Edamame Dumplings

Do you ever get a new cookbook and, after flipping through the pages, get the urge to stay up for three days straight and make everything?  That's how I felt after receiving my copy of Sara Forte's The Sprouted Kitchen from my wonderful Dad and Karen for Christmas.  The photos are absolutely beautiful, and the recipes full of wholesome, tasty ingredients.  Everything I want in my cookbooks!

These dumplings offer a great way to slow down in the kitchen; the filling doesn't take too long to puree, but putting the dumplings together takes a while.  It's not complicated, just soothing and a bit assembly line-ish, so your mind can wander.  The dish is light and healthy; a perfect recipe for January. Just keep in mind that it doesn't reheat wonderfully, so you may want to halve the ingredients if you're only making it for two.  Also, the steaming process is a bit tricky, at least in my experience.  I found it most effective to cover the pan and cook the dumplings for double the time listed in the cookbook, otherwise the wonton wrappers were too doughy.  

Edamame Dumplings (from The Sprouted Kitchen, Sara Forte, 2012)

4 scallions, white and green parts, coarsely chopped2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1/4 c. fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
2 c. shelled edamame, cooked and drained
2 Tbsp. regular or vegan sour cream
Dash of hot sauce
40 wonton wrappers
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 lemongrass stalk
2 Tbsp. mirin (a rice cooking wine; you should be able to find it with the vinegars and olive oils in your grocery store)
2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

1. Combine the green onions, sesame oil, basil, edamame, sour cream, and hot sauce in a food processor. Process to a puree.
2. On a lightly floured work surface, place a heaping tablespoonful of the edamame filling in the center of a wonton wrapper.
3. Use your finger to wipe a bit of water around the edge of the wrapper, and place another wonton wrapper on top of the filling and press down along the edges to adhere.  Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
4. To make the broth, warm the veggie broth in a pot over medium-low heat.
5. Pound the lemongrass with the back of a heavy knife to release its oils and discard the tough outer layer.  Mince the inner, pale portion of the bottom of the stalk and add it to the broth along with the mirin and soy sauce.
6. Gently simmer for 10 minutes to combine the flavors.
7. Cover and turn the heat to low to keep warm.
8. Add enough of the broth to a saucepan to cover the bottom, about 1 cup, and add a single layer of dumplings (you will probably need to do this in several batches; I could fit 5 at a time in my pan).
9. Cover and steam over medium-low heat until the wontons are warmed, about 4-5 minutes.
10. To serve, divide the dumplings among four shallow bowls and pour about ½ cup of the remaining broth on top, and garnish with a sprinkle of the toasted sesame seeds and serve hot.

Sweet and Sour Tofu with Bok Choy

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a lovely weekend, and are ready to hit the ground running.
Or perhaps you're not feeling quite that chipper, and would prefer to stay in bed, start slow, ease into the week.  If that's the case, may I suggest this easy fake-out on a traditional Asian take-out?  It's a quick way of prepping vegetarian protein (although I think it would be super easy to do with chicken, pork, or even strips of beef), and goes phenomenally with that age-old side dish: brown rice.

I found this recipe on Big Girls, Small Kitchen, which is a great website for twenty-somethings who like to cook and even entertain small groups but don't have a gazillion feet of counter space to prep food.  I made a few tiny adjustments below, but nothing too major.
If you're feeling curious about how to incorporate tofu into your kitchen routine, this is a good recipe to try out: the taste is familiar enough to be undaunting, but adventurous enough to feel new.  Also, don't fret if you can't find baby bok choy, as broccoli is a worthy substitute.

 

Sweet and Sour Tofu with Bok Choy (adapted from Big Girls, Small Kitchen)
1 c. brown rice
1 block firm tofu (14 ounes)
1/4 c. flourpinch of salt
2 Tbsp. safflower, grapeseed, or other neutral oil
1/4 c. lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. grated ginger
1 Tbsp. grated garlic (3 cloves)
sriracha (adjust as you'd like)
2 bunches baby bok choy, rinsed, trimmed, separated into crunchy and leafy bits, and cut into bite-sized pieces (you can sub in 2 c. broccoli)
3 scallions, white and green parts chopped and separated
1. Prepare brown rice according to box, and set aside.  
2. Cut the tofu into slices about 1 inch thick. Press the water out of the slices using clean dish towels or paper towels, then cut them into 1-inch square cubes.
3. Mix the lemon juice, honey, soy sauce, sriracha, garlic and ginger in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon water.
4. In a frying pan, warm the oil. While it heats up,  in a baggie or on a wide plate, toss the tofu with the flour and salt until all the pieces have a thin coating.  In one layer, brown the tofu (in two batches if your pan is small), about 4 minutes per side.  Keep an eye on your protein, as this can burn quickly.
5. Return all the tofu to the pan if you browned it in two batches. Put in the white and light green parts of the scallions and the crunchy part of the bok choy and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the green leaves and cook 1 more minute, then add the sauce.
6. Bring the tofu to a boil, then lower the heat and let is simmer until the sauce has reduced and coats the tofu thickly, about 10 minutes. 
7. Serve atop brown rice, and garnish with the green parts of the scallions.

