Vegan Spinach Pie (Spanikopita)

There are a few foods from my childhood that are very memorable and make me think of comforting family time. One of these is Spanikopita..Greek spinach pie. Traditionally my grandmother would brush butter between the thin layers of philo dough and the spinach filling was bursting with feta cheese and used eggs. I set out to create a vegan version, and I was very pleased with how it came out. I replaced the butter with vegetable oil, and I prefer the lighter, flakier pastry. I used tofu and nutritional yeast in the filling and it was amazing.

 My proudest moment with this recipe is that my boys gobbled this up! I am pretty sure Joseph ate three pieces, and then as I was cleaning up he asked me to put it in his lunch for tomorrow. It blessed my little Greek heart!

Vegan Spanikopita

1 medium onion diced
3 garlic cloves minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup Braggs liquid aminos (or soy sauce)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper
1 cup chopped fresh dill
16 oz frozen chopped spinach
14 oz firm tofu
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 roll of frozen philo dough, thawed
vegetable oil

1. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Warm 1 tbsp of vegetable oil, then add onion, garlic and red pepper flakes. When the onions are translucent add the wine, Braggs, & lemon juice.

2. When the liquid is boiling add the spinach. Toss to combine and cook until the spinach is warm. Season with salt and pepper. Crumble the Tofu into the spinach mix using your hands. Add nutmeg dill and nutritional yeast. Stir well.

3. Prepare a 9X13 pan by brushing it with vegetable oil using a pastry brush. Lay one sheet of the Philo pastry in the bottom of the pan. Lightly brush the pastry sheet with oil and add another sheet. Repeat the process until you have used 10 sheets.

4. Pour the spinach filling on top of the prepared pastry sheets. Cover the spinach filling with a sheet of pastry, brush the pastry sheet with oil and  layer with another sheet of philo. Continue the layering technique until you run out of pastry sheets.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the top layers of the philo are golden brown.

Product Review: Mung Bean Fetuccini

Mung Bean Fettuccine 

I know, I know...all of you Italians out there are horrified. :) Mung Beans? My only knowledge of mung beans until very recently was that Creed from the office sprouts them in his desk and in his words. "they smell like death." Not very good press for mung beans.

For the past year though I have been gluten free, and one of the things that I miss the most is PASTA!!! Growing up in NJ pasta had its own section of the food store and its own table at pot lucks. I always especially liked spinach fettuccine. Yesterday we popped into Whole Foods to get a few things, and I spied these noodles. They looked just like the noodles from my childhood! I thought I would take a chance. Sooooooo glad I did.

These noodles cook up really well. They are a bit thinner than the traditional spinach fettuccine but they taste pretty much the same. GLORY! The big +...they have 25g of protein per serving, two ingredients (mung beans & water), they are vegan, gluten free, and oh yeah, did I mention delicious? I am excited!

I had some of these for lunch simply with salt, pepper, a drizzle of EVOO and some nutritional yeast flakes. They would be fabulous with a home-made pesto. If you are looking for a good recipe try this one: http://sarahsfreshlife.blogspot.com/search?q=pesto

Thai Tofu Triangles With Coconut Peanut Sauce

I found a recipe for Thai Tofu Triangles, and it was pretty good, but there were a few things that I felt needed changing, so this is my updated and improved version. It is very very yummy. As I dished it out all I could think was...My kids are so spoiled! It is a very beautiful and impressive dish to look at and it had some bold flavors. One of the things that make this dish so versatile is the ability to use either fresh or frozen veggies. If you have fresh...great! But it is really nice to just throw some frozen veggies in a pan and add the sauce and tofu to some rice...bam...done. The one disagreeable aspect of this recipe is that it requires multiple pans. The tofu, rice, sauce and veggies all require their own pan. In the end I think it is worth it because the end product is so good.

Thai Tofu Triangles

2-4 cups of chopped mixed veggies
 (we used Trader Joe's Harvest Blend, extra pepper strips, snow peas and broccoli)
1 block firm tofu
2 tbsp veggie oil
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger root
1 medium onion finely diced
1 tbsp siracha chili sauce
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 lime juiced
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce (or Braggs Liquid Aminos for GF)
1 tbsp red Thai curry paste

1. Prepare the tofu: Cut the tofu into slices and then into triangles and pat dry with a paper towel. Mix together the oil, garlic, cumin, coriander, pepper & ginger. Combine the marinade with the tofu in either a storage container or zip-top bag. Seal the container and shake to evenly coat the tofu. Let the tofu stand in the marinade for at least 20 min. You can do this ahead of time and leave it in the fridge. The longer it sits the stronger it will taste.

2. Prepare your veggies while you make your sauce and saute the tofu. I sauteed mine in a wok with some water, salt and pepper to start. Heat a skillet over medium heat. When it is good and hot add your tofu. Cook about 7 minutes on each side or until the tofu is golden brown and crispy.

