Provencal Torta from “Living Cuisine” by Renée Loux Underkoffler Makes 6 to 8 servings Vegetable Layer 1 large eggplant or 3 cups finely sliced zucchini (we used zucchini in order to keep the dish raw) 2 tomatoes (we used 2 and ½) Take a vegetable peeler and cut the zucchini the long way in very thin wide slices. Place one layer in the bottom of you dish in one direction and then keep alternating the layers directions until you have used all of the zucchini. Cut the stems out of the tomatoes and slice very thinly from top to bottom. (We placed them in a bowl lined with paper towels and set them aside while preparing the rest of the recipe.) Marinated Mushrooms 4 cups sliced crimini mushrooms (we used 2 large packages of Baby Bella’s) ¼ cup organic extra-virgin olive oil 2 Tablespoons nama shoyu 1 clove garlic, minced (we used 1 heaping tsp.) ¼ cup lemon juice 2 Tablespoons dried herbs de Provence or savory herb blend Pinch sun-dried sea salt (we left the salt out) Slice the mushrooms and toss them with the olive oil, nama shoyu, garlic, lemon juice, dried herbs and sea salt. Allow to marinate for at least 20-30 minutes until savory and soft. The mushrooms can be marinated a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Provencal Pâté 1 ½ cup almonds 1 cup cashews 1 clove garlic ½ cup chopped green onion (I used scallions) 1 cup parsley leaves (I used 2 Tbs. of dried) ½ cup basil leaves 1 Tbs. dried savory of thyme 2 tsps. of dried rosemary 1 tsp. of fennel seeds ½ cup of pine nuts ¼ cup of lemon juice 1 tsp. of lemon zest 3 Tbls. Nama shoyu 1 Tbls. of raw honey (I used 1 tsp. of agave nectar) ¼ cup nutritional yeast Soak the almonds in 3 cups fresh water for about 6-12 hours. Drain and rinse. Soak cashews in 1 ½ cups fresh water for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse. In a food processor, finely chop garlic, green onions, parsley, basil, savory or thyme, rosemary and fennel seeds. Add almonds, cashews and pine nuts and chop into a fine meal. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, nama shoyu and honey and blend into a smooth pâté. Scrape down the sides of your food processor as needed. Add nutritional yeast and blend until smooth. Add sea salt. (I found it easier to process in smaller batches and then mix everything together in a large bowl. Once I liked the mixture I then put small batches back into the food processor to get the final smooth consistency that I wanted.) I took small amounts of the Pâté and placed it on top of the zucchini layer. Then I used my hands to press it down to make an even layer. I then wiped the sides of my serving pan with a wet towel to clean it up prior to placing the mushrooms next. Prior to placing the mushroom on top of the Pâté I placed them in a strainer and pressed them down to get rid of the excess marinade. I found I then still needed to squeeze them in my hands to remove more of the marinade before arranging them on top of the Pâté. Press down on the mushrooms once they are all placed the way you want them to set them into the Pâté. I took a piece of plastic wrap and put it on top of the mushroom layer prior to pressing down. Place the tomato slices on top of the mushroom layer and use the same piece of plastic wrap to press them down gently. Allow to sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving. (I made ours the night before and then took it out two hours before serving time.) Garnish ¼ cup of chopped parsley and basil (I used ¼ tsp. fresh rosemary chopped fine and 1 Tbs. of basil) Sprinkle your garnish on just before serving. The recipe calls for using an 8-by-10-inch torte pan with a removable bottom. I used a 9-by-11 pan since we were traveling with the dish. You may place it in a dehydrator at 108° for an hour prior to serving.