Name: Vegan Spanakopita Rolls
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 3.5 oz. extra firm tofu, pressed *; 1 lb. frozen spinach *; 1 cup yellow onions, fine dice; 2 Tablespoons minced garlic; 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast; 2 Tablespoons low-sodium vegetable broth *; 1 Tablespoon lemon juice (+/-); 1 Tablespoon tahini *; 1 teaspoon ume plum vinegar *; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 2 Tablespoons dried minced onions; ½ teaspoon dried dill weed; ½ teaspoon dried mint; 1/2 to 1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt *; Pinch nutmeg; Pinch black pepper; 8 almond flour tortilla shells *

Description

These oil-free, delicious Vegan Spanakopita Rolls are brimming with all those amazing Greek flavors in a fun and easy way.

Ingredients

Scale

3.5 oz. extra firm tofu, pressed *
1 lb. frozen spinach *
1 cup yellow onions, fine dice
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 Tablespoons low-sodium vegetable broth *
1 Tablespoon lemon juice (+/-)
1 Tablespoon tahini *
1 teaspoon ume plum vinegar *

Sauce Spice/Herb Ingredients:

1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons dried minced onions
½ teaspoon dried dill weed
½ teaspoon dried mint
1/2 to 1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt *
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch black pepper

Other Ingredients:

8 almond flour tortilla shells *

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
Press the tofu for 10 minutes.
Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients into a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
Microwave the frozen spinach until warm, place in a colander and squeeze out all the water. Set aside.
In the meantime, in a large ceramic/enamel lined skillet (or similarly large nonstick skillet) add the onions, sauté over medium-high heat for 7 to 9 minutes until tender, then add the minced garlic, sauté for one minute, stirring constantly. Then add the spinach, vegetable broth, lemon juice, tahini, nutritional yeast, ume plum vinegar and the Spice/Herb Mix. Stir until well heated through.
Crumble the pressed tofu into the skillet and gently fold in and heat through.
Remove the mixture from the stove, divide the mixture in half, then each half into half, etc. until you have 8 equal mixtures.
Assemble the rolls: Lay the tortilla out flat, then place 1/8^th (about ¼ cup) of the mixture in the middle of the tortilla, creating a log of the mixture, then roll it up. Place the seam side down onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Continue until the remaining tortillas are made.
Place into a preheated 350 F oven bake for 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Tips for Success:

Frozen Spinach: Thaw or microwave the spinach, then place in a colander and squeeze all the water out. You will end up with a thick block of squeezed spinach. The reason you squeeze all the water out is so that the filling is dry and does not leach out of the tortilla rolls.
Tahini: If you refrigerate your tahini, remove the recipe amount and allow to come to room temperature or very slightly microwave it. Do not melt it. This helps spreading the tahini in the dish more easily.
Tofu: Use only ¼ block of tofu. We know it’s tempting to use more, but the tofu will overwhelm the dish and become less flavorful.
How to Press Tofu: Remove the tofu from the container, discard the water. Take a plate, line it with paper towels or a tea towel. Next place the tofu onto the paper towels (or tea towel), then place more paper towels (or another tea towel) on top of the block of tofu. Then place another plate on top. Next place a few cans of beans (or something to create weight) on the top plate to press the tofu. Or use a tofu press.
Roll-up versus Burrito Style: We tried both rolling methods (roll-up versus burrito style). We preferred the rolls over the burritos. Please feel free to use either method.
Flavor: These rolls are delicious. The beauty of this dish is that you can literally taste the spinach-tofu mixture before you roll them up so if you need to boost any seasonings, you can. The flavors did intensify in the oven.
Sea Salt: This recipe uses 1 ¼ teaspoon of sea salt. The sea salt is based upon the traditional spanakopita which uses feta cheese which is very salty. If you are concerned about the sodium, then try using less sea salt, and taste test after you add the crumbed tofu. Start on the lower end at 1/2 teaspoon and work your way up. This will give you an idea if you need to add more sea salt or not. The saltiness does intensive slightly in the oven. We kitchen tested this recipes multiple times using less sea salt and always ended up going back to the full 1 ¼ teaspoon to get a more authentic flavor which mimics the saltiness of feta cheese. Update: We have had Readers who gave feedback on using less sea salt as well as Readers who felt the sea salt amount was perfect that is why we strongly recommend that you start on the lower end and taste test after adding the crumbled tofu.

Notes Continued:

*Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.

*Extra-Firm Tofu: Most tofu comes in 14 oz. blocks. You will use ¼ of the tofu block which is 3.5 oz. You can use the remaining in other dishes.

*Frozen Spinach: We preferred frozen spinach over fresh simply because it was faster. If you use fresh spinach, you will need to cook it down, then squeeze all the water out. Using frozen spinach eliminates the need to cook it down.

*Ume Plum Vinegar: We used Eden Ume Plum Vinegar. Ume Plum Vinegar is perfect for this recipe as it has that deliciously tangy flavor which slightly pops the flavor of the spinach. It is relatively inexpensive. We use it quite frequently and it worth requesting it from your local grocery or ordering off of Amazon in our humble opinion. There really isn’t a great substitute for it. You can leave it out if you wish with understanding that the flavor will be a little different.

*Almond Flour Tortillas: We used Siete Almond Flour Tortillas as they are almost pastry like which mimics the richness that filo dough creates in the traditional spanakopita. Feel free to use your favorite 6-inch tortilla shells keeping in mind that whichever you use will influence the taste and texture.

*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Serving: Makes 4 to 5 servings (makes 8 rolls)

*Storage: Refrigerate and use within 5 days.

*Nutrition Information INCLUDING Siete Almond Flour Tortillas: Serving Size = 1 roll: 152 Calories, 7.6g Total Fat, 0mg Cholesterol, 15.9g Total Carbohydrates, 3.6g Dietary Fiber, 7.5g Protein.