3. While your veggies and tofu are cooking make the coconut peanut sauce: In a medium sauce pan saute the onions in a tbsp of water with a pinch of salt until they are translucent. Add the peanut butter, coconut milk, siracha, lime juice, soy sauce and curry paste and whisk to combine. Simmer the sauce for 5-8 minutes. If you feel your sauce is getting too thick, thin it out with some water.

4. Serve veggies and tofu over rice or quinoa topped with sauce.

Onion Pancakes (vegan & gluten free)

Do you ever have a lot of onions? This week I bought a five pound bag for $1. Excellent value, but some of those onions needed to be used immediately, and I really wanted to make something tasty and interesting with them. I came across a recipe that I altered to be vegan and gluten free. It worked out really well and everyone enjoyed it. The prep is minimal and they bake in the oven instead of pan fry which cuts down on the mess and keeps it healthy.

Onion Pancakes

2 1/2 cups diced onions (about 3 medium)
2 green onions finely sliced
3 cloves garlic finely diced
3/4 cup gluten free flour (I used Bob's Red Barn)
2 tbsp cornmeal
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp thyme leaves
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup unflavored, unsweetened non-dairy milk


1.  Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Prepare and combine the onion, green onion & garlic in a small bowl. Combine all the dry ingredients and spices in a medium mixing bowl. Toss the onion mix with the dry mix, then whisk in the milk with a fork.

2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray the parchment with cooking spray. Drop the batter by tablespoon fulls onto the parchment paper, and spread the onions gently so they are not in a mound in the middle. Give the pancakes about 3 inches to spread. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are just brown. Serve warm with salsa and guacamole.

Product Review: Masaman Curry Paste

Our favorite local Thai Restaurant sells amazing Masaman Curry, it is my husband's favorite. I have tried to replicate it a few times semi-successfully, but on a recent trip to the Kam Man Asian market with a friend I found this. ( I have since also found it at Whole Foods) It is amazing! This little magic can contains a spice paste full of wonderful things: tamarind, onion, lemongrass etc... There are no funky/fake ingredients, and the directions are easy. (if you get the can with English directions)

Most of the time when I make it I use chickpeas, potatoes, peanuts and lots of veggies, pretty much whatever is in the fridge/freezer that I can throw at the pot. The spice paste needs to be sauteed with some coconut milk first, then you add more coconut milk, some veggie stock, and all your veggies. You can add any meat if you like. Keith likes it with chicken. Cook it all up for about 20 min and you are done. Serve it up over rice, it is great.

Vegan Gluten Free Baked Oatmeal

In our house we sometimes get into a breakfast rut, mostly as a result of my inability to peel myself off my bed and my husband's affinity for the snooze button. Cereal is my best friend. We buy good cereal. I am pretty sure my kids don't even know what Lucky Charmes or Cocoa Puffs taste like. But seriously...cereal every day can get a little bor-ing. I also know that my family's day starts with breakfast, and it fuels the rest of their day. We always start with water to help re-hydrate everyone. If you don't drink water first thing in the morning. I would challenge you to try it for a week. It really does amazing things.

Back to breakfast...I saw a baked oatmeal recipe floating around Facebook that looked like it might be interesting. When I posted it on my wall so I could find it again it got mixed reviews so I knew it could be improved upon. (you know that's how I roll) This is my revamped version that uses pumpkin pure instead of eggs, non-dairy milk, and coconut milk replacing the butter. I also simplified the mix-ins. I personally felt there was a lot going on. I used raisins and chocolate chips. I forgot the walnuts by mistake (Timothy was happy) but I would add any nuts or seeds you like. This recipe would lend itself very well to the incorporation of fox or chia seeds. Fresh fruit will also work with this recipe. I would cut the amount back from 1 cup to 3/4 cup to reduce excess moisture.

 The end product is sturdy enough to eat as a bar on the run, or you can eat it like oatmeal. I saved myself morning time by baking this the night before. We then cut pieces and poured warm almond milk on it. It was fabulous! It keeps well and still tasted great 3 days later. I am excited to break the monotony and have another easy and nutritious option. Enjoy!

Vegan Gluten Free Baked Oatmeal

2 cups gf oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup walnuts
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips or carob chips
2 cups non dairy milk (I used a coconut/almond mix)
3 tbsp coconut oil melted
1 tbsp vanilla
1/3 cup pumpkin pure (you could also try apple sauce if you like)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Grease a 9x13 baking pan

In  a medium mixing bowl combine the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Fold the walnuts, raisins, and chocolate chips into the dry mix.  In a separate bowl whisk together the milk, pumpkin, vanilla and coconut oil. Spread the dry mix evenly in the baking pan, then slowly pour the wet mixture over the dry. Gently tap the pan on your work surface to ensure even distribution. Bake 35-40 minutes until the oatmeal is set.
*You may eat this right away, it is very tasty, but it will not solidify into a cut-able consistency until it cools and sets.