Spanking Good Vegan Spanakopita!

Mediterranean nights are a favorite around this household!  I am glad that a good percentage of the population is coming to the realization that not only is this food tasty, but also has an abundance of health benefits.  Plant based and full of nuts, seeds, legumes and healthy oils...hmmmm, sounds about right!

Traditionally, spanakopita, or spinach pie, is a flaky pastry filled with spinach, onions and feta.  So, to replace the feta, we are going to use crumbled and seasoned tofu to resemble that of the greek cheese.  You will be surprised how close this tastes to the traditional method!  Also, you are able to get much more protein this way, making it a great meal!




You can also play around with this recipe with the preparation.  Having a little get together?  Form the spanakopita into little little triangles to make a perfect finger food.  Or if you are having a family dinner, make a large baking dish!  A great accompaniment is to serve it with tzatziki (a yogurt, cucumber, garlic sauce- of course make it with vegan yogurt or sour cream!).

Vegan Spanakopita

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Ingredients:
phyllo dough (about 8 sheets- thaw according to directions ***note it takes a few hours)
1 lb fresh spinach
1/4 c chopped parsley
1 yellow onion chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 package firm tofu
1 lemon
1/3 c nutritional yeast
1 tbsp evoo plus extra to coat phyllo dough
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Directions
Preheat oven 400.  Take phyllo dough out of package after thawing and cover with moist paper towel. In a large saute pan, heat evoo on medium and saute garlic and onions until slightly brown.  Add in spinach and parsley, stirring frequently.  You may have to do this in a few steps so that your pan is not overflowing with greens.  Once all the spinach is wilted, remove from heat.
For the "feta", drain tofu and crumble with hands.  Remove excess liquid with paper towels and transfer to bowl.  Squeeze in juice from your lemon and add in nutritional yeast and salt and pepper to taste.  Add feta mixture to spinach.  Now it is time to assemble the pie!
In a baking dish, lightly oil the botton and add in about 4 phyllo sheets, folded over.  Lightly brush evoo on top of phyllo and spoon in the spinach mixture evenly until either all gone or until the dish is full.  Top with another 4 folded phyllo sheets and once again, brush evoo on top.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.  Let cool for about 10 minutes and cut into squares.
Opa!