Mmm... Cheese...

First, I'll confess: we did not completely comport with the rules of the challenge this month. Basically we were at the whims of a baby's sleeping schedule and had a limited time window on a Sunday in which to bake together, so we needed a recipe that could be prepared and eaten in a few hours. Most of the savory cheesecakes out there required a lot of waiting (like 6 hours to overnight). This one didn't. It also had no crust. But it was absolutely delicious!

Also: thank goodness for food processors. Because hand-grating all of those carrots and zucchinis would've taken ages.

Very pretty results though.

We sauteed them all up with some onions and garlic.

Then into the buttered, bread-crumbed pan. 

Not the most attractive thing ever, pre-baking.

Midway through, we took it out of the oven, dredged tomatoes in breadcrumbs and parmesan, and layered them on top. This was our "crumble."

The end product smelled divine and was pretty to boot.

We had a little difficulty getting it out of the springform because we didn't let it sit as long as we were supposed to (due to cranky baby) but in the end it turned out fine. Better than fine. Quite delectable and decadent, nicely complemented by salad and a baguette. This recipe was a keeper!

For the month of November Krista & Nicole of “Two Cups of Sugar.” challenged us to make our own version of cheesecake crumble pie.

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Savory Vegetable Cheesecake

"This delicious main-dish cheesecake comes from Mollie Katzen's "The Enchanted Broccoli Forest," which is a delightful vegetarian cookbook. A wonderful way to use us those garden veggies. It is also wonderful served as an appetizer that guests can spread onto little pieces of toast."

Ingredients
3 cups grated zucchini
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup minced onion
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup grated carrot
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup freshly minced parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (please use fresh)
4 large eggs
fresh ground black pepper
2 medium tomatoes, sliced into rounds,then sliced in half so the slices look like the letter D
3-4 tablespoons breadcrumbs

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees farenheit.

Butter a 10" springform pan and sprinkle with breadcrumbs, set aside.

Put the grated zucchini into a colander. Salt lightly, and let is sit about 15 minutes, then squeeze out any excess moisture.

Saute the onions in butter with 1/2 t salt. When they start to turn translucent, add the carrots, garlic, zucchini, flour, basil and oregano.  Keep stirring and cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the parsley and lemon.

Beat the cheeses and eggs together until well blended. (Hello, Kitchenaid mixer!) When the cheese and egg mixture is nice and fluffy, fold in the veggies. Season to taste with black pepper.

Pour the mixture into the springform pan.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes-- then pull it out for a minute.

Remember those tomatoes? Dredge them in the breadcrumbs and decorate the top of the cheesecake with them in a pretty spiral pattern. [We added Parmesan cheese to the breadcrumbs!]

Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees, and bake another 30 minutes.

Turn off the oven and just let the cheesecake sit in there for another 15 minutes. Then, take it out of the oven and let it cool about 10 more minutes before cutting and serving.