Dan and I had a wonderful time at the BVS potluck! The food was delicious and the coversations interesting and fun. We're looking forward to February's gathering, weather permitting.

Here's the Spanakoptia Recipe! Taken from: Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Ingredients:

1/4 cup plus 2 T. olive oil, plus extra for brushing the phyllo.
2 bunches fresh spinach, rinsed very well, long stems removed.
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and finely chopped.
3 cloves garlic, minced.
1 cup chopped dill. (I used 1/4 dried)
2 pounds firm tofu, drained and pressed.
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice.
2 tsp. dried oregano.
Dash of ground or freshly grated nutmeg.
3/4 bup finely ground walnuts.
1/4 cup nutritional yeast.
1 tsp. salt.
Several dashes fresh ground black pepper.
1 box frozen phyllo dough, thawed overnight
.
Directions:

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, warm 2 T. of the olive oil over medium heat for a minute, then add the spincach, scallions, garlic, and dill. Add the spinanch in small batches if pot is too full. Suate till completely wilted and soft and a good amount of the liquid has sweated out of the greens. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
In a large separate bowl, mash the drained tofu (use your hands for more control) to a smooth but slightly grainy consistency. Take the cooled spinach mixture by small handfuls and squeeze out as much liquid a humanly possible (discard the liquid); add the squeezed spinach to the tofu. Add the lemon juice, oregano, nutmeg, ground walnuts, 1/4 cup of the olive oil, and the nutritional yeast. Mix well with your hands, season with salt and pepper. Taste the mixture; it should taste pleasantly salty and tangy. Make sure the filling has cooled to room temperature before stuffing into the phyllo dough as directed below.

9x12 Casserole style:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare eight sheets of dough with olive oil. Place one sheet at a time in the pan - brushing each one with olive oil. Pat extra dough up the sides of the pan. Gently spread the spinach mixture on top of the dough. Prepare another eight layers of phyllo (or add a few more layers if you have leftover dough), put on top of spinach layer, and tuck into the sides of the pan any overhanging dough.
Lightly score the top layer of dough into 8 rectangles of equal size (this will prevent the dough from crumbling too much when slicing after it's baked) Brush with lots of olive oil. Bake 35-40 minutes till golden brown, being careful not to let the phyllo burn.

(I was so grateful for Isa's following insturction on working with phyllo dough. Just the thought of working with this paper thin pastry used to make me nervous. But not anymore!)

Isa says:

"Phyllo is full of surprises the first time you handle it. You can't expose it to air for more than a few seconds before it dries out and becomes completely useless, so have on hand several damp, clean kitchen towels and some plastic wrap. Don't spaz out! It's easy once you get the hang of it, and you'll be making phyllo this and that all the time and soon your friends will have to plan some kind of intervention. (TRUE!!! I just baked an apple sturdel made with Phyllo!) To make your life easier, have plenty of workspace on a clean, smooth surface. Since you'll be working with olive oil, have handy one of those pump mist sprayers that you can fill with any oil of choice. Or just have a bowl filled with olive oil and apply with a pastry brush."

My Note: I rolled out the stack of phyllo dough sheets on my kitchen table and then placed a sheet of plastic warp over them and then a damp towel. You will be working with one sheet at at time.

Have fun!

Looking forward to your recipes!

Donna

Fair Trade recipe for
Creamy Pasta with Sauerkraut and Veggie Sausage

1 large chopped onion
2 teaspoons Olive oil
2 cans rinsed sauerkraut
1 ½ cups vegan mayonnaise
2 cups plain soy yogurt
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
½ cup nutritional yeast (not brewer’s)
2 tablespoons cumin
1 teaspoon garlic chopped
1 package thinly sliced at an angle- veggie sausage
¾ cup water
1 cup whole grain thick pasta, cooked al dente and drained
2 chopped tomatoes (to add on top at the end).

River’s notes: you can find all these ingredients at Wegman’s. I used Tofurky Italian Sausages for an extra kick. When I completed the above recipe, I found it bland. I added:
Squirt of lime juice, 2 small cans of mushrooms, black pepper, a lot of caraway seeds, extra cumin, and a little salt.

Boil the water in a large pot and cook the pasta until it is al dente, drain the pasta and add a little olive oil so it doesn’t stick together. Set aside.
Fry the onions and mushrooms together in a little olive oil.
In a separate large bowl, mix the mayo, yogurt, mustard, yeast, cumin, water and any optional spices, until blended.
Add all ingredients together and keep warm in a crock pot.
Just before serving, add some fresh cold, chopped tomatoes on top.
Serves about 8- 10