Awesome Spinach Spanikopita
1 package frozen spinach, chopped & strained
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup nuts (whatever you like best, pistachios work great)
10 full size sheets of filo dough
12 oz firm regular tofu, crumbled
2 large potatoes, cooked and mashed (add a little soy milk to soften)
salt and pepper to taste
A 5 x 11 Pyrex pan - or something close to it in size - OILED
Begin by mashing the cilantro and nuts together with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until you have a lovely aromatic bright green paste, resembling pesto. This can be simplified by a food processor, or if you add a little extra oil, a blender will do.
Next, combine the tofu with the spinach, then add the above pesto-like paste to your mixture. Stir and set aside.
Lightly brush oil onto your filo dough sheets, one by one. Use six of your oiled sheets, folding each sheet in half, and line the oiled pan.
Using a tablespoon, evenly and gently plop globs of your spinach/tofu combination onto the filo in the pan. Gently smooth out, trying not to press too hard on the filo.
Likewise, gently and evenly plop globs of mashed potato on top of the spinach. (You can be very fancy, and use fanned out thinly sliced potatoes instead, but I prefer the mashed - comforting and creamy) Salt and pepper to taste.
Repeat the oiling and folding procedure with the remaining filo until you have used up all the sheets. If the sheets hang over the edges of the pan, you can gently cut the edges off with scissors.
Bake at 350 degrees covered for about 25 minutes. Then continue baking until the top layers of filo turn a golden brown - about another 15 minutes.
Cut into six pieces and serve. Your friends - even the non-vegan ones will be delighted. It is well balanced in protein, carbs etc - and I could eat this FOREVER!
SO HOW'D IT GO?
if you don't like the mashed potato, I really recommend cooked couscous. there is a veg place under the building i work in that does a spakitopia like this with it, and it goes reallllllllly good.
I like the idea of a vegan version of the true Greek recipe. In their recipe, the dish contains eggs as a binding agent. What is the substitute for the eggs in this recipe? How does it stay together? Is the tofu the substitute for the feta cheese? What spices besides S&P can be added? Dill? Potatoes? Why? Looking forward to trying this recipe.
This recipe is SO GOOD. I like it because it has minimal ingredients and is easy to make. I added a little onion and garlic powder to the tofu. This dish eaten the next day reminded me a little of "tortilla espanola" (an egg and potato dish similar to quiche but with no crust made in Spain). YUM.