Vegan Baklava

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package (1lb) of vegan Phyllo
• 3/4 cup Water
• 3/4 cup Sugar (vegan friendly, of course)
• 1/2 cup Agave Syrup
• 1/2 cup melted Earth Balance buttery spread (olive oil works good also)
• 2 cups of Nuts. I used Pistachios and Walnuts for this recipe
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 pinch of Cloves (optional)
• 1 tbs fresh Lemon Juice

Kitchen Tools: scissors, 8×8 glass baking dish, sharp knife, baking sheet, plastic wrap, damp tea towel

INSTRUCTIONS

• Thaw Phyllo according to package.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Spread nuts out on a baking sheet and roast them for about 10-15 minutes. Make sure they don’t burn.
• When nuts are completely cooled, dump into a food processor and pulse a couple of times to chop them.
• Use scissors to cut Phyllo sheet in half and then cut again to the size of baking dish. Cover half stack with plastic wrap and place damp tea towel on top to retain moisture. You don’t want the Phyllo to dry out.
• Grease baking dish
• Place 8 sheets of Phyllo, brushing Earth Balance on each individual sheet
• Spread a layer of nuts…about 1/3 of the mixture
  Place 4 more sheets of Phyllo and then another layer of nuts. Remember to brush each sheet with melted Earth Balance
• Another round of Phyllo, EB, and nuts.
  The last/top layer of Phyllo will be 10 sheets of Phyllo…more if you have it.
• With a sharp knife, cut Baklava into squares or triangles…whatever your geometric pleasure. Place in oven for 45 minutes.
• While the oven is working its magic, it’s time for the stove to get some action. Bring the water and sugar to a boil. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
• Add Agave, Cinnamon, Cloves, Lemon Juice. Stir and reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes. Set this aside until the Baklava is finished. You’ll want to try to cool until lukewarm. I place it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. Cooling it down some will prevent it from getting too soggy.
• After taking Baklava out of the oven, pour syrup evenly over the dish. Let sit uncovered for at least 4 hours before digging in. I know, pure torture!
• Enjoy!