World's Best Greek Vegan Spanakopita

World's Best Greek Vegan Spanakopita , By www.uniquegiftstips.com .

World's Best Greek Vegan Spanakopita

Total Time: 100 Minutes, Servings: 24 Servings

Ingredients :

12 ounces fresh spinach , chopped (can also use a mixture of spinach and chard)
1 bunch scallions , chopped (about 6-7 scallion bulb pieces)
¼ cup dill
¼ cup parsley , either kind works but I use Italian flat leaf
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Olive oil or veggie broth for sautéing
1 pound phyllo (filo) sheets , if you can find the thick ones use those (see note for gluten-free)
1/6 - 1/3 cup olive oil for brushing phyllo (filo) (see notes for oil free idea)
“Feta” filling:
1 cup raw cashews , soaked overnight or boiled for 25 minutes to soften (see note)
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon water
¾ teaspoon sea salt , may need another ¼ teaspoon after you mix the filling, taste and adjust if needed

Instructions :

Preheat the oven to 350 F/ 175 C.
In a skillet brown the scallions in olive oil or broth until soft, about 2 minutes.
Add spinach, salt and pepper and sauté until wilted, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Add dill and parsley and mix well. Put the mixture in a large bowl.
In a food processor, add the cashews (drain and rinse them after the soaking), vinegar, water and salt. Pulse until you get a chunky but coarsely chopped texture.
Pour the cashew “feta” mixture into the bowl with the spinach and mix well.
Pour the olive oil for brushing in a glass bowl. Or use the method for the oil free version.
A little trick, cut the phyllo (filo) long ways to fit the length of your pan, cut it while it is still wrapped in the package to make it easy.
Brush the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan with a little bit of oil.
Then line the pan with half of one phyllo (filo) sheet, allowing the other half to hang over the edge, brush the half in the pan with some oil, then fold the other half over the top and brush it with oil too. See the photos in the post. This has to be done like this because the phyllo (filo) sheets are bigger than the pan.
You are going to do this for half of the phyllo (filo) sheets, brushing each sheet with the olive oil.
After you have used half of the sheets, spread the spinach mixture on top.
Then top with the remaining phyllo (filo) sheets brushing each of them with the olive oil again.
When done, cut into squares.
Bake for 60-70 minutes until it is golden brown on top. Begin checking at 50 minutes as ovens vary.
Let it cool completely before cutting through and serving.