideas either late at night while lying in bed, or at the gym. For some reason, thinking about what to cook while working out makes the time go by faster. There's no explanation for my late night thoughts other than it's probably my version of counting sheep. But I digress - last night before bed the wheels started cranking and I came up with what I thought was a fantastic idea: savory crisp. We're all acquainted with fruit crisps with their juicy, sweet filling and buttery crunchy topping, but why not make a savory version? So that's exactly what I made tonight.

Savory vegetable crisp
Ingredients
- 1 cup eggplant, cubed
- 1 cup zucchini, cut into half moons or cubed
- 1/2 beefsteak tomato, diced
- 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Dried basil and oregano, to taste
- S&P, to taste
- Pinch o' red pepper (optional)

Topping
- 3 tbsp oats
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs*
- 1 tsp Earth Balance
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- Pinch of dried oregano
- S&P, to taste

Ingredients
- Preheat oven to 425.
- In a large skillet, saute onions and garlic until translucent. Add zucchini and eggplant and saute until they begin to soften. Add balsamic, stir to coat, and continue cooking until tender but not overly limp. During the last few minutes of cooking, add tomatoes and cook until they begin to break down. Remove from the heat and place in a casserole dish (I used the usual 8" round Corningware dish).
- Prepare the topping by combining all ingredients and rubbing together with your fingers to incorporate the Earth Balance evenly.
- Spread a layer of the topping over your veggies. Bake for 10 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and feast.

* I used one piece of quinoa bread that I put in a 300 oven until thoroughly dry. Then I processed until fine.

Serves 1 as a main, 2 as a side

Crisps are no longer just for fruits! I can safely say that not only was this absolutely delicious, but it rivaled most sweet crisps I've had. It was herbaceous, buttery, and the veggies had a nice flavor from the balsamic. The tomatoes added just enough "wetness" so that the filling wasn't too dry, but everything held together nicely.