Puffed Spanikopita Tarts

Apologies to all for disappearing for several days on end, readers. It's mostly due to a touch of toddler-itis (my adorable 2-year-old handful), a dash of deadline-itis (book editing and photos), and, at least in the past few weeks, a preponderance of puffiness.

The first two items are decidedly dull for a blog, but the puffiness is, thankfully, food related (no bags under the eyes, despite minimal sleep--I must be thankful for small blessings!). One of my many hats is that of brand ambassador for Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry (Sometimes a woman really does get lucky; it is a wonderful gig). I've been hard at work on some puffy new recipes, and while I cannot share the details, I can share the experiments that did not make the cut--not because they turned grey, burned, or made my family gag (would I do that to you?), but because they just didn't suit my final criteria.

So while I am feeling happy and cheerful doing what I love to do, I hope I can make you happy with a few puffed recipes today, and in the days to come. You'll be happy to see that they still fall well within a healthy diet--and the ease is unmatched.

First up: simplified spanikopita tarts. Spanikopita is a traditional Greek pastry made with phyllo pastry and a filling of spinach, eggs, feta, and a handful of aromatics. I've made mine easier by using puff pastry (no layering!) and have lightened the filling a bit with a few egg whites in place of whole eggs. These freeze very well at two points in the process: (1) freeze the assembled, unbaked tarts or (2) cool the baked tarts and freeze. For both freezing options, thaw at room temperature. The baked, thawed tarts can be rewarmed in a 250F oven for about 10minutes.

I ate these for lunch (two, or sometimes three) on two days, even breakfast on another (I think these are going to make it into my regular breakfast rotation). And for dinner, you could certainly make them bigger--just cut the puff patry sheet into 4 squares instead of sixteen for supper-size spanokopita.

Happy baking!

Puffed Spanikopita Tarts
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
3 large egg whites
1 large egg
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons low-fat milk
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1 sheet (half of a 17.3-ounce box) puff pastry, thawed

Preheat oven to 375°. Line a large cookie sheet with foil (for easier clean-up).

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in pepper and salt. Add spinach; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, and cool slightly. Combine egg whites and egg in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add spinach mixture, parsley, oregano, and milk, stirring to combine. Stir in feta.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry sheet into a 12-inch square. Cut into 16 3-inch squares. Divide the spinach mixture evenly among squares (placing filling in middle of squares). Fold in corners of square towards the middle. Poke each tart with tines of fork on two folded sides.

Bake 15-17 minutes until puffed and golden. Makes 16 tarts.

Nutrition per Serving (1 tart)
Calories 68; Fat 2.5g (poly 0.2g, mono 0.7g, sat 1.4g); Protein 3.7g; Fiber: 1.2g; Cholesterol 22mg; Carbohydrate 7.3g.