I had two rules in mind when conceiving last night’s recipe: First, I was not going to the store for more ingredients. I had to use up what was already on hand. Period. Second, I really wanted to use up some of my fresh produce and my recently made Fromage Blanc. Since I had read that cream cheese could be used as a substitute for Fromage Blanc I decided to do an internet search for recipes with cream cheese figuring that I would substitute my homemade cheese. There were several that looked appealing but I ultimately decided upon adapting a recipe for Mushroom, Cheese and Vegetable Strudel from The Vegetarian Times. I liked this recipe because it sounded more decedent than its calorie count (especially after scaling back the oil) and was easy to bulk up with farm fresh veggies. It also allowed me to use up 1/2 a package of phyllo dough that had been sitting in my freezer for ages. (You might be seeing a lot of phyllo coming up as I still have 2 1/2 packages to go.) What resulted is a luscious mixture of garlic, green onions, summer squash, mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes combined with creamy cheese and herbs in a filo crust. I particularly love that tofu is included in the cheese mixture to stretch out the cheesy flavor without adding a lot of extra fat. It’s the perfect combination of texture and flavor.
Adapted from The Vegetarian Times
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
Filling:
-Cooking spray
-3/4 cup chopped green onions
-1 medium summer squash, julienned (about 1 cup)
- 1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
-1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (my tablespoon was a mix of thyme, rosemary and oregano)
- 4 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 10-oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained of excess water
-1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 a 14-oz. pkg. firm tofu, drained
-4 oz. Fromage Blanc, homemade or store bought (Vermont Butter & Cheese makes a good version)
-1/2 cup shredded Appenzeller cheese (Comte and Gruyere are also great substitutes)
Strudel:
-Cooking spray
-1/2 a 1 lb. package of phyllo dough, thawed
Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 18- x 13-inch baking sheet with cooking spray.
To make Filling: heat a pot coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Sauté onion, summer squash, mushrooms garlic, and herbs for 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Stir in spinach, sundried tomatoes and nutmeg, and Remove from the heat.
Purée tofu, Fromage Blanc, and Appenzeller cheese in food processor until smooth. Stir into mushroom mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To make Strudel: Cover bottom of prepared baking pan with 2 phyllo sheets, one on top of each other. Spray with cooking spray. Place 2 more phyllo sheets on top and spread filling into the crust, leaving a 3 inch edge all around. Fold phyllo over filling. Cover filling with 2 phyllo sheets, one on top of each other and spray with more cooking oil. Repeat with 2 more sheets and tuck the edges under.
Bake 45-50 minutes or until golden and crispy. Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing.
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Any kind of streudel, and I mean ANY kind, just can’t be beat. Who can resist buttery, crispy layers of pastry holding a lovely sweet or savory filling? Yours is a particularly wonderful version for this time of year.
Carolyn, I agree, all streudels are a win. I’ve actually never had a savor one before so this was a first for me.
Wow! Scrumptious!
Thanks Sherri.
Kelly, your blog is so beautiful. It’s all grown up. Love what you did with it. AND, I love this savory recipe for this streudel. Sounds totally delicious.
Thank you for he kind words regarding my book. You are just so sweet.
Teresa – No, thank you for the kind words. I agree with your analogy that it’s grown up.
This sounds like a sure winner
I need to get into the habit of using what i have… *eek*
TTFN300 – It’s the one way I justify Whole Foods prices — not wasting everything. But I’m not perfect. I still throw out way more stuff than I should. I swear my veggie drawers make it too easy to forget about things.
What a delicious way to use up some local produce!
Thanks Elina.
Swoon! I love anything phyllo, and it’s funny because that’s what I am making today…some phyllo thing in order to make use of all the zucchini. I hope it turns out as beautiful and delicious as this. Yum!
Eralda – Too funny!
Looks yummy, I love all the veggies you packed in! I should use phyllo dough more often!
Kerstin – Thanks.
I always forget about phyllo but it is so much more fun to use than I remembered.
Kelly, I tried this recipe yesterday and it came out delicious (although I used puff pastry instead of phyllo by mistake)!!! Thanks again for sharing your delicious eats with us
Elina – Glad you enjoyed it. I bet it was even more sinful with the puff pastry.
I love how you use what you have in the fridge and pantry. I have been working on that and ended up with some really good recipes. It is amazing how tastes just blend, if you give them a chance.
Chaya – Thanks for stopping by. I definitely try to use as much as I can. I meant to make some pickles from watermelon rind recently but I didn’t get a chance to.