Vegan with a Vengeance

spanakopita I ate in Greece were shaped like these. They are basically cute snail-shaped buns. They never get as brown as the triangles and are a little less flaky but still yum.”
    Preheat oven to 375°F. Taking two sheets, brush with oil as for the triangles. Score the dough lengthwise into two strips. Run about 2 to 3 tablespoons of filling along one long edge of each piece. Carefully roll up the long strip, starting from the filling side, to form a long, thick rope o’ spanakopita. Then, daintily roll up your coil to form a snail-shaped bun. Brush with lots of oil. Bake for about 25 minutes till golden brown on top and lightly browned on the bottom.
Easy as π shape:
    SERVES 8
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    You have no time for horrible Greek jokes so this one’s for you: a spinach pie casserole, neat square slices well suited for serving as an entrée with salad.
    Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare eight sheets of dough with olive oil as for the triangle shape. Oil a 9 × 12- to 13-inch baking dish and, place the dough layers inside, patting any extra dough up the sides of the pan. Gently spread the spinach mixture on top of the dough. Prepare another eight layers of phyllo (or add a few
more layers if you have leftover dough), put on top of spinach layer, and tuck into the sides of the pan any overhanging dough.
    Lightly score the top layer of dough into 8 rectangles of equal size (this will prevent the dough from crumbling too much when slicing after it’s baked). Brush with lots of olive oil. Bake 35 to 40 minutes till golden brown, being careful not to let the phyllo burn.
    PUNK POINTS
    Phyllo is full of surprises the first time you handle it. You can’t expose it to air for more than a few seconds before it dries out and becomes completely useless, so have handy several damp, clean kitchen towels and some plastic wrap. Don’t spaz out! It’s easy once you get the hang of it, and you’ll be making phyllo this and that all the time and soon your friends will have to plan some kind of intervention. To make your life easier, make sure you have plenty of workspace on a clean, smooth surface. Since you’ll be working with olive oil, have handy one of those pump mist sprayers that you can fill with any oil of choice. Or just have a bowl filled with olive oil and apply with a pastry brush.

Cauliflower-Leek Kugel with Almond-Herb Crust
    SERVES 8-12
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    I was making this with my mom one Passover and she kept exclaiming how wonderful the dill smells and how I should be grateful that the Absolute has provided such an abundance of fresh leafy things. Then she went on and on about how I should join her philosophy school so I could learn to appreciate things. Then she asked me why I don’t get laser surgery to remove my tattoos. You see, in Jewish culture, even something as simple as a great-smelling herb can lead to nagging. Fortunately she only had yums and mmms while we were eating. This recipe was inspired by one in Bon Appétit, veganized, modified, and vastly improved. If you eat tofu on Passover (some do, some don’t) then it’s Passover happy.
    4 cups cauliflower florets (about 2 medium-size heads cauliflower)
    3 whole matzohs
    1 (12-ounce) package silken tofu
    4 tablespoons olive oil
    4 cups coarsely chopped leeks (white and green parts from about 2 leeks)
    1 small onion, cut into ½-inch dice (about 1 cup)
    Â½ cup chopped fresh parsley
    Â½ cup chopped fresh dill
    1½ teaspoons salt
    Â½ teaspoon ground black pepper
    Â½ cup almonds, toasted and chopped
    Preheat oven to 350°F.
    Boil a large pot of water. Add the cauliflower and cook for 10 minutes, covered. Meanwhile, prepare the matzoh mixture.
    Crumble the two sheets of matzoh into a food processor or blender. Grind the matzoh into crumbs; remove from food processor and set aside. Crumble the tofu into the food processor or blender, and puree until smooth. You may have to add a couple of tablespoons of water. Let the tofu sit until you’re ready to use it.
    When the cauliflower is done, drain and transfer to a large bowl. Mash coarsely with a potato masher.
    Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and onions; sauté until the leeks are tender and the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add to the cauliflower. Mix in the matzoh crumbs. Add the pureed tofu, 1
tablespoon of the parsley, 1 tablespoon of the dill, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
    Brush or spray