Pork Gyoza

For those of you who have never been to the wonderful land of Dim Sum, I pity you. You may not know, but you've missed out on the most wonderful food of your life. Don't fret, I'm here to help
I've only made gyoza (dumplings) on a handful of occasions, but that's enough times to know how to make them correctly and incorrectly.
Now you might be wondering, "Aren't pot stickers really difficult to master?" I will answer No. Maybe your first 25 dumplings wont look the greatest, but they will taste delicious!

Asian food is to me as Soul Food is to the south. It's what I crave, it's what I want on a perfectly rainy Sunday afternoon, and it's the only thing I want when I'm sick.

Now, you might look at the recipe and freak out at the list of ingredients, but honestly, you'll love these SO MUCH that you'll want to make them all the time. Those ingredients like Fish Sauce, Rice wine Vinegar (probably the most useful ingredient you'll have to buy for this) and Sesame Oil will probably not get used as frequently as you wish, but you should try to experiment with them. I use Sesame Oil on numerous things to finish them off.  Maybe add it to your favorite marinade for a new twist...

Pork Gyoza/Dumplings/Pot stickers

somewhere between 1/2 and whole pound of ground pork (as lean as you can find)

(For a vegetarian option, use sauteed cabbage)

sauteed spinach, finely chopped and squeezed in a paper towel to get out extra moisture

2 green onions

thumb-sized piece of ginger

2-3 garlic cloves minced and mashed

Few dashes of Fish Sauce

2 tsp sugar

2Tbls soy sauce

1 tsp rice vine vinegar

round wonton wrappers

Dipping Sauce

soy sauce

sesame oil

rice wine vinegar

1. Get out the wonton wrappers to thaw (if they are the frozen kind). Start by finely chopping all veggies and grating the ginger on a micro plane. Mix all ingredients into the pork and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.

2. Set up a workstation with a cutting board in front of you, the bowl of pork near your working hand, and get a small bowl of water for your fingers. Unwrap the wrappers and lay a damp paper towel on top.

3. Start with one wrapper in your hand and with the other hand, grab a very small (about a small teaspoon size, you might want to measure first to get the feel) amount of pork mixture. Place it into the center of the wonton wrapper. With the same hand that grabbed the pork, dab your finger into the water and run it around all the edges of the wonton wrapper, making sure every part is moistened. Then bring together two opposite edges of the wrapper, pressing to seal. Starting on the right side, bring the front part of the wrapper towards the center, making a pleat, and press to seal. You should have room for about two-three pleats before you get to the corners. When I get to the corners, I push the very end in towards the center and press to seal. Repeat on the other side. While making these, since you are taking more wrapper from the front side, your dumpling will start to shape like a half-moon. Keep working till you run out of pork and/or pot stickers.

4. Heat a large, flat skillet on medium and spray with good amount of oil. Place filled dumplings onto the  hot pan and cook until the bottoms turn brown (you can lift them up to peek). Then add about a 1/4-1/3 cup water to the pan and cover quickly with a lid. Steam pot stickers until they are cooked through and most of the water is cooked off. (Note: the wrappers may look transparent when cooked completely) You might have to try one to see!  :]

5. For the sauce, start with about 1/3 c soy sauce, drizzle in 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 tsp rice wine vinegar. Garnish sauce with chopped green onions.

ENJOY!

Tilapia with Spinach Salad

It's nice to switch it up a bit, especially if "switching it up" means buying fish instead of chicken and beef. There's really not much else to say about this dish besides it's deliciousness...

So my favorite part about this dish is how the flavors all work together. First of all, spinach and cranberries were a match made in heaven! Secondly, and most importantly, goat cheese goes perfectly well with a light, mellow fish such as tilapia. I once saw on a show, and have made it myself, tilapia with goat cheese pucks, where both were breaded and pan fried then served on a bed of spinach. YUM!

 

Yesterday I found myself at Your Dekalb Farmer's Market in North Decatur and I had the most spectacular time! They had large tanks packed with live tilapia and catfish and blue crabs. BUT I didn't want to reach my hand in and grab a whole fish (they don't let you do that anyways) and there was a long line at the fish counter so I grabbed some at Publix on the way home. 

