One was not enough of this colorful Vegetable Pie

In an earlier blog I mentioned how very much I love to explore new cookbooks and to search out recipes that would be appropriate for The Newfangled Country Gardener. My friend Kay knew this and for my recent birthday generously sent along Calvary Culinary Creations, a collection of recipes by her church, Calvary Baptist Church in Little Rock, AR.

Now, as many people know, no greater source for good cookin’ exists than getting hold of a church cookbook. Some years back I cooked my way through a cookbook produced by Birchman Baptist Church in Fort Worth. I left almost no recipe untried in my quest to prepare each and every suggestion in that album.

In this recent one from the Little Rock church I’ve already been through and dog-eared (or put sticky notes beside) numerous suggestions, including some I intend to hop right onto for Thanksgiving week. Those that don’t get cooked for this holiday or Christmas for sure will go on a wish list for the new year.

The first that caught my eye was Vegetable Pie, made with baking mix and reminiscent of the baking-mix-underscored crustless pies that have been popular in the past. I liked this one because it gave me an opportunity to tuck in some veggies that have been lingering in the vegetable bin of my refrigerator. Besides the chopped fresh broccoli the recipe mentions, I also added about 1/2 cup chopped carrots and used chopped red pepper instead of green. (I steamed my veggies in the microwave instead of cooking them in boiling water as the recipe states.) These substitutions made for a very colorful end-product.

My subs didn’t end there. I didn’t have enough Cheddar cheese for one cup, so I added bits of shredded Mozzarella and Swiss to the Cheddar I did have on hand. In fact, Hubby recently asked me, “Isn’t the theme of your blog the fact that you don’t need to avoid cooking a recipe just because you don’t have all the ingredients on hand?” Well, sorta. I have become far more adventuresome where subbing what’s available is concerned. I don’t see that mixing the cheeses hurt this recipe one bit.

Long story short, we loved this version of Vegetable Pie (thanks to Calvary’s Jan Harrendorf, who submitted it). We dined on it all weekend and found it to be both nourishing and soothing. I’ve already made an extra pie and put it away in the freezer for meals during rat-race December. Making just one simply wasn’t enough.

Vegetable Pie

2 cups chopped broccoli, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups milk (I used skim)

3/4 cup baking mix (I used lowfat Bisquick)

3 eggs (I used 3/4 cup egg substitute)

1 teaspoon salt (I used salt substitute)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 10-inch pie pan. (I found that using a large-enough pie pan was absolutely crucial so the mix won’t spill over into the oven and will stay contained in the pie pan.) Cook broccoli in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain. Mix broccoli, cheese, onions, and pepper in pie plate. Beat remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour over vegetables. Bake 35 minutes until golden brown. Leftovers may be re-heated.