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About to embark on a seven-week trip to Europe, I found myself staring at the contents of my fridge wondering what to do with eggs, cheese and vegetables that were too good to throw out, but obviously couldn’t be left to rot. I was wracking my brain, thinking of possible food combinations that wouldn’t sound too much like something Hung would concoct on Top Chef, when I set my eyes on two ready-to-bake pie crusts. You can find them at most grocery stores in the coolers next to eggs, pre-shredded potatoes and cottage cheese, and they are so versatile I always keep a couple in the fridge.

Quiche it is, I though triumphantly as I went through the fridge picking all the other ingredients I needed. The great thing about quiche, other than the fact that everyone loves it, is that you can fill it with virtually anything. I made mine with fat-free ricotta cheese and Egg Beaters (leftovers from a health conscious friend of mine who spent the weekend at my place), and all the veggies I had to get rid of before going on my trip.

Speaking of my trip, while I’m gone I’ll still update this cooking blog once a week. And if you are interesting in travel, you should definitely check out my other blog, Blogs From Abroad.

EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK QUICHES

QUICHE #1: GREEN PEAS, LIMA BEANS AND ROMANO CHEESE

INGREDIENTS:

1 refrigerated ready-to-use pie crust

1 cup frozen (or canned) green peas

1 cup frozen (or canned) lima beans

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups ricotta cheese (fat free or regular, whatever you prefer)

½ cup Egg Beaters (or 2 eggs)

½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Cooking spray

Salt

Pepper

1 tablespoon paprika

Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Remove pie crust from the fridge and let stand at room temperature while you prepare the filling.

Spray a small skillet with cooking spray and sauté chopped onion, green peas and lima beans, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, about two minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Mix two cups of ricotta, Egg Beaters (or eggs), Romano cheese, salt and pepper to taste and paprika in a large bowl. Stir in vegetable mixture until well blended.

Unroll pie crust in a 9 inch pie tin and pour veggie mixture into it. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake for about 45 minutes or until crust and cheese are golden.

QUICHE # 2: ZUCCHINI AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

INGREDIENTS:

1 refrigerated ready-to-use pie crust

1 cup chopped zucchini

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1 cup scallions, sliced

2 cups ricotta cheese (fat free or regular, whatever you prefer)

½ cup Egg Beaters (or 2 eggs)

½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Cooking spray

Salt

Pepper

1 tablespoon paprika

Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Remove pie cust from the fridge and let stand at room temperature while you prepare the filling.

Spray a small skillet with cooking spray and sauté scallions and zucchini, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, about two minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Stir in chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

Mix two cups of ricotta, Egg Beaters (or eggs), Romano cheese, salt and pepper to taste and paprika in a large bowl. Stir in vegetable mixture until well blended.

Unroll pie crust in a 9 inch pie tin and pour veggie mixture into it. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake for about 45 minutes or until crust and cheese are golden.