Hey Everyone!
A word of caution to this recipe: Phyllo pastry is very delicate and hard to work with if you have never done so before. If you are just starting out, it is best to do one large pie instead of individual triangles as shown in the picture. Now for the good news! This recipe is AMAZING. I tried it on my step-daughter and partner who are both extreme lovers of spano and they both agreed that it tastes like the real deal! I was so excited when I tasted it too, because spanakopita is something I have sorely missed since becoming a vegan. Well, no more! I’m currently got a dozen made up in the freezer (yup, they freeze well too! Just leave them unbaked and put them is a good container or large ziplock bag).
What you’ll need:
- one package phyllo pastry
- 1 cup melted vegan margarine
- 1 package frozen chopped spinach
- 1/2 a block of firm tofu
- 1 cup daiya mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 a chopped red onion
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 2 cups fresh cut dill
- 4 tbsp flax seed mixed with 6 tbsp water
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- Salt to taste
What you do:
To make the filling, first place the thawed chopped spinach in a colander and squeeze the water out. place in large mixing bowl and crumble in the tofu. Next, add the daiya, onion, garlic, dill, salt and lemon juice. Mix and taste. Now, add the flax/water mixture. This acts as your egg replacer and binds the filling together. Taste again, You can add more salt or lemon juice to suit your taste.
If you want to make the small triangles, follow these directions: Take one sheet of phyllo an lye it on a large cutting board (large enough so non hangs over. I usually put two cutting boards together to achieve this). With a pastry brush, cover entire sheet in melted margarine. Place another sheet on top and repeat. Do this for a total of three layers. Now cut the sheets lengthwise to make three long strips. At the bottom of each, place a generous spoonful of filling. Fold from left to right on an angle to make a little triangle. You will see you have an open side. You want to take this side and fold in the opposite direction of what you just did to close it up. Keep folding with the goal of always trying to fold and ‘close up’ the outer edge until you get to the top. There will be a thin strip left at the top that will just fold over and stick to the triangle with a bit of margarine. Brush both sides with margarine and place on a baking tray. Repeat with the other two sections, then start with another set. When you have a full tray, bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes per side. They should be brown and crispy when you pull them out.
If this seems too confusing or difficult, don’t worry! You can still have spanakopita goodness. Simply place a sheet of phyllo is a large pan (pie dishes work well) and brush with butter. Repeat about 8 times then place all the filling inside. Now start making phyllo/margarine layers on top until it is all sealed in. Brush the top with margarine and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees. The top will brown nicely and viola! You have a spinach pie!
