Potstickers

About every 3 out of 4 Fridays per month, I find myself standing in front of what has become a very familiar section of the grocery store. The frozen natural food section where I grab a bag of these dumpling/potsticker snacks. I always think I will be motivated to come home after a Friday afternoon, cook something delicious, but it never fails...there I am. Again. Grabbing another bag of those damn frozen potstickers.


And then something happened. I stumbled upon these vegan, circular wrappers that are used to make things like wontons and potstickers! I had been wanted to make my own version of these frozen delights I instinctively grab almost every week, but I had been having trouble finding wrappers that did not contain milk or eggs. And then I found them and knew what had to be done.

So it finally happened. I broke the cycle, and made my own version of the snacks I was used to buying Friday nights. The recipe is easy to adjust, the filling can consist of anything you really want, but the follow recipe is simply what hit the spot for me. Also, disclaimer here...I am in no way saying this is authentic, it simply tastes like those little frozen gems of deliciousness that I used to buy. But no longer! These dumplings are so much faster than you would expect. Especially if you can find a bag of pre-thinly sliced veggies (I think mine technically is called "Broccoli Slaw"), then you do not even have to worry about slicing everything up super thinly. Now onto the good!

What you will need:

1 1/2 c. broccoli slaw (very thinly sliced broccoli, carrots, and purple cabbage)
1/3 block of firm tofu
1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
3/4 tsp. Braggs liquid aminos
1 pack circular potsticker wrappers
1/2 c. water + a little on more on the side to seal the wrappers

Add 1 tbsp. of oil to a non-stick pan, add your ginger and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add your cubed tofu. The tofu should be cut into fairly small cubes, about 1/4" cubes. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add your veggies aka broccoli slaw. Add the seasoned rice vinegar and Braggs, stir to make sure everything is coated evenly. Cover and let steam for another 6 - 8 minutes, depending on how soft you like your veggies. I cooked mine until somewhat soft, but it still had a bit of bite. This was a nice contrast to the soft shell that the potsticker filling is in.

(a little close up of the yummy filling)

Set the filling aside, and now it is time to play with these potsticker wrappers. The first few turned out a bit funky, but then I got into a groove and they looked nicer and nicer as I went along. Also, you want to have a little bowl of water handy at this point. You will dip your finger in the water, then line the edge of the wrapper with your finger. This allows the wrapper to stay sealed, almost line you have added "glue" to make the edges stick to one another.

Begin by laying out a wrapper. Add about 1 tbsp. of the filling to the center of your circular wrapper, line the edges of the wrapper with water, gently fold in half. I press the top center together first, which sets up the wrapper for the rest of the folding. Now you can go two directions. One: simply press the edges together, forming a semi-circle. Two: you can try to be all fancy schmancy like I did, and press the wrapper together while pleating the edges about 4 - 5 times. Either way, this is simply an aesthetic decision and didn't effect my love for these little semi-circles of yumminess.

Ok, moving on. The filling makes about 12 - 15 postickers, depending on how talented you are in getting the filling to stay in the wrappers. Add another tbsp. of oil to your pan and heat to medium high. Set your potstickers in the pan, as many as it can hold. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the bottoms of your potsticker begin to turn golden brown. Turn down the heat to medium low, that way the bottom will not burn and also because next you will be adding a 1/2 c. water. And as we all know from experience probably, hot oil and water equals splattering oil everywhere, probably somewhere on yourself as well. Ok, let this cook on low for a few minutes to give everything a chance to lower in temp, while still crisping up the potstickers. Add the 1/2 c. water, cover the pan and let cook for an additional 5 - 7 minutes or until all of the water is gone.

See...that was easier than you thought, right? So easy in fact, I have already made them at least 5 times already. And I am so happy to know these are quick, easy and I am no longer tied to getting my fix from the frozen section. Now go make these, throw on a movie and enjoy!

Leek & Tomato Phyllo Squares

Ok, I know it has been a little longer than expected since the last time I added a recipe, but let me tell you what I have in store for you today. Little squares of deliciousness that are seriously out of this world!! I have been wanting to experiment with phyllo dough for a while now, but from everything I read, it only scared me away! After reading about how it dries and cracks instantly if you don't get everything together in under 30 seconds, then life is ruined and over...this is the sort of stuff that has kept me away for so long. But fear no more! And from personal experience, I can speak for myself and say this phyllo dough stuff isn't nearly as hard or scary as it has been made out to be. Just remember, this stuff preferably needs to sit in the fridge overnight, and then out at room temp. for 2 hours before using! So don't be an idiot the first time around like I was just to be let down.

Alright, let me set the scene for you, 6 layers of phyllo dough folded over and doubled to form 12 crispy layers, topped with a garlic basil tofu ricotta spread, a bit of FYH mozzarella, leeks and grape tomatoes.....all baked to perfection...mmmmm. Ok, enough already! Here is how to make these little treasures.

What you'll need:

6 sheets phyllo dough

1 batch of garlic basil tofu ricotta (listed below)

1/3 block FYH mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 pint grape tomatoes

1 leek, sliced

6 tbsp, Earth Balance butter, melted

garlic basil tofu ricotta

1 block firm tofu

5-6 cloves of garlic

1/4 c. nutritional yeast

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

First step, the day BEFORE you want to enjoy these squares, put your phyllo dough in the fridge for 8 hours, or just leave it there overnight. Then, let it sit out at room temp for another 2 hours. During the last hour of the dough thawing, get your tofu ricotta ready and all of your other ingredients. That way you will be ready to go when the phyllo dough is.

