Spinach Triangles For The Freezer Food

EASY SPANAKOPITA TRIANGLES (MINI GREEK SPINACH PIES)

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 375° F.
• Saute your chopped onion in a skillet with 2 tbsp of butter for about 10 minutes or until translucent.
• If using fresh spinach, add it to your onions and saute for another 5 minutes or until the leaves are wilted down and water is fully evaporated. Take off heat.
• If using frozen spinach, make sure it is fully thawed. (A microwave can help do this quickly.)*There is a lot of excess water in frozen spinach so make sure to drain it very well. Take a few paper towels or a dish cloth and squeeze out any excess water. You do not want a watery filling!
• Add drained/cooled spinach, ricotta cheese, feta cheese, salt, onions, lemon juice, dill and garlic powder to a medium sized bowl and mix.
• Melt your butter in a saucepan or in a small bowl using your microwave. Scramble your egg in another bowl.
• Pull out your defrosted phyllo dough and lay one sheet down on the table.Make sure to cover your phyllo dough with a slightly damp dishtowel so it does not dry out!
• Carefully brush one sheet of phyllo dough lightly with butter. Add another layer of dough and brush again. You should have two buttered layers.
• Cut your phyllo dough into thirds lengthwise. Add 1½ - 2 tbsp of filling to the bottom of each strip of phyllo dough.
• Begin folding from the bottom up. You will want to maintain a right triangle. Continue folding the triangle upward until you reach the top. (See photos.) You should end up with 24 triangles.Brush your egg wash generously over the top and sides of your triangles and place on a nonstick baking sheet. Repeat until finished. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top if you prefer.°
• Bake in the center of your oven for 12-15 minutes or until your dough turns golden brown.

SPINACH CHEESE TRIANGLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender. Add spinach; cook and stir 3-4 minutes longer or until liquid is evaporated. Transfer to a bowl; cool slightly. Stir in cheeses, eggs, bread crumbs, salt and pepper., Place one sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface; spritz with cooking spray. (Keep remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.) Cut sheet crosswise into four 9x3-1/2-in. strips., Place 1 tablespoon filling on one end of each strip. Fold dough over filling, forming a triangle. Fold triangle over, forming another triangle. Continue folding, like a flag, until you reach the end of the strip. Spritz end of dough with cooking spray and press onto triangle to seal. Turn triangle and spritz top with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining phyllo and filling., Place triangles on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Freeze option: Freeze unbaked triangles in freezer containers, separating layers with waxed paper. To use, bake triangles as directed, increasing time as necessary to cook through.

SPANAKOPITA (SPINACH TRIANGLES OR PIE)

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saute pan, add half of the spinach and saute until spinach wilts, tossing with tongs, about 2 minutes. Remove spinach and squeeze out excess liquid, then chop roughly. Repeat with remaining spinach, using 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Pour off any liquid from the pan, and add remaining olive oil. Add scallions and saute until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach to the scallions, along with the parsley, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. (This part can be done ahead and kept refrigerated).
• Stir the feta and as much beaten egg to moisten the cooled spinach mixture.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a baking sheet with some of the melted butter.
• Unroll the filo dough on a flat surface and keep it covered with waxed paper and a damp towel so it doesn't dry out and become brittle. Using a sharp knife, cut the filo into 3 by 11 inch strips, and recover with the towel. Use a pastry brush to brush a strip of filo with melted butter. Place a small spoonful of spinach filling 1 inch from the end of the pastry. Fold the end over the filling to form a triangle, then continue to fold up the strip in triangles, like folding up a flag. Continue with remaining strips of dough, placing filled triangles on the baking sheet and keeping them covered with a towel until all are ready to bake.
• Brush the triangles lightly with butter, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Serve hot. (These may be frozen before baking, layering waxed paper between layers of triangles to keep them from sticking. Bake frozen triangles an extra 10 minutes.)

SPINACH TRIANGLES FOR THE FREEZER

Steps:

• FILLING -- Boil frozen chopped spinach about 15 minutes. Strain in a fine mesh colander and douse with plenty of cold water. Grab handfuls and squeeze as much water as you can from them and make into golfball sized balls. Put these all into some cheesecloth and squeeze the remaining water -- this takes some wrist strength -- when no more water will come out, you happy!
• Place the strained spinach into a large bowl, add eggs, cream cheese, onion and garlic. Add dry spices and use your hands to mix all of this up.
• Mix in feta, gently but thoroughly -- try to leave some small chunks of feta.
• Refrigerate if you are not going right into assembly, but remove 15 minutes before you begin assembly.
• ASSEMBLY -- this takes about one full hour -- Combine and warm the butter & olive oil in a small pot, turn off burner.
• Working on a flat surface, brush one strip of phyllo with the oil/butter mixture only on one side.
• At one end, spoon a tablespoon of filling and flatten it so that it looks triangular and even along 2 of the outer edges.
• Fold over to create your first triangle layer -- lightly brush with oil/butter and continue to fold the triangle and brush until you reach the end of the pastry (5-6 folds).
• Seal the edge and brush the entire triangle lightly with oil/butter.
• Place on cookie sheet -- when you have filled the cookie sheet, cover with waxed paper and continue placing the triangles on top -- they will not stick together that way. Repeat until you have run out of pastry or filling, whichever comes first -- the leftover filling is great on pizza or baked pasta.
• BAKING -- Bake in bunches, seam side down, on ungreased cookie sheet at 375 F for about 15 minutes (watch closely for last few minutes). Do not underbake -- all of the phyllo should be golden and crisp. Cool on a rack.
• FREEZING -- If not baking right away, flash freeze for about 1 hour then wrap individual triangles in wax paper, place in freezer bags. When baking from frozen, increase baking time to about 20 minutes and watch closely for last 5 minutes.

GREEK SPINACH TRIANGLES

Steps:

• * To cut calories, you can use butter-flavored cooking spray in place of the butter.
• Cook spinach according to directions; drain well.
• Mix spinach, eggs, onion, cream cheese, pepper and feta cheese together.
• Refrigerate mixture at least 1 hour.
• Open package of phyllo pastry; cut a strip 2" wide, cutting through all layers.
• Cover remaining dough with a damp cloth to prevent cracking.
• Separate dough so that you have 2 sheets for each triangle.
• Brush the dough with melted butter.
• Put 1 rounded teaspoon of spinach mixture at the top of the strip.
• Fold pastry over like folding a flag.
• Place on well-buttered baking sheet; brush top with butter.
• Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.
• Serve warm.
• To freeze the triangles before cooking, butter both sides of triangle and wrap well.
• Bake when needed.