Recipe: Simple Spinach Pies #easyfatayar #simplespanakopita

I love the Arabic style spinach pies, but to be honest, even in a bread maker, the dough can take some time. In an effort to find an easier, but just as delicious version of fatayer, spanakopita, or whatever version you like best, I found a delicious alternative using crescent roll dough. It's become a bigger crowd-pleaser than I anticipated! Enjoy...







Start to Finish: approximately 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2-3 packages of 8 oz crescent rolls
• 1 package of frozen spinach, thawed
• 3/4 cup of white onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup of chopped, toasted walnuts, pine nuts, or pecans
• 1/4 cup of lemon juice
• 1 tbsp of sumac (no sumac available? try using lemon zest as an alternative)
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1tsp of pepper
• Cooking spray
• Feta cheese (optional)

1. Preheat oven according to crescent roll package instructions.
2. Squeeze out as much water as possible from the spinach. We used a salad spinner to help with this. 
3. Place spinach in a medium size bowl and add salt. 
4. Finely chop 3/4 cup of white onions and add to the bowl. Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
5. Spray a baking sheet with a light coating of cooking spray. Open up your crescent roll packages and separate into the perforated triangles. 
6. Place a small spoonful of the spinach mix in the middle of each crescent roll. If you plan to add cheese to your pies, sprinkle a small amount on top of the spinach mix.
7. Fold the crescent roll dough over, so that it creates a triangular shape.
8. Place crescent rolls on your greased baking sheet, evenly spaced. 
9. Bake according to crescent roll instructions. (Typically pies will bake for 8-12 minutes. We recommend keeping an eye on them and pulling them out when then begin to turn a light golden-brown color.)
10. Allow pies to cool before serving. Enjoy!