After reading all of the hoopla over Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook that has raised questions about whether she plagiarized the idea from others or not, I thought I would openly plagiarize one of my wife's excellent recipes.

Now, my wife is an excellent cook, which helps to explain why I currently lead two weight loss classes at our church. Over the years she has developed a number of recipes that are low fat, high fiber, nutritious and delicious.

Since Seinfeld's recipes involved ingenious, if not deceptive, ways to introduce vegetables into the diet of her children, I thought there might be some interest in this particular recipe which does not at all disguise the vegetable involved. Instead, it openly and unashamedly includes one of nature's most perfect vegetables in a very tasty dish which our kids love.

This is not a difficult recipe. However, it does include a pie crust which seems to be a difficult task for some people. I should add here that my wife is employed full time outside of our home and she often comes home after work and prepares this dish in time for us to eat and be off to our normally busy evenings by 7:00 PM. Although, I should add that we frequently work together to get dinner on the table.

Usually, while my wife builds a single pie crust, I prepare the filling likw this. First, prepare one medium bag of frozen broccoli. We like to use the highest quality frozen vegetables. This is especially important when it comes to broccoli, in my opinion. To quote an old comedic recording of the late 70's, "No stems and seeds that you don't need....". You get the point, I'm sure. Use florets if possible, but at least check the bag before you pop it in the microwave and remove any over sized stems that might not be tender when cooked. Cook the broccoli according to the directions on the bag.

After the broccoli has cooked, add one can of cream of mushroom soup, 1/3 cup of milk, two tablespoons of flour. Stir and cook in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Add one 9 oz. can of tuna and mix. Its possible to use a larger can or two 9 oz. cans of tuna. However, we find that one 9 oz. can is sufficient for our family of four.

Trim the pie crust dough and place the trimmed pieces of pie dough on a cookie sheet. Place the pie crust in a pie plate and bake until it is very lightly browned. Place the trimmed pieces of pie dough in the over and bake until they are browned being careful not to get them too brown.

Once the pie crust and trimmed dough pieces are browned, fill the browned pie shell with the broccoli mixture. Cover with grated cheddar cheese. We use reduced fat or no fat cheese and it works fine. Crumble the browned pie crust pieces and spread over the top of the pie. Bake the pie in a 350 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Its a great tasting dish that serves four and provides a healthy portion of broccoli as well as other beneficial nutrients. When its in season we like to have fresh cantaloupe with it. Although we haven't tried this variation, my wife and I have talked about using spinach or possibly even green peas instead of broccoli. I'm sure either of these vegetables would be suitable substitutes.

Okay, so that's my "plagiarized" recipe that helps everyone eat a helping of broccoli and enjoy doing it. If you try it please let me know how it works for you.