Pastry Parcels of Pleasure

A healthy vegetarian, (or even vegan), Mediterranean dish inspired by the Burekas I grew up eating thanks to my mom Sara. The filling can be changed, but here we chose fresh, healing and grounding ingredients; including our all time health master Mr Kale. Phyllo triangles taste amazing with tahini or hummus and are enjoyable both hot and cold. They taste best if eaten within a couple of days.

Yield: 4 portions / Prep time: 20 minutes / Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• • 1 1/2 cups onions, diced
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
  • 4 cups trimmed kale, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 2 tablespoons tamari
  • 6 sheets phyllo pastry
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

Procedure

1. 1. Preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
   2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a pan on a medium heat and cook the onions for 4 minutes. 
   3. Add the garlic, kale, tamari and salt and cook for a further 4 minutes or until the greens are soft.
   4. Remove the pan from the heat and add the walnuts, mint and nutritional yeast.
   5. Lay the phyllo pastry sheets out and cut each one in half lengthwise.
   6. Brush each strip with olive oil, fold in half lengthwise, brush with oil again and cut the folded strip in half lengthwise. 
   7. Spoon 2 1/2 tablespoons of the filling onto each strip and fold the corners together to make a triangle shape.
   8. Place the triangles on the baking sheet and just before baking brush them all with oil.
   9. Bake for 20 minutes

Note 1:  I have found whole wheat phyllo dough to be easier to work with than the regular option.  It’s not always available, so you may need to look around. Some are intimidated by phyllo dough because it falls apart/sticks together, but the whole wheat doesn’t do this as much.  It is normally sold in the freezer section of the grocery store. Once at home, put it in the refrigerator, and use it within a couple of days.  It’s tough to work with if you refreeze it and then defrost it.

Note 2: An easy version of this, is simply to prepare the phyllo dough, add the filling along the shorter side, and roll up like a sushi roll. Then after baking, cut into pieces. See photo.

Note 3: You can fill these with baked squash or yams. Just add cinnamon and some walnuts and roll. Add some raisins or date if you like it sweeter.

If you like these Phyllo Triangles with Minty Kale

More incredible side dish recipes like this can be found in The Doron Yoga Cookbook, featuring many joyful recipes for hungry yogis, available to download here.

Enjoy your cooking journey and taste the bliss!