Spanikopita

Ingredients

Two 10oz packages frozen organic chopped spinach (see below for more options)
One egg beaten
Four to Six ounces Sheep’s milk or Goat’s milk Feta cheese
Fresh ground pepper (use amount desired for taste)
Salt (use amount desired for taste)
For sweeter taste use: 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
For a savory dish use: 1/4 tsp each of oregano, thyme and marjoram
Phyllo dough thawed (can be wheat or spelt)
Olive oil or melted butter
Oven safe pan with a lip of approximately 1 inch (jelly roll pan or cookie sheet)

Preheat oven to 350°F

Thaw spinach, squeeze out excess water and place in a clean bowl.  Sprinkle pepper, salt and spices over spinach and mix.  Beat one egg and mix into spinach.  Crumble feta cheese and add to spinach mixture.  Set aside.

Grease pan with butter or olive oil.  Lay one sheet of phyllo dough on cookie sheet allowing 1/3 of the sheet to lay over the edge of the cookie sheet, overlap phyllo to cover entire surface of cookie sheet.  Brush butter or oil on dough and continue to layer phyllo until you have 3 or 4 layers.  Spread the spinach mixture over entire cookie sheet.  Again layer phyllo over spinach and brushing butter/oil between layer.  Fold in additional phyllo using remaining oil or butter.  For best results cut through layers PRIOR to baking.  Bake 20 minutes or until top of phyllo is golden brown.  Let cool 5 minutes before eating.

***Ingredient Tips & Details***
For optimum  health and taste use organic ingredients whenever possible.  Feta cheese can be cow, goat or sheep milk based, for those with food allergies READ ALL LABELS CAREFULLY.  Phyllo dough is found in the frozen food section.  In general phyllo dough is made with wheat flour, however many health food stores carry a spelt variety.

For best results thaw the spinach overnight on the counter and thaw the phyllo dough in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.  Phyllo is easy to work with when you're patient but can tear easily.  Do not take phyllo out of the refrigerator until all other ingredients are ready, work quickly and use a damp cloth to keep the phyllo moist.

***Spinach Substitutions***
Chop and steam approximately three to six bunches of rainbow chard, removing large veins. Drain completely. Use in place of the spinach, or you can mix the chard with the spinach.

***Tips for Kids***
Make as above but instead of creating a whole spinach tray…cut phyllo sheets down the center lengthwise.  Drop a heaping spoonful of spinach mixture onto one end of the half sheet of phyllo and fold into triangle shapes. Bake as above.

***For Higher Protein Content***
Add cooked ground chicken or beef to spinach mix.  Season with salt & pepper or other desired spices. It is usually better to season the ground chicken or beef while it cooks.

Homemade Granola

Granola found in the store is often expensive, high in fat and high in sugar. Try this great tasting, healthy and relatively low cost alternative. This recipe can be altered in many ways...be creative. All ingredients except oats, oil and honey are optional. Sweeten and add items to suit your taste.

• 5 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/3 cup wheat germ*
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/3 cup chopped almonds
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped coconut
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract (can be orange or another extract...to taste)

*can be omitted without substitute

Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix oil, honey and flavored extract. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, thoroughly mix together and spread onto an oiled cookie sheet or jelly roll pan about 1" thick. Bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes.

Granola Parfait

• 1/3 cup plain, unsweetened yogurt (can be cow, goat, sheep or soy)
• 1/4 cup granola
• 1/4 cup berries

Layer so that there are two layers each of the yogurt, granola and berries. Usually the bottom layer is granola followed by yogurt and then berries. This recipe can also be altered in many ways, have fun with it. This is a great treat and a lot of fun to eat...put it in a clear glass to see all the layers...