Spinach Artichoke Pie

So, for last week's dinner, I went to Dori's place which is always a treat because I get to see Sammy - her amazing Ridgeback rescue! 
For some reason, I was in a savory tart/pie mood and had some leftover spinach so I started looking online for ideas.  Recipes for spanokapita kept popping up which sounded awesome, but I was looking for something less fattening.  I came across a recipe for Spinach and Artichoke Pie on which basically uses tofu instead of feta.  I'd only used tofu in stir-fries (I'll be posting some recipes soon!) but had never used it as a substitute for cheese, etc.  What the heck!  So, I tweaked it a bit and came up with the recipe below that uses pie dough instead of filo dough - easier, cheaper, less fattening and still yummy!

Spinach and Artichoke Pie

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbs. olive oil
• 16 ounces baby spinach (I used the pre-washed, bagged kind)
• 1/2 of a 14oz. package of extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
• 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp. salt, or to taste
• 3 tsp. Italian spices such as dried basil, oregano, etc.
• 2 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
• pinch cayenne
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 14-ounce can quartered artichokes, drained and coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, slightly crushed (or toasted pinenuts)
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 pie crust

1. Preheat the oven to 375 and prepare your pie crust as directed.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep non-stick skillet on medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the spinach and 2 tablespoons water, stir, and cover the skillet. Cook until the spinach is completely wilted and shrunken and barely any liquid is left. Set aside.
3. While the spinach is cooking, crumble the tofu and stir in the nutritional yeast, all the seasonings and lemon juice.  Add the artichokes, almonds, and the spinach mixture, and mix well.
4. Pour the mixture evenly into the pie crust. Put it in the oven and check after 20 minutes.  Continue baking if needed until the edge of the pie crust in golden brown.

Notes:

1.     Dori had some Penzey's Tuscan Sunset spice blend that we used for the "italian spices."  It was perfect!  There is a Penzey store in Austin at 45th and Lamar.

2.     I use pre-made pie dough instead of making crust. I've tried and it's just not worth it!  I buy Immaculate brand refrigerated dough from Whole Foods.
3.     I'd never used nutritional yeast before and didn't even know what it was. I'm still not sure that I do, but I found it at Whole Foods in the bulk section.
4.     Leave out the parmesan and choose a cust with no dairy or eggs to make it vegan.
5.     I also threw in some chopped roasted tomatoes.  You could add roasted red peppers instead.
6.    The website where I found this recipe is awesome!!  http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/