DAY SIXTEEN

Can I just say, it's really hard to eat vegetarian and not get repetitive when your family won't eat mushrooms and you won't eat potatoes? I'd say I'm being difficult, except potatoes are EVIL EVIL STARCHY EVIL and mushrooms are healthy and, contrary to what my mother has led my sister believe, actually quite tasty when prepared right. Maybe I should just make a mushroom dish anyway and force them to eat it.

Anyway, despite my handicaps, I managed to plan meals for all the night I'll be home this week, starting with last night, which was Greek hand pies. These were delicious fried half moon pies filled with a spinach, scallion and feta filling, and all of my family enjoyed them, except my poor mother, who couldn't eat them because she's on a no-dairy diet for right now. The conversation in which she revealed this to me went something like this:

Mom: What are you making for dinner?

Me: Greek hand pies.

Mom: Sounds good. What's in them?

Me: Spinach, scallion, egg, fe

ta, parmesan.

Mom: Oh. I won't be able to eat them, then.

Me: *confused* What? Why?

Mom: I'm starting my no dairy diet this week.

Me: WHAT. WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS SOONER. AM I GOING TO HAVE TO CUT DAIRY OUT OF ALL MY MEALS TO BECAUSE IF THAT HAPPENS THEN I MIGHT AS WELL BE VEGAN AND I'M PRETTY SURE I DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH DEDICATION.

Mom: No, no, it just means I won't be eating the meals that have dairy in them with you guys.

Me: OH THANK GOD. I THINK I ALMOST HAD A HEART ATTACK.

Yeah. Vegetarianism isn't all that hard, but there's no way I could do vegan for more than a few days. I love cheese and yogurt too much.

Anyway, she probably woul

d have enjoyed them if she'd been able to eat them, and she did say they smelled really good.

Now, in terms of healthiness, this dish looks like it's a caloric nightmare, but that is, in fact, not true. It is heavier on the fat than some other dishes, but most of those fats are healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, especially if you fry the pies in canola oil like I did. Also, though I didn't try this, given the nature of the pies, they could probably very easily be baked. Add that with the fact that they're chock full of nutritious spinach, scallions and egg, as well as naturally low-fat feta and parmesan cheese, they're really not that bad at all. Make the crust with half whole wheat flour like I did, and add a side salad, and you've got quite a nicely balanced meal.

Greek Hand Pies (Pictured Right)

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour (

for a healthier dough, use half whole wheat pastry flour)

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 c. water

1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbsp. red win vinegar

6 medium scallions, sliced 1/4 inch thick

16 oz. whole leaf spinach, coarsely chopped

1/2 c. dill, coarsely chopped

1/2 c. mint, coarsely chopped

2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese

2 tbsp. parmesan cheese, grated

1 large egg

Canola oil, for frying

In a large bowl, mix the flour with the salt. Make a well in the center and add the water, 1/4 c. of olive oil and red wine

vinegar. Mix until the dough comes together; it should be slightly sticky. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer tacky, about a minute or so. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil. Add the scallions and cook over medium heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until

wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the mint, dill and oregano and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Transfer the contents of the skillet to a colander and let cool. Once cool, squeeze out any excess liquid. This can be done with paper towels or a clean rag.

In a large bowl, combine the greens with the feta, parmesan and egg. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cut the dough into sections for between 4-10 pies, depending on how many you need. Roll the sections into balls, then roll out into circles using a rolling pin. Do this by rolling one way for a few strokes, then making a quarter turn and doing it again until you come full circle. Mound the appropriate amount of filling on the lower half of the circle; this will change depending on how many pies you are making. Fold the other half of the dough over and press the edges tightly together for a good seal, making sure to press out any excess air from the filling pocket before fully closing it. Using a fork, crimp the edges.

In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of the canola oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add 2 pies at a time and fry, turning once, until deep golden brown. The cooking time will vary depending on how big your pies are; smaller pies should take a minute or two for each side, larger pies two or three. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.