Spanakopita Triangles with Spinach & Vegan Feta Cheese

This MoFo recipe comes from Greece. I've always wanted to play with phyllo sheets but didn't know how difficult they were to work with. They rip really easily and will dry out fast, so keeping them covered with a damp towel constantly is a must. But in the end, it was worth the extra headache because these little triangles came out tasting great.

I used this recipe for the Feta Cheese. I also went with frozen spinach instead of fresh because it was cheaper and required less work. I served these triangles with a side of salad and greek green beans.

If you plan on making these ahead of time, freeze them right after folding. When you are ready to serve, bake them straight from the freezer, just add an additional 10 minutes to their baking time.

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Makes about 14 Spanakopita Triangles

Ingredients

* 2 Tb olive oil

* 2 lbs of fresh spinach ( or 20 oz of frozen spinach, thawed and drained )

* 1/2 cup fresh parsley ( or 1 tsp dried parsley )

* 1/2 lbs vegan feta cheese ( recipe below )

* pinch of nutmeg

* salt and pepper to taste

* 1/2 cup melted butter or olive oil

* 1 package frozen phyllo pastry

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a baking sheet lightly with olive oil.

2. To make the filling, heat 2 Tb olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat, let cool and drain in a colander, then squeeze as much water out as you can from the spinach. Chop spinach. ( Only if using fresh spinach, if using frozen spinach, skip this step )

3. In a large bowl, combine chopped spinach, parsley, feta cheese and nutmeg. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

4. To make the triangles. Add melted butter in a small bowl with a pastry brush. Lay flatten layer of phyllo sheets on a counter top and cover loosely with a damp towel.

5. Place one piece of phyllo dough on a cutting board, brush with melted butter, top with another layer of phyllo sheet, brush with more butter, and add a third layer of phyllo sheet on top.

6. Slice the buttered phyllo stack lengthwise into strips that are about 3 inches wide. You should get about 3 to 4 slices.

7. On one strips spoon about 1 tablespoon of spinach and feta cheese filling at one end of the phyllo strip.

8. Fold one corner of the phyllo over the filling to the other edge to make a triangle.

9. Fold the filling end over and keep repeating throughout the strip.

10. Put the finished phyllo triangle seam side down on a baking sheet and cover with another damp towel.

11. Continue doing this until all the filling is gone. Right before baking brush more melted butter on top of each phyllo triangle.

12. Bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately after the cool time.

Vegan Feta Cheese

Ingredients

* 8 oz extra firm tofu, pressed and drained

* 1 Tb water

* 2 tsp yellow miso paste

* 1/8 cup red wine vinegar

* 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

* 1/2 tsp salt

* 1 tsp dried basil

* 1/2 tsp dried oregano

* 1/8 tsp dried rosemary

* 1 Tb nutritional yeast

Directions

1. Press and drain tofu and then add it to a medium sized bowl. Break it apart using a fork into large pieces.

2. In a separate small bowl, whisk all the remaining ingredients, except for the nutritional yeast, together.

3. Pour over tofu and mix with a fork, breaking it apart more into smaller pieces .

4. Sprinkle nutritional yeast over mixture and mix again. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste, if desired.