Spanakopita (Vegan, Dairy-Free)

Growing up, my sister would make us Spanakopita (or, Greek Spinach and Feta Pie) on special occasions.  I loved it, and even ate it when I was allergic to feta cheese.  Why care about a skin rash when it tasted so good? :p

A couple years back, I became aware that you CAN make Spanakopita vegan AND dairy free.  Besides solving my allergy situation, I could also feed this to my vegan dad!  

This recipe is modeled off of the Vegan Word's recipe.  It required quite a few steps, but it was well worth the time.  Try it, fall in love, and repeat!

Ingredients:

10 sheets phyllo pastry
3 tablespoons oil or tahini for brushing the phyllo pastry
1 tablespoon oil
15 cups fresh spinach (about one large Costco pack), steamed, cooled, and drained (squeeze out any excess amounts of water)
1 onion, diced into small pieces
2 cloves garlic, chopped into fine pieces
3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
6 green onions, chopped, making sure the white parts are chopped finely
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground chili pepper *optional*

Vegan Feta (to prepare beforehand)
1/2 pack drained extra firm tofu, crumbled into feta size pieces
1 tablespoon miso
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1.5 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon  dried thyme
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons tahini

Vegan Ricotta (to prepare beforehand or while cooking) 
1/2 pack drained extra firm tofu, pat dried with a towel
1/4 cup cashews
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon oil
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Following these instructions exactly will provide the best results.

1. Prepare the vegan feta by mixing the miso, rice vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, nutritional yeast, and tahini in a separate bowl.  Gently pour the sauce over the crumbled tofu, mix, and marinate in the fridge for at least 8 hours.
2. Prepare the vegan ricotta, by blending the tofu, cashews, lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt, and nutritional yeast until it forms a thick paste.  Set aside.
3. When the cheeses are ready, you can now begin assembling your spanakopita!  Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and greasing a 9x13 baking pan with oil or tahini.
4. Layer the first phyllo sheet into the tray and brush oil or tahini over the sheet.  Layer another phyllo sheet on the top of that and brush again with oil or tahini.  Repeat until you have done this for five phyllo sheets.
5. Bake the five phyllo sheets for 10 minutes in the oven.  Then, set aside.
6. In a fry pan, warm 1 tablespoon of oil.  Add the onions and saute until lightly golden brown.
7. Add the garlic, dill, mint, green onions, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and optional ground chili pepper to the fry pan.  Sautee with the onions for about 3 minutes.  Then, remove from heat and set aside.
8. In a large bowl, mix the spinach, fry pan mixture, vegan feta, and vegan ricotta until well combined.
9.   Spread the spinach mixture evenly over the pre-baked phyllo dough layers.

10. Place a phyllo sheet over the spinach mixture and brush oil or tahini over the sheet.  Then, layer another phyllo sheet on top of that and brush again with oil or tahini.  Repeat until you have done this for five phyllo sheets.
11.  Cut through the top layers of the phyllo sheets and spinach mixture, making serving size squares. Do not cut through the bottom layers of the pre-baked phyllo sheets.  This makes it easy to cut clean pieces prior to serving.
12.  Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, and broil for one to two minutes to get a nice lightly golden brown color on top (watch the spanakopita carefully as ovens all vary)!
13.  Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for 20 minutes.  Cut through the bottom layers of the dough, following the square lines made previously.
14.  Serve and eat while warm or at room temperature.
15.  Store any leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days, making sure to reheat in an oven prior to serving.

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Halah Bakes Double Crust Apple Pie (Vegan)

This apple pie was awesome. The crust stayed crisp and there was no fear of a "soggy bottom." The apple filling is sweet, yet not too sweet. Try it out and let me know how it goes!

Ingredients:

For the double crust - for a 10 inch pie pan:

1 cup oil

2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

7 to 8 tablespoons cold water

For the filling:

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons coconut oil

8 to 9 cups sliced and pared Golden Delicious apples (about 9 apples)

Instructions:

Following these instructions exactly will provide the best results.

1. Combine flour, salt, and sugar into a bowl. Mix well.
2. Pour the oil into the flour mixture and mix until you get small crumbs the size of peas.
3. Add in 1 tablespoon of water at a time. Mixing the dough between tablespoons with a fork. Stop when the dough begins to leave the sides of the bowl. For me, this only required 7 tablespoons of cold water.
4. With hands, gather the dough into a ball and split into two. Roll each half into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap until your filling is ready.
5. Prep your filling by mixing all filling ingredients together in a bowl.
6. Roll out 1 of the balls of dough to be about 2 to 3 inches larger than the base of the pie pan (this will ensure that the sides of the pan are covered with dough). I recommend flouring the surface you will be rolling on and the rolling pin lightly. Place the rolled out dough into your pie pan. Fill in any cracks (pressing excess dough into the cracks gently) using excess dough from the dough overhanging the sides of the pie pan.
7. Fill the pie with the apple mixture. Note: the flour added to the apple mixture will prevent the filling from getting too wet and making the bottom of the pie soggy.
8. Now roll out the 2nd ball of dough so that it completely covers the top of the pie. Cut off and discard any excess dough. Using a fork, press down the edges of the dough.
9. Cut slits on the top of the crust so that the apple mixture can thicken in the oven and to prevent a soggy pie bottom.
10. Bake the pie for 50 minutes at 450 degrees, but cover the edges of the pie with tin foil. After 40 minutes, remove the tin foil from the sides of the pie and allow the pie to bake for the last 10 minutes completely uncovered. This prevents the edges from getting too brown. When the pie is done, the crust will be a golden brown color and the apple filling will be bubbling through the slits.
11. Serve with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

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Vegan Whole Wheat "Buttermilk" Biscuits

This recipe does not taste vegan at all. The biscuits are fluffy and soft. This is because it uses "vegan buttermilk" which is basically a mixture of a non-dairy milk (like almond or soy milk) with an acid (like vinegar or lemon juice). Instead of 1 cup of buttermilk, you just have to mix 1 cup of non-dairy milk combined with 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and let both sit for about 5 minutes. In baking, you won't taste a difference!

Ingredients:

Vegan Buttermilk:
3/4 cups to maximum 1 cup almond milk (or another type of non-dairy milk)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar (you can also use lemon juice or another clear vinegar)

Other Ingredients:
1/4 cup oil
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Following these instructions exactly will provide the best results.

1. Mix whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl.
2. Pour the oil into the dough and mix until the dough resembles fine crumbs.
3. Make your buttermilk: Combine almond milk with vinegar in a separate cup. Stir. Let sit for 5 minutes.
4. Once buttermilk is prepped, pour the "buttermilk" into the dough. Add just enough so that the dough leaves the side of the bowl when kneading. Usually this means pouring just a bit more than 3/4 cups and less than 1 cup. Too much liquid will make the dough sticky and too little liquid will make the biscuits dry.
5. Knead dough for about a minute by hand. The dough will be slightly sticky, but not so much that it will stick to the bowl or your hands.
6. Pull apart about 2 to 3 tablespoons worth of dough and create a ball. On a foiled baking sheet, place the ball on the baking sheet and press down until you have a flattened disc like shape that is about 3/4 of an inch high. The flattened disc diameter will be about 2 inches. Repeat until all dough is used, making sure that biscuits are placed 1 to 2 inches apart from one another. If desired, check out my Instagram video to see this process - swipe right until you get to the video.
7. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 to 9 minutes and until the biscuits are golden brown. If you made your biscuits bigger than in Step 6, increase baking time to 10 to 12 minutes.


***Note: my process is the "lazy" way. If you want clean, sharp edges on the biscuits, roll out dough so that all the dough is 3/4 of an inch thick. Use a 2 to 3 inch biscuit cutter to shape your biscuits.

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