Spanako-patties

As “Gus”, the father in the film Big Fat Greek Wedding would say, the word “Spanako-patties” come from the word “spanaki”, which mean “spinach”, and “pattie”, which mean pattie. There you go.

I love Michelle Tam at NomNomPaleo, and thanks to her and a few other paleo bloggers I was able to learn about some key ingredients to make healthy swaps with my own recipes. With success! One of the recipes I’ve been struggling with has been recreating Spanakopita with paleo phyllo dough. There isn’t anything I’ve tried with paleo ingredients that works to recreate that flaky, tissue-paper thin dough. Undaunted, I’m convinced I can create Spanakopita somehow! At the same time, one of the things I never liked about traditional Spanakopita is that, once you bake them, the dough is never the same. You cannot reheat it and have it retain the same flaky texture. It’s always soggy and not nearly as good. So it made me think, why do I want the dough anyway? It’s the filling that makes them so delish! Enter NomNomPaleo’s Egg Foo Young-is. An old recipe that i’ve made several times, but it never occurred to me to “Greekify” if! That is, until today. I quickly defrosted some spinach, added all of the spanakopita ingredients to Michelle’s batter ratio and, there you go! Spanako-patties!

You can certainly substitute vegan feta to keep it dairy-free and vegan. if you use feta, though, make sure you buy a good quality PDO feta (Protected Designation of Origin). Feta made domestically or worse yet, with cow’s milk, is only white cheese. To keep this recipe Whole30 or AIP, you can omit the cheese entirely. They’re still delicious.

A fresh squeeze of lemon finishes these with the perfect brightness. Serve with dairy-free Tzatziki for dipping, if you like!

Yield: 12

Living Delish & Nutrish: Tina Wells

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Spanako-patties

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 20 MinInactive time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 35 M

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs
• ½ cup cassava flour
• ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 16 ounces frozen spinach
• 1/4 cup shallots or sweet onion, grated or minced
• 1 Tablespoon Paleo Powder seasoning or Mediterranean blend of your choice
• or
• 2 Tablespoons mixed fresh oregano, dill and parsley
• 1/4 cup authentic Feta (from sheep's milk) or vegan feta
• Salt and pepper to taste
• avocado oil for frying
• fresh lemon, for finishing

Method

1. Thaw the frozen chopped spinach in a colander or strainer. Once thawed, squeeze handfuls to release all excess water. Set aside.
2. Whisk together the eggs, cassava flour and vinegar until smooth and pancake batter-like consistency is achieved.
3. Crumble the feta into small pieces, and add along with the spinach, shallot or onion, herb blend, salt and pepper.
4. Preheat a skillet on medium heat. Add enough avocado oil to cover the about half of the thickness of the patties (no more than 1/4 inch deep), and heat until shimmering.
5. Scoop with a 1-1/2 ounce portion scoop or serving utensil of your choice, ensuring the size of each pattie is consistent so they cook evenly. Flatten each to aboutv1/4 inch thickness and allow to cook until a brown crust has formed and they release easily with a spatula. Flip and continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes, until firm to the touch. Be sure not to overcrowd the pan. (You can use smaller scoop size for bite-size, adjust frying time.) You may have to add additional oil as you go, be sure to allow it to preheat before adding more patties.
6. As the cooking is completed, remove to paper towel lined platter and sprinkle with coarse sea salt and a fresh squeeze of lemon. Eat right away or make a big batch and reheat as needed. (They reheat very well in the air fryer and are delicious cold, too!)
7. Serve with dairy free almond milk tzatziki sauce for dipping if you like.

https://livingdelishandnutrish.com/blog/spanako-patties

©Tina Wells Luxury Brands, LLC

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