Clearly, spinach pie is not a salad, but I am switching gears and moving into some dishes that remind me of the cooler weather coming up (hopefully!). This is a huge favorite in my family, and in fact, my oldest daughter in Boston emails me about 4 times a year for the recipe. Her last recent email prompted me to add the recipe this week.

As far as the crust, many of you may have a great recipe for either regular or whole wheat crust. I happen to love this sprouted spelt crust that I find either at Whole Foods or Earth Fare from Wholly Wholesome that comes in a package of two. They have several different types to choose from if either you are pushed for time or just prefer store bought ones.*

Another time saver is to take the frozen spinach out of the freezer the morning of the day you plan to make the pie. This allows the spinach time to thaw on its own which I find makes it much easier later to squeeze all the liquid out. Sometimes I end up having to microwave or cook it a little to finish the thawing process, let it cool a little and place it in a colander. I then simply take several paper towels and press down on the spinach to release all the excess water.

One last time saver is one that requires a little thinking ahead. If I am making brown rice the night before for another dish, I will make extra so that I have 1 cup for this recipe the next day. I have also bought packages of cooked brown rice or grain mixes that only require a little heating up. Otherwise, the first step would be to cook the rice and have it ready in time to assemble the pie before baking.

For the Spinach Pie you will need:

2 pie shells (see above)*
3 12-oz. packages frozen chopped spinach
1 8-oz. package white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons olive oil (to cook the mushrooms and onion in)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1-2 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4-5 large eggs
1 cup shredded cheese (I use an Italian mixture)
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 385 F.

Like I mentioned above, prepare the chopped spinach and squeeze as much water out as possible to avoid a watery filling. Then take a medium size saute' pan and place it on medium heat and add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Saute' the chopped onion until lightly browned and move into a large mixing bowl.

In the same pan, add another tablespoon of olive oil and saute' the mushrooms until lightly cooked and move them to the bowl. Add in the cooked rice, 4 eggs, chopped oregano, nutmeg and chopped spinach and mix well. Stir in the shredded cheeses and salt and pepper and continue to incorporate all of the ingredients. If the mixture is not well incorporated, add in another egg.

Divide the mixture between the 2 pie shells and bake for 40-45 minutes. Take the pies out and let them rest for about 5 minutes, slice and serve. An addition that my family loves is a drizzle of Picapeppa Sauce which you can find in any grocery store. As well, the beauty of making 2 spinach pies is that they freeze so well if you have one leftover.

I hope you enjoy this as much as my family does!