Our Veggie Kitchen

I had a couple reasons for making spanakopita. The first, and most obvious, is that I like spinach and feta and flaky crust. The second reason is that I'd never worked with phyllo dough and I've been looking for a replacement for pie crust.

You see, I had unwittingly been making tofu quiche with lard-filled pie crusts for some time. And the other options aren't too appealing. Most lard-free pie crusts have trans fat. Making a pie crust from scratch is more effort than a quiche is worth. Maybe phillo dough was the answer.

The crust turned out light and flaky; even better than any pie crust I'd had. I didn't mess with folding up individual pastries and I'm glad I didn't. The pie was perfect. The only thing I might change next time is the spice mix. As I poked about the internet, I found that there were a broad range of spices used, but most went with dill or oregano. My wife thought it was a bit off. I liked it and it was even better the next day. But, next time, I may go with dill instead.



Spanakopita
1 lb baby spinach (or 2 bunches spinach, washed & stemmed), chopped
1 bunch green onions, whites only, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano (or 1 tbs fresh)
1/2 tsp dried basil (or 1/2 tbs fresh)
1 tbs ground flax seed
1/2 small lemon, juiced
8 oz phyllo dough
1/2 recipe Betta Feta Tofu(see below), crumbled

For the filling:
Add the spinach, onions, parsley, spices, and garlic to a saute pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach has wilted and most of the liquid has cooked off. Remove from heat and stir in the crumbled Feta Tofu, lemon juice and ground flax. Set aside until the pie crust is ready.


For the pie crust:
Individually, brush each piece of phyllo on both sides lightly with olive oil. Place the first piece of phyllo in the pie pan so that about half of the sheet hangs over the pie dish. Brush the next piece place it so that it mostly, but not completely, overlaps the first piece. Working this way, fan the sheets around the pie sheet until the bottom is covered and you've run out of phyllo sheets.

Assembly:
Fill the pie dish with the spinach filling. Fold the overhanging phyllo sheets over onto the top of the pie. Spray the top with olive oil spray, just to coat. Put the pie in an oven, preheated to 350 degrees. Bake, uncovered for about 40 minutes, until the crust is golden and flaky.

4 Servings: 404 Cal (21g fat, 42g carbs, 12g protein)

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Betta Feta
1 lb firm tofu, drained
1 1/2 cup water, + more to cook tofu
1/2 cup light miso
3 tbs white wine vinegar
2 tsp salt

Cube tofu into 1" cubes. Submerge in boiling water and simmer for about 5 minutes. Drain. Whisk together the water, miso, vinegar and salt. Put cubes into a marinade container and pour marinade over the tofu. Stir gently and refrigerate. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 days or up to 1 week. Shake the container periodically until used. To use, remove from the marinade and crumble each cube with your fingers and use in place of feta. Use within 2 weeks.

Source: The Uncheese Cookbook