In a food processor, throw in your 5-6 cloves of garlic (I know it is a lot, but this is what makes it taste so, so good!), pulse a few times to finely chop it. Crumble your tofu into manageable chunks, add this to your food processor, while pulsing, slowly add your olive oil as your mixture is blending up. Add your nutritional yeast, basil, nutmeg, salt and pepper. I would recommend starting with 1/4 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Pulse a few more times until everything comes together into a nice, creamy sort of paste. Set aside.

Now onto the veggies. Wash and rinse your leek, and finely slice. Wash your grape tomatoes and slice them in half lengthwise. Set both of these aside in some prep bowl, along with your tofu ricotta. Now you simply must wait until the 2 hour mark for your phyllo dough has been reached.

Waiting, waiting, annnnnd done. Now it is onto the part that seemed scary but is not so bad. You want to either have some saran wrap or a damp cheese cloth to cover the phyllo dough sheets that are waiting to be layered. First, melt your 6 tbsp Earth Balance so everything is ready and prepped for your sheets.

Ok, open up your phyllo dough package, grab 6 sheets and set them aside to your work station, roll up the rest, place it back into the plastic and back into the freezer. Start with one sheet of phyllo dough, and place your saran wrap or damp cheese cloth over the remaining 5 sheets to keep them from drying. Lay out your first sheet of phyllo, and brush your melted Earth Balance over the whole sheet, starting with the edges first, working your way inwards. This first sheet is tricky because it wants to move around. But the following sheets will stick to the first, making it easier to coat each remaining sheet.

Repeat this until you have layered all 6 phyllo sheet on top of one another, each with a coating of the Earth Balance. Now, fold your 6 sheets in half, matching up the shorter sides with one another from left to right, or top to bottom, depending on how your sheets are set out. Since all the sheets are basically glued together, this should be much easier than it sounds.

Now you have a much smaller rectangle. And you can go two ways from here. You can make 6 larger squares, or 24 bite sized squares. Either way, begin by cutting the rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut into thirds, and you will have 6 squares. If you want your squares big and bold, stop here. If you want them bite sized, cut each of your large squares into fourths. I have made both sizes, which you can see in the pictures for comparison.

Top each of the little squares with a well rounded tsp of the garlic basil tofu ricotta, and each larger square with 2 tsp. Spread out to coat most of the square. Here is a peek at how things will look like at this point:

Shred up your mozzarella, I used Follow Your Heart and used about a 1/3 of a block for all of the squares. You don't need to go crazy with the cheese on these squares, you don't want to think ooey gooey pizza loaded squares, just a sprinkle since you also are working with the tofu ricotta. Then, top each square with your leeks and tomatoes that are ready to go.

Voila! Here are the little and big squares ready to go into a pre-heated 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes, or until the phyllo dough is a nice, golden brown, the cheese is getting bubbly and the leeks & tomatoes are nice and toasted.

And you're done! You now have an amazing appetizer that is yummy enough for any day and kind of fancy enough for a dinner party. The best thing about these are that they taste as amazing warm out of the oven as they do later on, cooled.

Fair warning, these little suckers are very rich and delicious. Not recommended for those on diets. But the fact each of the phyllo dough sheets are layered with the Earth Balance butter, this adds a very delicious richness to the tofu ricotta and the vegan cheese, seriously making these impossible to tell from the real thing.

Now go and play with phyllo dough! It is fun, the possibilities are endless and the results are yummy!

Ginger & Agave Eggplant

The latest addition to the cookbooks has been "The Spice and Herb Bible" by Ian Hemphill and it is such a great book! I love how it goes through poretty much everything under the sun, gives you a history of it, how to store and use it. It even has many spice combinations in the book, so I can do cool things like make my own curry powder! It has some really great flavo combinations and ideas that are almost counter-intuative but when you follow this guide, you will be really surprised by the results.



That being said, this appetizer is inspired by this book and I was not sure if it would be bad, or just ok. The combo seems a bit strange at first....smokey cumin...sweet agave....ginger...? What on earth would this become...but man, I am sure glad I went with it and tried it out. It is unlike anything I have ever had before, in a good way. A really good way. It is tangy, zesty, sweet and savory all in one taste. It does have a pretty intense flavor, so I would suggest making this as an appetizer, or maybe making some jasmine rice with it if you want to make it into a meal.

Here is what you will need:
1 medium to large eggplant
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced very fine
4 tsp fresh ginger, grated or finely minced
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 tsp. cumin
1 lemon, for juice and zest

Start by slicing your eggplant into at least 1/2 inch slices. Add oil to pan, and fry the sliced eggplant in batches until each slice is brown on both sides. I found doing this that eggplant absorbes a whole lot of oil, quickly, so you will need to add more oil as you go. You can also brush each side or eggplant and fry it that way if you want to cut down on the oil. Set aside on a plate and drain on a paper towl on plate.


After your eggplant is done, add a small amount of oil to your pan, just enough so the garlic and ginger can cook on a medium low heat for a few minutes. When the garlic is just starting to get a bit toasty/golden brown, add your: water, agave nectar, cumin, lemon juice and zest. Cook for 10 minutes, and then add in the eggplant you have already fried. Cover this and let simmer for another ten minutes.

Enjoy and have your tastebuds be amazed at what you just made!