Phyllo Pie

I am in love with phyllo. It adds such a delightful flavorful crunch to dishes. Admittedly, it can be a little difficult to work with at times, but even then it is still worth it.

Phyllo Pie

Olive oil
One red onion, diced
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. black pepper
1 t. oregano
1/4 t. mustard
2 c. chopped broccoli
2 c. chopped mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T. soy sauce
3 T. non dairy milk
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/2 c. breadcrumbs
1 c. walnuts
12 sheets phyllo pastry

Saute the onion, salt, pepper, oregano and mustard until onion is softened. Add the broccoli, mushrooms, garlic and soy sauce and saute until broccoli is a bright green. Place broccoli mixture, milk, vinegar, nutmeg, breadcrumbs and walnuts into a food processor and whir until vegetables are are chopped fine, but not obliterated.

Remove phyllo sheets from package and cut in half lengthwise. Lay out one sheet of phyllo and brush with olive oil. Lay a second sheet on top of that and brush again with olive oil. Do this for a total of five sheets, but do not brush olive oil on the top sheet. Place these sheets in a baking dish and top with 1/3 of the broccoli mixture. Repeat with a second layer and a third layer of five sheets of phyllo and broccoli mixture. Add one last layer of five phyllo sheets on top of the last layer.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

You can easily change up the vegetables to suit your own preferences.

Mexican Food, Two Ways

Call me a snob, but the best Mexican food is in Texas. I've traveled around the country, but nowhere do I enjoy eating Mexican food as much as the places in Texas. We call it Tex Mex - a blend of Mexican food with a dash of Texas cuisine.

So when I come across a recipe that uses the word *burrito* or *taco*, naturally I expect it will be something similar to what I find locally. It usually turns out to be anything but. However, that doesn't stop me from trying those recipes. That's what happened here.

Mexican Food, Two Ways

One can pinto beans, drained
One can black beans, drained
One can garbanzo beans, drained
Olive oil
One onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, diced
One jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 carrots, diced
One green bell pepper, chopped
One zucchini, chopped
2 t. oregano
1/2 c. salsa
1 t. cumin
1 t. chili powder
One can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 c. fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped
Flour tortillas
Phyllo dough sheets
Daiya shreds - I used both cheddar and pepperjack

In a skillet with the olive oil, saute the onion, garlic, jalapeno, carrots, and bell pepper until tender. Add the zucchini and oregano until heated through. Mix in the beans, salsa, cumin, chili powder, tomatoes, corn and cilantro.

Here comes the two ways. Add a spoonful of the bean mixture with a sprinkle of the cheese to:

- the middle of a flour tortilla. Fold it like an envelope, sides first, then top and bottom. Place seam side down in a casserole dish. Pour over some extra salsa.

- lay a sheet of phyllo on a flat surface and brush with olive oil. Add a second sheet and brush with olive oil. Add a third sheet on top of the first two sheets and once again brush with olive oil. Place the bean mixture and cheese in the corner of the three sheets and fold up in a triangle. Place triangles in a separate casserole dish.

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, until nicely browned. Serve the burritos with some vegan sour cream and the phyllo triangles as is.

No, I did not make these on the same day. When I made the bean mixture I had some left over after using the entire package of flour tortillas. The next day I pulled out the phyllo to make a version of an empanada.

Both are tasty, but my family said they preferred the phyllo empanadas to the burritos. Try it both ways and see which way you like it best.

No, this does not taste like the Mexican food I know, but it was good nonetheless.

Collard Greens in Phyllo, Avocado Shooters and Parsnip Fries

I grew up eating collards. I know people who turn up their nose at anything remotely spinachy looking. Not me. Must be a Southern thing.

However, I bet that even if you are one of those that shudder at the thought of dark green leafy things, you will like these.

Collard Greens in Phyllo

One bunch of fresh collards
One shallot
Olive oil
One elephant garlic clove
1-1/2 t. balsamic vinegar
Phyllo dough sheets, thawed
One pear, sliced thin

Tear the collards from the stem and compost the stems. Add the collards, shallot and garlic to a food processor and pulse until everything is chopped. Saute this mixture in olive oil until tender. Stir in the vinegar and a dash of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Coat a cookie sheet with a cooking spray. Lay out a sheet of the phyllo and brush with olive oil. Top with another sheet and brush with olive oil again. Do this a third time. Spoon a heaping spoonful of the collards mixture in one corner of the stacked and oiled phyllo sheets. Top with a slice of pear. Begin folding in a triangle until all of the phyllo has been used. Lay this triangle on the cookie sheet, and begin the process again until you have used up all of the collards mixture. I got about five. Brush these triangles with more olive oil.
Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Avocado Shooters

2 cloves of garlic
One jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
3 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
2 T. lime juice
1/2 t. hot sauce
2 c. plain rice or soy milk
1/2 c. fresh cilantro
1/4 t. cumin
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 T. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped

Add everything but the olive oil and onion to a blender and blend on high until everything is smooth.
In a skillet, saute the onion in the olive oil until softened. Add the avocado puree to the onions and gently simmer until it is heated through. Serve in shot glasses with a dollop of vegan sour cream on top.

For those of us who love guacamole, this is like hot guacamole, sipped instead of scooped.

Parsnip Fries

3-4 parsnips
Olive oil
1/2 T. ground coriander
1/4 t. ground cloves
1 T. ground turmeric
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground ginger
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Using a potato peeler, shave off strips of parsnip lengthwise. In a ziploc baggie, add the parsnip strips, olive oil and some salt and pepper. Massage the parsnip strips to coat well. Bake for 10 minutes at 400.
Combine the spices and sprinkle on the parsnips strips. Continue to bake another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir to make sure everything again is well coated.