Greek Style Spinach-Feta Pie -- Low Carb & Grain free

This evening I made my Greek Style Spinach-Feta Pie for dinner. I love making this dish because the leftovers provide several days of lunches for me afterwards. It's one of my favorites. I used to always use 10 ounces of fresh sauteed baby spinach in it but one time I went ahead and used a full pound and ever since then, I tend to make it that way most of the time. Unless you are a spinach freak like me, 10 ounces is probably a perfect ratio of spinach proportionate to the rest of the filling ingredients. 

I sometimes add crumbled bacon to the pie and I've also made it both with and without the crust. My favorite way is probably with the crust, but if you are in a hurry or want something a little lighter, crustless is great, too. The crust on this pie is so simple to make because you just press the dough out into the pie dish...no rolling required. You can't tell the difference between this almond flour based crust or a wheat flour based crust. I just happened to have an open package of Aidell's Smoked Chicken Apple Sausage in the refrigerator so I sliced them up and sauteed them to have alongside the spinach pie. We usually just enjoy the spinach pie by itself. I use the zest of a medium lemon in this recipe and I usually squeeze and use the juice from the lemon to make a big glass of fresh squeezed lemonade (along with a little stevia). I don't waste anything! I snapped a few quick pictures below as well as the recipe.

Greek Style Spinach-Feta Pie

Ingredients:

For the Crust:
2 cups blanched almond flour
3 tablespoons cold butter, diced into small cubes
1 egg
1 teaspoon Greek Seasoning (or Italian Seasoning), optional 

For the Filling:
10 oz. fresh spinach (up to 16 oz), cooked, squeezed dry and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried dill (or 1 to 2 teaspoons, if using fresh)
1 to 2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
5 large eggs (or 1-1/4 cups Egg Beaters)
1/2 cup half and half, cream or milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Place all crust ingredients in a medium bowl.  Cut butter and egg into flour with a pastry/dough blender until mixture resembles small pebbles and the flour is thoroughly moistened (the same way you prepare a pie crust).  Press crust mixture into pie dish or tart pan (I used a 10" pie dish).  Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until lightly browned; remove from oven and set aside.

Increase oven temp to 350 degrees F.  In a non-stick skillet, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent; remove and set aside.  In the same skillet, saute spinach, just until wilted.  Drain and press as much liquid out of the spinach as possible (I use a mesh strainer and press it with the back of a large spoon).  Place well drained spinach in a medium bowl (coarsely chop first, if desired); add cooked onions and garlic, feta, dill, lemon zest, pepper, eggs and half-n-half.  Mix until well combined.  Pour mixture into the lightly baked crust and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes; lower oven temp to 325 F (so edge of crust doesn't over brown); bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until filling and eggs are set and cooked .  If the center still seems a little jiggly, cook an additional few minutes.

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