Faux Farmer's Cheese and Caramelized Onion in Phyllo Cups

I saw this hors d'oueuvre listed in a VegNews article about perfect vegan wedding menus and thought I'd try creating the recipe myself since I couldn't find one on short notice.  The original called for puff pastry, but when I went shopping in the frozen foods section of my local independent grocer, all I found was the Fillo Factory phyllo dough, so I decided to make phyllo cups instead.  I figured I've made vegan spanikopita many times before, so how tough could this be?  I think the results went far beyond expectations.


Faux Farmers Cheese and Caremelized Onion in Phyllo Cups

(makes 1 dozen)

8 sheets of phyllo

¼ cup melted Earth Balance


Filling:

8 oz. extra firm tofu

4 oz. Tofutti cream cheese

4 oz. Daiya mozzarella

1 Tbl nutritional yeast

¼ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp sea salt

fresh black pepper

1 cup caramelized onion

olive oil

Start by laying 4 sheets of phyllo on a cloth towel that's on top of a wet paper towel.  Since the sheets are long, cut them in half, then make a stack of 8.  With a pastry brush, spread melted Earth Balance margarine evenly over the first sheet.  Lay a second sheet on top and brush with margarine, then repeat this process until all 8 sheets have been "buttered."  Cut the stack into 6 even squares and tuck them into the cups of a nonstick muffin pan.  You will need to do this process again in order to make a dozen phyllo cups.

Once the phyllo is in the muffin cups, get out your food processor to make the faux farmer's cheese filling.  Pulse together tofu, cream cheese, Daiya mozzarella, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, oregano, sea salt and pepper until it resembles the consistency of dry ricotta or goat's cheese.  Place about 1 tablespoon of the mixture into each phyllo cup, then bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, caramelize an onion in a nonstick skillet.  When phyllo cups are done, remove from oven and top with onion, then return to oven to heat another 2-3 minutes, or until filling begins to bubble and phyllo has browned.

These are best served warm straight from the oven, but if you cook them ahead of time, they can be reheated covered for 10 minutes, then uncovered for 3-5 more minutes to get them crispy again.