Vegetable Upside-Down Cake

This was an adventure to make. I used some shortcuts that I will employ next time, too, to save time. This may look complicated, but it's not. It's simply chopping, sauteing, and putting a crust on top. Simple enough, right?. Warning, though, there is a bit of chopping, so I suggest frozen broccoli and cauliflower and canned or frozen corn. Also, I found the crust to be too salty for me - so next time I'll use a different milk - either regular or Almond if I want to make it vegan, and I'll omit the salt, or cut it in half. I also didn't like the green pepper in the recipe, so I'll omit that as well.

To make this vegan, I'll use flax seed eggs, and omit the cheese and use a different milk - but I think I will make this again. It could also be used as a side. A little bit of work for a side if you ask me, but if you're grilling chicken or fish and want a good solid veggie side that's non-traditional, then this is your side!

Vegetable Upside-Down Cake
Serves 6 (8-10 for side)

• 4 T butter
• 3 T wheat germ
• 1 c onion - chopped
• 2 cups chopped broccoli
• 1 1/2 c chopped cauliflower
• 1 large carrot chopped
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 green pepper - minced
• 1 c corn
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

Crust:

• 1 c white flour
• 3/4 c wheat flour
• 1 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
  
• 1 t each: basil, thyme, oregano, dill
• 1/4 c Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 c wheat germ
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 3/4 c buttermilk (or other milk?)
• 1/4 vegetable oil or butter

-- Melt 3 T of butter and distribute it evenly in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle in the wheat germ.
-- Put all hard veggies in a microwave safe dish and steam until slightly tender (5 minutes). Meanwhile:
-- Saute onion in the 1 T butter left over until soft. Once hard veggies are slightly soft, transfer ALL veggies to the skillet and saute until the mushrooms are soft. (5 minutes)
-- Transfer veggies to the baking dish and sprinkle the cheese on top so it melts. Let sit.
-- For the crust - combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix all the wet ingredients in a smaller bowl and then mix wet to dry.
-- The crust will be very stiff, so take a wet spatula and spread it as evenly as possible over the veggies.
-- Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes at 350. Once done, flip onto a serving tray and serve!