Before I embarked on meat free week a month ago I put out a call to twitter [as well as to you, blog readers], to ask for some meat free recipes that the carnivores would like.
The wonderful Julie Goodwin [who I WILL meet one day] very kindly, and immediately [!] tweeted me a few ideas, then saying if I sent her my email she would email some recipes. Um, YES! Not only have I been a fan of hers since she her first audition when she won over the judges with lamb and mash, but she is also from the Central Coast, where I grew up. And we’ve had a few twitter chats, which makes her even more likeable as far as I’m concerned.
Anyway, Jules [can I call you that?] sent me a bunch of vegetarian recipes [including one with bacon – great to see someone else considers bacon to be a veggie :)]. I didn’t make any of them during meat free week, but I did whip them out yesterday when wondering what to make for meatless Monday.
After a quick look through the fridge and discovering a wilting bunch of silverbeet, I went with spanakopita, a dish I’ve always loved but not cooked in at least a couple of years. Perfect for meatless Monday.
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Warning – dodgy photos throughout! We were hungry and hubby and Mr12 were keen to go and hit golf balls at the driving range |
Spanakopita
By Mel Kettle, based on a recipe provided to me by Julie Goodwin
What you need:
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How beautiful does this look! The vibrant yellow is courtesy of the eggs from our gorgeous chooks |
I used a large lasagne dish (20cm x 30cm) to bake this in, but Julie also suggests a baking tray. Place one sheet of filo in the lasagne dish and brush it with melted butter. Repeat this step with five more sheets of filo.
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Before baking |
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Perfect for meatless Monday – served with a simple salad of spinach [yep, more!], home-roasted tomatoes and avocado |
Thanks Jules!
Yummy!
Mel, we often make a similar cheats version for a quick meal here, using frozen puff pastry. I don’t use too much grated cheese so it’s a great, healthy way to get spinach into the family. I have the same issue with photos too and frequently get complaints from the family about having to wait before they can eat.
Thanks Lizzy – it was!
Amanda, I love puff pastry but always consider it to be unhealthy. Then I added 100g butter to my filo so I guess it’s about the same!
Yum, my Mum used to make a version of this out of an old Woman’s Weekly!