Zucchini casserole

Back in the '80s my mother bought Frances Moore Lappé's groundbreaking book, Diet for a Small Planet, and its companion volume Recipes for a Small Planet. As a new vegetarian, I used Recipes so much its pages started falling out.

The books were innovative in the way they addressed the concerns of protein in the vegetarian diet. Lappé showed how grains, beans, seeds, nuts and dairy products can be combined to create large amounts of complete protein.

The recipes in these books are heavy on the dairy. As I learned more about the protein and complete nutrition in vegetables, and eased away from the regular eating of dairy products, the books drifted to the back of the bookcase.

However, I pulled Recipes out the other day when I bought some St. Benoit yogurt at the Hollywood Farmers Market, and was inspired to make this creamy and delicious casserole for the first time in years. St. Benoit yogurt is made from the rich milk of organic Jersey cows in Sonoma county. It makes a wonderful topping for this brown rice and zucchini dish. You can use thick Greek-style yogurt or whole-milk yogurt if you can't find some made from the milk of happy Jersey cows.

Zucchini Casserole
1 1/2 cups raw brown rice
4 cups (4 small) zucchini, in 1-inch dice
2 cups yogurt
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup grated cheddar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives or scallions
1/3 cup toasted sesame seeds
bread crumbs
butter

Cook the rice in 3 cups of boiling water with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp paprika until tender. Drain if necessary (it probably won't be).

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine the yogurt, toasted sesame oil, cheddar and salt in a small saucepan. Warm over low heat until the cheese melts. Remove from stove and stir in the beaten egg and chives. Make sure the sauce is not so hot that it curdles the egg. (That's an esthetic issue -- it will taste good either way.)

Stir the cooked rice and sesame seeds together. Spread on the bottom of a 7 x 11 shallow baking dish. Spread the zucchini cubes on top. Pour the yogurt sauce over, then top with a layer of bread crumbs and dot generously with butter.

Bake 25 minutes until the crumbs are browned and the squash is tender but still firm.