Meatless Monday and Spanakopita

It's so nice to have my daughter back in the house.  She learned some extraordinary cooking skills when she was in Florence, and now we get to reap the results!! For this Meatless Monday she made a delicious Spanakopita.

Ingredients:

1 package phyllo dough

1 1/2  lbs spinach washed and chopped

4 T olive oil

1 onion finely chopped

1 T. ground cumin

juice of one lemon

1 c. feta cheese

# T. fresh dill

2 T sesame seeds toasted

salt and pepper to taste

• Saute the spinach in pan with 2 T. water until wilted. Drain and when cool enough to handle, squeeze out the extra water.  
• Heat 2 T. oil and sauté the onion.  Cook for about 10 minutes until soft.
• Add spinach, spices, sesame seeds {save 1 t. of seeds to sprinkle on top of pie} , lemon juice and dill.  Cook additional 5 minutes until moisture has evaporated.
• Preheat oven to 325 and unwrap phyllo.  Cover with damp towel.
• Brush baking sheet with olive oil and separate  phyllo in half.  Using one sheet at a time. brush each layer of the 1st half with olive oil and fold in half to fit on baking sheet.  Continue building layers until you have used 1/2 of the package, brushing each layer lightly with olive oil as you go.
• Spread the spinach mixture over the phyllo layers, covering the dough.  Sprinkle chopped feta in top of the spinach mixture.
• Top the mixture with remaining layers of phyllo, brushing again with the olive oil until all phyllo is folded over the mixture. Sprinkle remaining sesame seeds across the top.
• Bake for approx. 30 minutes until the phyllo is browned.

With a salad, this makes a perfect meal to start off the week. What's on your plate tonight for Meatless Monday?

**one of my readers suggested substituting crumbled tofu flavored with lemon juice and herbs for the feta if you're looking for a vegan solution.  Thanks Small Footprints!