Chicken Pad Thai

Guys.  I discovered this recipe from Brownies for Dinner about 2 months ago, and I have made it every week since.  I made it when Mommi came to visit, with chicken and homemade egg rolls.  I made it when Abbi visited us, with tofu and mushrooms.  I make this all. The. Time.  Once you get the basics of this recipe down, you can embellish with the add-ins; I went a little wild this time, because I want these leftovers to last me through the weekend!

Pad thai noodles are wide, flat rice noodles, and you soak them in very hot water for a couple minutes if you plan to use them in stir-fry.  The basic recipe is just rice noodles, scallions, garlic, eggs, and the pad thai noodles.  The sauce is soy sauce, brown sugar, and lime.  I add some Sriracha to the sauce, you know, for the spice in life.

Start soaking the noodles before you start anything else!  Then, slice up the whites of 3 scallions, and sautee them for a short minute with some minced garlic.  Add 2 eggs, beaten, and cook them until they are very soft.  You'll be adding them back in to cook completely later, so don't overdo it now! Remove the eggs from the pan.

I add my veggies to the pan at this point; like I said, I don't usually use so many veggies, but I want this to last forever, so I used broccoli, carrots, and snow peas. I add a little water to the pan, and put the lid on it to steam them for about 2 minutes.  Again, these will be cooked more later, so don't overdo it!  Remove the veggies from the pan, throw in some oil, and cook up your protein.  Shrimp?  Chicken?  Tofu?  Go crazy!

While that's cooking, mix up the sauce: 3 parts soy sauce, 2 parts brown sugar, and the juice of one lime.  Feeling daring?  Add in some sriracha and be brave!  

You're almost done!  Mix every single thing that we just cooked in the pan.  Pour your sauce over it and let it simmer, covered, for a couple minutes.  Slice up another lime to use for garnish/squeezing.  Do a taste test.  Think about buying a giant pan so that you can make even more of this.  Do another taste test.  Put it in a bowl and have yourself some pad thai!

Disclaimer: Yes, I know pad thai is supposed to have peanuts and cilantro, but honestly?  Cilantro kind of gives me the willies and Matt's allergic to peanuts.  That's the beauty of this recipe, that you can go very basic and work your way back up to exactly what you want!   

Homemade Szechuan Noodles

Before dating JP, I rarely got cravings for Asian food.  I'm not crazy about Japanese cuisine, and Chinese was wayyy too salty for my tastes.  JP, however, introduced me to Thai, Indian, Korean fare, and my taste buds are forever grateful.  I love that the ingredients are pretty simple (noodles, veggies, protein), but the sauces keep things interesting: orange sauce, sesame sauce, soy...the list goes on.

When I saw this recipe for homemade szechuan noodles, I jumped on it.  Most of the ingredients of the sauce were already in my pantry, and it's packed with flavor.  Peanut butter, tahini, garlic, fresh ginger... they don't sound like the perfect mix, but try it before judging.  It packs a whollop!

Don't be afraid to add more veggies to the mix.  I actually sauteed the peppers a bit before adding them to the noodles, but would gladly add carrots and water chestnuts next time.  

A brief note about the gluten-free noodles- we tried brown rice noodles, but I'm not totally sold on them.  They're got super mushy after reheating, and were heavy.  I'd stick with whole grain or regular ol' white pasta in the future.

P.S. Happy 300th post!  Goodness, time flies.

Thai Beef Noodle Bowl

 As much as I enjoy eating Asian food, the majority of the time, the recipes involve wayyy too many sauces and spices that are used for that one meal.  It's frustrating to search high and low for something to use very seldom;y, so I was thrilled when Summer passed this meal on to me. 
I would feel bad about having two pictures for this post, but this recipe is SO easy that it doesn't require a lot of work.  There's a very minimal amount of prep involved, and only six ingredients.  They're easy to find in a grocery store, and relatively inexpensive.  Perfect for a mid-week dinner!

Thai Beef Noodle Bowl

1 lb. boneless sirloin

1 Tbsp cooking oil

3 14oz cans beef broth (

1/3 cup peanut sauce

1 1/2 cup medium egg noodles

2 cups broccoli florets

 

Brown meat.  Add broth and peanut sauce and bring to a boil.  Add noodles; simmer 4 minutes.  Add broccoli florets, bring back to boil and then simmer 4 minutes.