Recipes: Veggie pies

Because I am a vegetarian, Adriana doesn't get a lot of meat at home, so I try to include eggs in her diet as a good source of protein. But I am not a big fan of eggs myself (was never a big fan, developed a total aversion during pregnancy, never really recovered what taste I did have for them afterwards), so usually I just scramble one for her lunch, or if I'm going out in the evening, I make sure that there's stuff around for Brian to fix an omelet to share with Adriana for dinner. But a couple of pie recipes have made it easier for me to eat eggs and like them.

First, my friend Becca sent me a recipe for chard and tomato pie from Abel and Cole. It's a bit of work, because I make a pie crust for it (flan dish? pastry? I just do the pre-baked pie crust from How to Cook Everything), but you could use a store-bought crust to save time. I've changed the herbs and added more garlic on occasion, and it always is a big hit with both Brian and Adriana. The eggs go right on top, and I can taste them a little, but the cheese and the vegetables are stronger flavors, so I don't mind them to much.

Then, last month, Lynn introduced me to this zucchini pie recipe from Real Simple. It seems to have less egg taste, even though it has one more egg, I guess because the eggs are mixed in with the vegetables, and it doesn't require a crust, so it is incredibly easy to put together. It's been great for days when I need to put dinner together during Adriana's nap because our plans will keep us busy late into the afternoon. The active preparation time is fairly minimal, so I don't feel that I spent the whole nap cooking, and it tastes great at room temperature. It's also versatile: I've made it with a variety of different cheeses, herbs, and even vegetables. Once I substituted a cup of diced roasted poblanos for one cup of the zucchini, cheddar for the provolone, and cilantro for the basil (good, but needed a little more heat--I might add in a stronger pepper next time). Last night I sauteed two onions and two bunches of chard and used that in place of the zucchini and onion. Yum.