vegan spanakopita and uncheese

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Vegan Spanakopita Hirsch with Stepaniak's Cheese Substitutes

 

Recipe By :Hirsch; Stepaniak (UNCHEESE COOKBOOK)

Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :1:30

Categories : New Import

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

COTTAGE CHEESE SUBSTITUTE:

1 pound Tofu Lite Extra Firm -- drained and mashed

3/4 cup tofu mayonnaise

3 teaspoons finely chopped onion

2 garlic cloves -- finely minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground dill seed

FETA CHEESE SUBSTITUTE:

1 pound Tofu Lite Extra Firm -- drained; 1/4-inch cubes

2 cups water

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons finely minced onion

1 clove garlic -- finely minced

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/4 teaspoon ground dill seed

FETA CHEESE MARINADE:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 clove garlic -- finely minced

PITA:

1 pound frozen phyllo dough package

1/2 pound kale or spinach leaves

1 large onion -- diced

2 tablespoons olive oil -- (2 to 3)

 

1. CHEESE. Start by making the cottage cheese substitute. Place all ingredients

in a large bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands or a wooden spoon. Don't use

a food processor, as you want the cheese to be lumpy, not pureed. Can be used

immediately or stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

 

2. To make the feta cheese, combine cheese ingredients in a sauce pan. Bring the

mixture to a boil over a medium-high flame, then reduce to a simmer for 20

minutes. Stir occasionally. Drain the tofu and set aside in a bowl.

 

3. To make the marinade for the feta cheese, whisk all ingredients together in a

bowl, then pour over the feta cheese tofu and toss to coat. Cover and chill

several hours, stirring occasionally. Once marinated, the tofu feta can be

stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

 

4. SPANAKOPITA: Preheat the oven to 350F. Remove the phyllo dough from its

package and cover with a damp cloth. Wash the kale or spinach, remove any thick

stems. Finely chop the leaves.

 

5. In a medium saute pan, cook the onion in 1 tablespoon olive oil until

translucent, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

 

6. Drain the feta cheese and crumble into a large bowl. Add the cottage cheese

and mix well. Add the onions and kale, then use your hands to mix everything

until very well combined.

 

7. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the bottom of a lasagna pan with olive

oil. Place a layer of phyllo dough (2 or 3 sheets) over the bottom of the pan,

curling the excess up the sides.

 

8. Lightly brush the phyllo with olive oil and spread a 1/4- to 1/2-inch layer

of kale and tofu filling on it. Cover the mixture with another layer of phyllo

dough, again layering any excess dough up the sides of the pan.

 

9. Brush the phyllo with more olive oil and repeat the process until all the

kale and tofu mixture has been used, or top of the pan is reached. Cap the pita

with a final layer of phyllo dough and brush with oil.

 

10. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top of the phyllo begins to brown lightly.

Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.

 

SERVE it warm at dinner. It's also good cold. Makes 12 servings.

 

COMMENT: Note his comment about almost no fat. Light tofu contains fat; about

35% of the calories of tofu come from vegetable fat. -kpatH

 

TIPS - Prepare the tofu cheeses the night before to speed up this recipe.

 

TIPS - While working with phyllo dough, it is important to keep the unused

portions covered with a damp towel. Otherwise the sheets will dry out and become

too brittle to work with. Since phyllo typically is purchased frozen, let it

thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using it. Letting it thaw at room

temperature can make it mushy.

 

Source:

" VEGETARIAN COOKING: Associated Press J.M. Hirsch 11-26-2002 "

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 264 Calories; 11g Fat (49.3% calories

from fat); 13g Protein; 12g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 4mg Cholesterol;

882mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0

Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

 

NOTES : [AP excerpts] In her book, " The Uncheese Cookbook " (Book Publishing

Co.), Joanne Stepaniak offers dozens of recipes for marinating and seasoning

tofu into tasting like various cheeses. For a dish such as spanakopita where it

isn't necessary for the cheese to melt pizza-style, these tofu cheeses are

perfect.

 

REVIEW: We use her recipes (only slightly modified) for the feta and ricotta (or

cottage) cheese called for in our family's traditional recipe for Spanakopita

(pita) recipe. Our tinkering with this recipe had an additional benefit. Minus

the cheese, this dish contains little fat other than the slight bit of olive oil

used to moisten the sheets of phyllo. The recipe may seem a bit intricate (while

making it recently with Mom, she muttered, " It's not fun to make " ), but it

really does speed along and the result is well worth the effort. See Tips.

 

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 3744 0 0 0 506 0 0 0 0 0 20220 0 0 0 506 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

4453 773 0 0