Submitted by: Barbara
Adapted from “Vegan Planet” by Robin Robertson (c) 2003
The spanakopita was very tasty. Here’s the recipe, adapted by removing olive oil and salt.
1 pound kale, tough stems removed
Canola or other cooking spray
1 medium yellow onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
One 16-ounce package firm tofu, drained and crumbled
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt substitute
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
One 16-ounce package phyllo pastry, thawed overnight in the refrigerator
1. Coarsely chop the kale and steam until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well, squeezing out any excess moisture. Set aside.
2. Add the onion to a large skillet and cook, covered, with 2 tablespoons water over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Add the kale and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes.
3. Transfer to a food processor and add the tofu, lemon juice, salt substitute, pepper and nutmeg. Process until smooth and set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Unwrap the phyllo pastry and remove 10 sheets. cover with plastic wrap, then a damp towel. Tightly seal the remaining sheets and reserve for another use. Lightly coat a shallow, 10-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Place 1 phyllo sheet into the dish, pressing it gently into the bottom and sides of the dish. Spritz a small amount of cooking spray on the pastry. Top another sheet of pastry and add a little more spray. Repeat with 4 more sheets and spray. Spread the filling on the pastry and smooth the top.
5. Place a sheet of phyllo over the filling, gently pressing to smooth the top. Spray lightly and repeat with the remaining 3 sheets, spritzing each with the cooking spray. Trim the excess pastry to within 1 inch of the baking dish. Roll the trimmed edges inward and tuck into the room of the dish to make a neat edge. Spray the rolled edge.
6. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes, then cut into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes: I used about 5 cloves of garlic to “kick it up a notch.” Had a combination of red and black kale on hand, which turned out OK. Substituted a lemon herb spice blend for the salt. Fresh grated nutmeg is heavenly, so I added several extra pinches. (Powdered nutmeg from a bottle is not a substitute.)
The filling was smooth per the instructions, but I think leaving a little texture in would have been better. Next time I’d process the greens and seasonings lightly, then add the tofu and pulse briefly to combine.
I don’t have a 10×10″ pan, so I used an 8×8″ instead and the filling was pretty thick. I would have been better off with a 10×13″ pan and spreading the kale mixture in a thinner layer between the phyllo sheets.
My only complaint is that the spanakopita was slightly dry. A dribble of tzatziki sauce would have been perfect.
This recipe definitely gets a thumbs up from me!
Posted to Eat-2-Live