Spinach Not-A-Fritta-Ta

I really wanted a frittata. No eggs, no oil, what was I doing to myself? Until now I really haven't had any of those "oh I wish I could have..." feelings and I surely didn't want to cave in to that, or feel bad about it. So, as with my yoga and meditation practice, I turn to the sandpaper that is grating on me and I look at the surface that is emerging. It is the practice to use the hard parts and the easy parts. So when the fresh spinach looked good at the co-op, I thought, it's going to be a Spinach Not-A Fritta-Ta...  It turned out to be a light, filling lunch with good protein, fiber, calcium, vitamin c and other lovely attributes.  There are lots of possibilities to play with this format, and to mess around with crusts under or over it, thin tomato slice topping or even a different vegetable base. If you don't tolerate soy, you can even skip the tofu and use more of the chickpea flour "sauce" to bind it together.

Spinach Not-A Fritta-Ta

half a bunch of fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley
medium onion chopped medium fine
half a block of tofu (7 oz)
10 Picholine green olives in bits (optional)
small zucchini, grated
1 tsp herbes de Provence
1.5 tsp tamari
handful sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup chick pea flour
1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
(nice with 1-2 Tblsp tahini)

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Chop spinach, parsley, onion, olives. Grate zucchini.
3. Mash tofu with all the chopped ingredients. Add herbes de Provence and tamari.
4. Put this in a large cast iron fry pan/skillet. Flatten it, mashing it in a little. Put the mushrooms in the top surface, pushing them in a bit. (I used whole little bunashemeji and another time, 3 cut up cremini.)
5. Mix the chick pea flour and soy milk into a medium thick sauce. Pour this onto the surface of the not-a fritta-ta.
6. Bake at the high heat about 10 minutes, then turn it down to 400F for 15-20 more minutes.

This went very well with a slightly spicy kimchee and some sweet grape tomatoes. A delightful lunch for any time. My husband and I immediately started dreaming up variations:  "This would be good with leeks." "Imagine this with a little chickpea flour crust under it, like a quiche." "Could work with broccoli too." etc.  Go ahead -- give it a try with anything you like!  If you leave it in a while longer it will crisp more. Forget the eggs, this is not-a fritta-ta and has its own place in the food pantheon!

Spinach Tofu Not-a-Fritta-ta

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 quarter not-a fritta-ta (161g)

Amount Per Serving		% Daily Value*
Calories	126	6%
Total Fat	6g	9%
Saturated Fat	1g	4%
Trans Fat
Cholesterol		0%
Sodium	313mg	13%
Total Carbohydrate	11g	4%
Dietary Fiber	4g	14%
Sugars	3g	0%
Protein	10g	21%

Vitamin A	11%	•	Vitamin C	39%
Calcium	35%	•	Iron	16%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs. courtesy of cronometer.com using my data.