September 10, 2012

a well balanced dinner: yummy spanakopita, tahini sauce and quinoa salad



       

What I love about these recipes as a whole, is that it is really well balanced, getting in essentials like iron, calcium and protein plus vitamins like thiamine and minerals like phosphorus all in one meal. I have been making the spanakopita and tahini sauce for years and just threw together this quinoa salad recently that actually worked really well with it. Make it all for tonight’s dinner- it is absolutely delicious!

SPANAKOPITA, TAHINI SAUCE AND QUINOA SALAD
Recipe Type: dinner
Author: puja
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 45 mins
Serves: 3-4
a well balanced dinner: yummy spanakopita, tahini sauce and quinoa salad
Ingredients
  • SPANAKOPITA:
  • about 2 cups of chopped fresh spinach (leaves only)
  • about 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 green onions-chopped
  • about 2 tbsp. fresh dill-chopped
  • about 4 tbsp. feta cheese-crumbled (I like garlic and herb spiced feta)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • a pinch of nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 5 sheets of phyllo pastry
  • TAHINI SAUCE:
  • 1/2 cup of tahini
  • 1/3 cup of warm water
  • 2 crushed garlic cloves
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 2 tsps. finely chopped parsley leaves
  • pinch of chilli powder
  • QUINOA SALAD:
  • 2 cups quinoa
  • 1/2 medium tomato, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. chopped parlsey
  • handful of mexican mini gherkin cucumbers, as is
  • freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
  • half lemon (to squeeze)
Instructions
  1. SPANAKOPITA:
  2. -Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  3. -Wash the spinach and place it in salted boiling water for about 2-3 minutes. Then drain it and rinse the spinach in cold water. make sure to squeeze out all the excess water and place it on the side.
  4. -Heat 1-2 tsp. oil in a saucepan and add the green onions, spinach and dill. Cook for a few minutes until the onions are soft. Remove and cool, (I placed it on a plate in the fridge).
  5. -In a large bowl, combine the spinach mixture, egg, feta, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
  6. -Place one sheet of the phyllo dough on a large working area. cut it into 5 equal strips lenghwise/vertically.
  7. -Brush one strip with olive oil. cover with a second strip and brush with olive oil again. Take a spoonful of the mixture and place in the bottom corner of the strip. Fold the strip over at the corner creating a triangle. Continue folding the dough up the strip in the shape of a triange until the whole strip is folded.
  8. -Repeat with the remaining strips of dough until the mixture is finished.
  9. -Brush each pastry with a little bit more olive oil on top.
  10. -Place the triangles on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for about 10-12 minutes or until they are golden.
  11. TAHINI SAUCE:
  12. -In a food processor combine the garlic and the tahini for only a few seconds. If you overprocess the tahini, it becomes hard and too thick.
  13. -Remove from the food processor and add the olive oil, lemon juice and mix. Then add the warm water and mix well, slowly adding the water in, to make it a creamy consistency.
  14. -Mix in the parsley flakes and chilli powder.
  15. QUINOA SALAD:
  16. -Boil/cook the quinoa according to package instructions, (I buy pre-washed quinoa-Ancient Harvest brand is great).
  17. -Let it cool once cooked.
  18. -Add the tomatoes, parsley, cucumbers, salt and pepper to the quinoa and squeeze the lemon juice via a citrus squeezer into the salad and toss.
  19. To Serve:Place desired number of spanakopita on a plate and top with tahini sauce. Place some quinoa salad on the side. Enjoy! -Puja. https://chaimommas.com



Spinach mixture and making the spanakopita:


Tahini sauce:


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