You are here

Linda's Delectable Spinach Pie

John was so enthused about the spanakopita Beth brought to our Mindful Cooking potluck, Linda was inspired to look for a filo-free recipe. This is her variation of the "Spanakopita Tart" found at . Asked for a description she says, "...it's just so tasty! Delectable, scrumptious, yummy, etc." The unusual crust is part of the secret.

Ingredients: 

For the crust:
240 ml1 cup cooked red quinoa
180 ml3/4 cup chickpea flour
59 ml4 T almond meal
30 ml2 T ground sesame seeds
44 ml3 T water
generous pinch of salt

For the filling:
120 ml1/2 cup almonds, skinned
120 ml1/2 cup tofu
120 ml1/2 cup water
44 ml3 T lemon juice
30 ml2 T olive oil
2 ml1/2 tsp. table salt
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, sliced
4 green onions
10 ml2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 pkg. frozen spinach (10 - 16 oz, whole leaf or chopped), defrosted

Instructions: 

Do prep before turning on oven:

Take spinach out of freezer the day before and defrost in refrigerator (or put pkg. in a bowl of water for a couple of hours). Squeeze out excess water.

To blanch the almonds, drop them into boiling water, turn off the heat and let stand 5 minutes. Drain, then remove the skins by pinching one end and popping the almond loose.

Measure tofu and drain in fine strainer.

Make almond meal for crust -- mince almonds and then grind in coffee grinder.

Squeeze lemon and collect the juice.

Chop onions and slice garlic.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9 or 10-inch pie pan. Combine all crust ingredients and mix with your hands until you form a sticky dough. With wet hands, press the dough evenly into the pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until crust is firm and dry to the touch and is just starting to brown.

Blend the skinned almonds with the water, tofu, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt until smooth (leave mixture in blender).

"Healthy saute" (saute in water) onion for about 5 minutes, or until it starts to take on a bit of color. Add the garlic, green onions and parsley and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for a few minutes until the entire mixture is warmed through.

Add the spinach mixture to the blender and pulse on low until you reach desired consistency of the greens.

Pour the filling into the crust, smooth the top, and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is set and browned slightly.

Seasons: 
Major Ingredients: