Decadent Veggie Torte

A few weeks ago my best friend sent me a link to an Italian cooking blog that featured a vegetable torte.  It used leftover roasted veggies with cheese in between the layers.  I liked the idea but thought I could amp it up a notch flavor and texture-wise, plus make the torte a complete meal rather than just a side dish.

Roasted veggies don't last beyond one meal in my house generally, so I roasted them specifically for this dish.  Use whatever you have and what you think might go together well.  What I had on hand, and the creamy chickpea layer I concocted (finger-lickin' good on its own), turned out to be a perfect combination (in other words, freakin' delicious!).  Confirmation?  My 10-yr-old:  "MOM!  This is SO GOOD!"


The Roasted Veggies:
1 red bell pepper
2 pounds sweet potato
12 mini zucchinis (about 1-2 pounds?)
1/2 a bunch of Swiss chard

Slice the pepper, potato, and zukes lengthwise.  Coat with grapeseed oil; and sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and basil.

Roast for 40 minutes at 450 degrees, turning once after 20 minutes.

When those veggies are done, transfer them all onto one pan.  Rip up the Swiss chard and put it on the empty baking pan and bake for 5-10, until just wilted.

The Chickpea Layer:
1 onion, sliced
1 leftover roasted potato (or roast one with the veggies above)
1 can chickpeas
2-3 Tbsp tamari
Salt & pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
Unsweetened nondairy milk

In a fry pan, saute the onion in grapeseed oil until translucent and browned.  Heat leftover potato along with it. 

In a food processor, combine all.  Add the milk until desired consistency.  You want it spreadable but not so thin that it will ooze out of the torte.   Season to taste. 

Assembly:
Place half the sweet potato on the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan.  Top that with half of the zucchini, and then all of the red pepper. 

Then spread on half of the chickpea mixture and top with the Swiss chard.

Finish off with layers of the remaining sweet potato, zucchini, and chickpea mixture.

Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees.  Let rest for at least 10 minutes before unmolding and slicing.  This would make a great dish for company, as it's pretty and scrumptious.