In converting a recipe to Vegan, I generally try to keep in mind all the flavours AND the textures in the non-vegan version. When I decided to make Vegan Spanakopita I became very excited until I remembered that there was crumbled feta in my recipe. Crumbled feta is not Vegan, so I began to think…what oh what can I use to replace the flavour and the unique texture this delicious cheese brings to the table. Yes, I could have omitted it altogether, but then it wouldn’t be as delicious! Some time ago, I’d made a note to marinate tofu in ‘feta’ flavours like lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt, oregano and olive oil…so I did a little experimentation and came up with this version. It’s actually pretty tasty on its own, but I needed it for this recipe so there won’t be marinated tofu on the buffet table, but this spanakopita more than makes up for it. I don’t think the non-vegans will mind this version. But there will be pulled pork and bacon wrapped dates just in case ;-)!
Vegan Spanakopita
A kitcheninspirations original recipe.
Makes about 50, 6 cm (about 3 inch) triangles
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 large sweet onion, sliced thinly
- 5 cloves garlic ~20 g, finely minced
- 500 g zucchini grated (about 2 medium-sized)
- 300 g spinach
- 3-4 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
- 350 g marinated tofu, drained, roughly chopped (recipe below)
- About 8-10 sheets phyllo
- 1/4 cup canola oil
Directions:
- Heat canola oil in a large dutch oven. Add the sliced onion and sweat it out a bit, add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the grated zucchini (click here for some clear steps on making this dish) and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until it has totally wilted.
- Remove from the heat and add the fresh dill, oregano and roughly chopped marinated tofu. Set into a fine sieve and allow to cool and drain.
- Once completely cool, prepare the phyllo sheets by cutting them into 3 cm or 2.5 inch strips and lightly spraying each one with canola oil. Use two strips per triangle. Place one heaping teaspoon of the cooled filling onto one end and start folding into a triangle. Brush or spray lightly all over with the canola oil.
A heaping teaspoon of filling goes at the end.
Begin folding into a triangle and continue until the length is used up.
The nature of the folds covers in the filling very well.
A tidy little triangle.
- Bake at 350°F for 12-14 minutes if saving for the freezer or 116-18 minutes to serve immediately.
- To reheat, place a single layer of the triangles onto a baking sheet and reheat in 300°F for 10 minutes or until golden.
The oil makes the phyllo very crispy.
Marinated Tofu
Makes enough for one batch of Spanakopita (prepare 1-2 days ahead to allow tofu to absorb the marinade flavours)
Ingredients:
- 350 g extra firm tofu
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup EVOO
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground mixed peppercorns
Directions:
- Place the drained tofu on a cutting board over a sink so it’s tilting a bit into the sink. Place another cutting board on top and a heavy cast iron pan. Leave for 30 minutes to drain.
- Meanwhile, combine the apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, water, EVOO, oregano, sea salt and peppercorns and mix well.
- Once drained, dry off the tofu and cut into 1 cm cubes. Place into a glass container and cover with the marinating liquid. Marinate in the refrigerator, shaking the jar intermittently over 1 to 2 days. Drain to use.
Kitcheninspirations 