'Feta'-Spinach Tarts

Use the vegan feta from Sunergia for these gorgeous little hors d'oeuvres and you won't miss the real thing at all!

First, heat a medium skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup chopped red onion and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 1 minced garlic clove and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/2 tsp. black pepper, and 1/4 tsp. salt, then add 1 (10-ounce) package of frozen spinach, which you have thawed, drained, and squeezed dry ahead of time. (Okay, I confess, my spinach was still a little frozen because I didn't take it out of the freezer early enough...). Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Meanwhile, make the equivalent of 4 eggs using egg replacer (such as Ener-G); this is in place of the 3 egg whites and 1 egg called for in the original recipe. Combine the spinach mixture, the 'eggs', 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons chopped oregano and 2 tablespoons plain soy milk (such as Silk) in a bowl. I was a tad shy on the oregano, with just about a tablespoonful, but it wasn't enough of a difference to trouble me.

Now it's time to play with phyllo again! As always, I use the frozen phyllo dough from Fillo Factory, which is vegan. Make sure you let it thaw in the fridge for 8 hours before using in the recipe. You'll need 6 of the 13x18-inch sheets for this recipe. Lay one sheet of phyllo flat on a work surface, and lightly coat with cooking spray. Repeat with the remaining 5 sheets of phyllo, and gently press them together at the end. Coat the top sheet of phyllo with cooking spray. Cut the phyllo into 3 equal strips lengthwise, then into 4 strips crosswise, so you have a total of 12 layered squares.

Place one square of phyllo in each of 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray, pressing in to form cups. The original recipe said to 'fan' the corners of the phyllo, but I wasn't sure what this meant, and they seemed 'fanned' enough anyway, just from pressing them into the muffin tins, so I left it at that. Lightly coat the edges of the phyllo cups with cooking spray.

Divide the spinach mixture evenly among the 12 cups - about 2 tablespoons each. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle 1/2 a cup of the 'feta' evenly over the tarts. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and return to the oven for an additional 3 minutes.

Each tart is 70 calories.

Cost:
red onion $0.74
frozen spinach $2.49
parsley $1.69
plain soy milk $2.99
vegan feta $4.49