Cream pie a good use for zucchini

Dear Jeanne: This is another way I use my zucchini; it's like a custard pie, it's great. What can you do to lighten it? — Shirley Miller, Hagerstown, Md.

Dear Shirley: This is a new way to use zucchini! The vegetable cannot even be detected if it's peeled. It really is like a custard. I always feel bad throwing away perfectly good vegetables, so I used the peeled skins by chopping them up and adding them to soup. You really could add them to anything, as they are not strongly flavored and are very tender. You even could add them to the pie, but then they would be recognizable. I didn't want to waste the rest of the milk, and the pie was very firm, so I added the whole can.

ZUCCHINI CREAM PIE

1 1/2 cups zucchini, peeled, seeded and sliced

1 cup half-and-half

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch salt

1 9-inch single pie crust

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Boil zucchini until tender. Drain.

2. Put the zucchini, half-and-half, sugar, eggs, butter, flour, vanilla and salt into a blender and blend until smooth.

3. Pour into the unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake at 425 F for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 F and bake until set.

Makes 8 servings.

LOW-FAT ZUCCHINI CREAM PIE

1 1/2 cups peeled, seeded and grated zucchini

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated skim milk

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 egg white

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt