Squash & Tomato Au Gratin

By the end of summer, like most gardeners, I have an over abundance of tomatoes and squash.  I came up with this recipe to use those veggies that were piling up in my fridge. Veggies Au Gratin seemed like the way to go.

I started with a zucchini and a yellow squash that were about equal size, along with a handful of tomatoes.  The tomatoes can be different sizes, it doesn't matter.  I made this in a small 10 inch by 7 inch baking dish.  If you're cooking for more than two, you'll want to double or triple the recipe.

Slice everything into 1/4 inch thick pieces.

Alternate rows of yellow squash, zucchini, and tomatoes until you've filled up your baking dish.  (If you have any extra left over, you can use them in a soup or stir fry)  Don't forget to grease your baking dish first.

Next, I finely diced some red onion.  You can substitute yellow onion or even shallots.  I like red onions because they tend to be sweeter than the yellow ones.  If you want a milder onion flavor, go with the shallots.  I sauteed the onions in a little olive oil for 5 minutes.

I mixed together some unflavored soy creamer with some cornstarch, but tapioca starch will work too.  As the veggies cook, they will release a lot of water.  The creamer and starch will turn that water into a sauce.

I mixed the cooked onions into the creamer and starch mixture before I poured the whole thing over the veggies.

The last step is to cover the top with some cheese.  You can use real cheese or you can use Daiya non dairy cheese.  Daiya is one of the few non dairy cheeses that will melt and brown on top.

I also think a layer of cracker crumbs would be really tasty and very traditional in an au gratin, but I don't usually keep crackers on hand so I didn't use them.  You could also skip the cheese altogether and just use the bread crumbs on top.

Squash and Tomato Au Gratin
Serves 2 - Use organic ingredients whenever possible

1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
3 or 4 medium sized tomatoes
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons olive oil + more to oil your baking dish
3/4 cup finely diced onion
1/3 cup unflavored non dairy creamer 
1 tablespoon corn or tapioca starch
1 cup non dairy cheese
Optional: 1/2 cup cracker crumbs 

Preheat your oven to 400˚
Grease an oven proof baking dish with some olive oil
Slice the squash and tomatoes into 1/4" rounds
Alternate them in your baking dish
Sprinkle them with some salt
Saute the onions in the oil for five minutes over a low heat
Whisk the starch into the creamer 
Stir the cooked onion into the starch mixture
Pour the onion mixture over the sliced veggies
Top the veggies with cheese
Optional: Sprinkle the cracker crumbs over the cheese
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until cheese is melty and brown and veggies are tender.
Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving