Spinach Feta Falafel Bites Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Thaw frozen spinach in microwave according to package directions or by running under warm water. Drain spinach, squeezing the excess liquid from it. In a bowl, mix the spinach, feta, garlic, pepper, and nutmeg together.
• Flour a clean, dry countertop or other flat working surface. Lay out the puff pasty on the floured surface. Flour the top of the dough. Roll out the puff pastry until it is half as thick (about 1/8-inch) and about 24 by 12 inches. Trim edges to size if necessary. Cut into 3-inch strips crosswise and lengthwise, making 32 (3-inch) squares. Make sure the squares are well floured then stack them in a little pile.
• Fill a little dish with some room temperature water. Imagine each square you work with is separated in half by a diagonal. Place a couple teaspoons of filling in the top half. Dip a finger into the water and moisten the edges of the top half with water. Fold the bottom half to meet the edges of the top half. Use a fork to seal the edges.
• Place finished pockets on a nonstick baking sheet and bake about 15 minutes until golden brown and puffy. Serve warm.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the garlic, onions and chard stems until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and 1/2 teaspoon salt to combine. Add 1 cup water, cover, reduce the heat to low and cook without stirring until the rice is tender but not mushy, about 12 minutes. Uncover, add the spinach, chard leaves and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the greens are wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl to cool (stirring with a large spoon will speed this up).
• 2. When the filling is cool, stir in the egg and then the feta, dill, raisins, pine nuts and lemon zest.
• 3. Place a large piece of parchment paper on a work surface. Lay out one sheet of phyllo and brush all over with some of the melted butter. Lay another sheet crosswise on top and brush with butter again. Working to form a large round of phyllo layers, lay an additional 6 sheets of phyllo dough diagonally over the first 2 sheets, brushing each sheet with butter, so they overlap in the center. Spread the filling in the center of the sheets and bring all the loose ends of the phyllo to rest on top to make a free-form pie, using the butter to help the pieces stick to each other. Lay 4 of the remaining 6 sheets of phyllo evenly over the top of the pie, tucking the edges under the bottom to form an enclosed disk and brushing each piece of dough with butter. Use the last 2 sheets, if necessary, to cover the filling or enclose the circle. Brush the outside of the pie with butter.
• 4. Lift the parchment with the pie onto a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the phyllo is golden brown and crispy, about 40 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature with the Tomato Salad on the side.
• Toss the tomatoes with the pepperoncini and the olives in a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Line a baking sheet with non-stick parchment. Put all the falafel ingredients, except for the oil, in a food processor and season lightly. Pulse until you have a rough mix.
• Oil your hands lightly, then take tablespoons of the falafel mix, roll into around 16 balls and put on the baking sheet. Press each one down slightly with the palm of your hand. Brush using the 1 tbsp oil and bake for 20-25 mins until firm and golden, turning halfway through.
• While the falafel is cooking, make the hummus. Put all of the hummus ingredients into a food processor with 50ml of water and blitz until smooth and silky.
• Put the spinach, cucumber, red onion and falafel in different sections of each bowl, alongside some hummus, then drizzle with the extra olive oil. Grind over some black pepper. Serve with the pittas on the side and more lemon for squeezing over, if you like.