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Expert Q&A

	By Dawn Wise Dawn Wise Chef Author: The Online Cookbook, Wise Publications

I have a lot of frozen pie shells. Do you have any ideas for fillings, especially for dinners?

There are several recipes that you can use with the frozen pie crust you already have. I would store these next to the crusts and make sure you label them and date them.

Zucchini Pie

4 cups thinly sliced zucchini
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 to 1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 tablespoons dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon oregano
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups grated cheddar or jack cheese
Dijon mustard
Frozen or homemade deep dish pie crust

In a large skillet, saute the zucchini and the onion in the margarine for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool and place in a freezer bag. Combine the spices in a bag and store till the day you prepare this dish. In a bowl, combine the eggs and the cheese and stir. Place the cheese mixture in a freezer bag. Freeze the zucchini and the cheese next to each other so that they will be easier to retrieve. Store the pie crust in the freezer.

To prepare, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Drain any extra liquid from the zucchini before assembling. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl combine the zucchini, cheese and spices, mixing well. Remove the frozen pie crust or assemble your own now. Coat the pie crust with a thin layer of Dijon mustard and fill with the zucchini mixture. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Important: let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with rolls.

Spinach Quiche

1 package (10 ounces) frozen, chopped spinach
1 can (4 ounces) mushrooms, drained well (sliced or stem and pieces)
2 to 3 scallions, chopped
4 eggs
1 carton (16 ounces) low-fat cottage cheese
2 cups grated, mild cheddar cheese
3 to 4 strips cook bacon, crumbled

Cook spinach according to the package directions and squeeze out all the liquid. Combine the spinach, mushrooms, scallions, eggs, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese and bacon. Pour into pie crust, cover with foil and freeze or place in a 1-gallon freezer bag and pour into thawed crust when ready to bake.

To bake, thaw pie. Bake uncovered in preheated 325 degrees F-oven for one hour. Check after 50 minutes for browning and doneness. This is good in a deep dish pie crust. To help avoid spills assemble quiche on a cookie sheet either for freezing and/or for baking.

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