Our Veggie Kitchen

The weather finally decided to jump into summer around here. And one of my favorite uses for summer herbs is pesto. My cilantro went to seed this year before I could get a single decent harvest, so cilantro pesto will be from the store this year. But my basil is just coming in and my parsley and oregano are out of control, so this pesto was perfect. It's a parsley and oregano pesto with a little basil and lemon zest.

Also, this is good hot or cold. If serving cold, give the pesto some time to rest or the garlic & oregano will be too strong.



Pasta Salad with Greek Pesto
1 lb pasta (penne, fusili, etc)
3 cups green beans, cut into 1-2 inch lengths
Greek Pesto:
1 bunch parsley, divided (about 2 cups, loosely packed)
1/2 cup basil loosely packed, divided
1/4 cup oregano loosely packed, divided
2 Tbs cashews
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 lemon, zested & juiced
1 tbs miso
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt

For the pesto: Chop up the herbs, mix well and reserve half. Put the other half in a food processor or blender, with the other ingredients. Puree into a paste. Mince the remaining herbs, then add to the paste. Pulse to combine. If using with cold pasta, let rest for at least an hour or, preferably in the refrigerator overnight. If using on hot pasta, you can use it right away. The heat will mellow the raw flavor of freshly minced garlic.

For the pasta: Combine the pasta and green beans in boiling water and cook until the pasta is al dente. Drain. For cold pasta salad, plunge into cold water to cool the pasta. Drain and stir in the pesto. For hot pasta, drain, return to the pan and stir in the pesto.

Note: my blender doesn't handle this quantity of pesto well. I either make a double batch with the blender or I use a coffee grinder for a single batch. Pesto freezes well, so I usually do a double batch.

5 Servings: 471 cal (12g fat, 77g carbs, 15g protein)

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

Feta Cheese, Parmesan, an eggy, creamy bechamel sauce and, of coarse, fresh eggplant and zucchini; these were the cornerstones of my favorite Moussaka. It's a little non-vegan, though, and a little on the fatty side. I've wanted to recreate this for a while and finally had cause to do so.

Recently, I've had a couple of breakthroughs that lead me to revisit this dish. First, I stumbled upon a fake feta in the Uncheese Cookbook that I had to try. I made a batch, used some in a spinach/kalamata calzone and had lots left over. Second, I'd been playing with ground flax and was wondering if I could make a custard-like bechamel with flax.

This vegan moussaka is firm and flavorful, not at all greasy, and adds a nutty flavor. The flax made the sauce more creamy than custard-like and flavored the sauce in a very positive way. The tofu feta has a flavor and texture similar to real feta. The tomato/lentil sauce is subtle and not at all overpowering. The eggplant is a predominant flavor.

Please note, though, this moussaka is an endeavor. The 'feta' marinades for, at least, a couple days. You'll spend an hour chopping and baking veggies, and it'll bake in the oven for another hour. Moussaka takes some work and planning, but it is well worth it for a treat or special occasion.



Vegan Moussaka
Layers:
2-3 medium eggplants, peeled and sliced (1/2" slices)
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
3 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 recipe 'Betta Feta' (Recipe follows)
1/4 cup ground almonds
Sauce:
1 Onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs white wine vinegar
14 oz diced tomatoes
14 oz can lentils, drained
1 tbs oregano, chopped
2 tbs parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Bechamel:
3 tbs Earth Balance Margarine
3 tbs flour
2 cups unsweetened soy milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbs ground flax seed

VEGETABLES: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the eggplant and sprinkle both sides liberally with salt and leave in a colander or propped baking sheet. Allow to drain for 20-30 minutes. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Spread potatoes evenly on the sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, until slightly browned, turning once. Slice the zucchini and set aside. Thoroughly rinse the eggplant slices, pat dry and bake in the same way as the potatoes, for about 30 minutes. The zucchini need not be cooked, so long as it is sliced very thin, around 1/8 inch. If you like thicker zucchini slices, bake the slices until they begin to soften. I don't like soft zucchini, so I don't precook them.

SAUCE: Saute the onions, adding garlic just before done. Cook until fragrant and add the vinegar and let reduce. Add the tomatoes, including juices and 1/2 can of lentils (and ½ of the juices), and the oregano, parsley and cinnamon. Let simmer for about 15 minutes and set aside.

BECHAMEL: Melt the margarine and stir in the flour, stirring out the lumps. Remove from heat and add the milk. Return to heat and cook the sauce until it thickens. Set a side and let cool slightly. Stir in ground flax seed.

TO ASSEMBLE: Layer the eggplant in a 9 x 13 casserole. Add the Potatoes and zucchini. Pour the tomato/onion sauce evenly over the potatoes, then spread the crumbled feta. Repeat with eggplant, potatoes, zucchini, tomato/onion and feta. Pour the bechamel over the top and sprinkle with parmesan the ground almonds. Cover and bake at 350° for 1 hour. Remove the cover for the last 15 minutes.

6 Servings: 421 cal (15g fat, 55g carbs, 20g protein)

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