Tilapia with Spinach Salad

1-2 Tilapia filets

1/2 c flour (I used whole-wheat of course) seasoned with salt and pepper

3-4 Tbls veg oil

baby spinach

handful of walnuts (toasted) and craisins

1-2 oz goat cheese

Newman's Own Oil and Vinegar Dressing

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Combine flour with salt and pepper on a plate. Run the filets under water and shake off excess. Coat with flour on the plate. 

2. Once the skillet it hot, cook the tilapia for about 4-5 minutes on each side (depending on the thickness). While it is cooking, mix together the salad. Break up small chunks of goat cheese on top or mix in.

3. Take out fish, sprinkle with more salt (if desired) and serve on top or along side the salad.

Enjoy!

Winter Waldorf Salad

Ever had a craving for a really yummy salad? Well, I'm sure this salad will be the one you crave and your new favorite! It's fairly easy (especially if you have leftover chicken). So the supermarkets are now packed with pears! They are such a glorious fall treat. Here's a helpful hint on picking out pears: with any pear with a thin skin (most except Bosc) feel for a slight give, but don't bruise them. It's best to buy them a couple to a few days in advance, depending on how ripe they are in the grocery store. Secondly, since Bosc pears have a tougher skin, they wont ''give'' as much when you press on them. Also, I have found that if I wait until they do "give," they are too ripe. [Stay tuned for a  Bosc pear recipe!]

Also, my favorite salad dressing is used. Newman's Own Oil and Vinegar is so delish and its very simple.  

And can I just say something else? I LOVE fruit, especially craisins in salad because it gives you that sweet bite that is so unexpected, but OH SO GOOD! All of the different textures in this salad make it a delight to eat: crispness of apples, smoothness of pears, tender chicken, chewy and succulent cherries and craisins, and crunchy walnuts.

Winter Waldorf Salad

1 roasted or leftover chicken breast

1 peeled and diced apple

1 peeled and diced pear

handful of each: dried cherries, craisins, walnuts

little bit of Lemon Juice

Newman's Own Oil and Vinegar (or whatever dressing you like)

spinach and/or any greens you want

1. Start out by toasting the walnuts on a dry pan and set aside.

2. Chop chicken, dice the apple and pear and add to mixing bowl. Add the cherries, craisins and walnuts. 

3. Take a small piece of lemon and squeeze it over the ingredients and stir so all the fruit is evenly coated with lemon juice. Then add dressing to taste.

4. Serve over dressed greens. Makes 2-3 Servings.

Whatevayougot Casserole

In planning to spend the last few days of the month on about $150, I decided to make some frugal culinary decisions. Also, I found this recipe book that my mother had given me, Quick Dishes for the Woman in a Hurry circa 1982, which inspired me with this dish. I really like that book because it is a blend of Paula Deen's fun'n'fatty food, and the 1950's quick-fix-canned-food stage. The recipe in the book called, "Jiffy Creamed Chicken" calls for CANNED chicken, and for some reason (assuming this book was written for the woman in a hurry) they think that you will always have a can of CHICKEN in your pantry. What is this? wartime? haha.

Anyways, reading the recipe, originally topped with bread slices cut into roosters/chickens with cookie cutters, I was reminded of Paula Deen, who always seems to make me feel warm and fuzzy. I was also brought back to a summer camp where they served the chicken and rice dish made from cream of mushroom soup, chicken, and rice. I then trotted over to my pantry where I pulled out my one can of Cream of Mushroom Soup (with roasted garlic) and started scheming. 

I then raided my fridge to find leftover chicken (precooked [which reminds me that the best thing to have in your fridge, just in case, is an extra breast or thigh, roasted. Any time you cook chicken, cook extra.]), leftover creamed spinach, frozen peas. I also decided to add some whole wheat shells to the equation.

Really, I just threw in leftovers with whatever else I thought would taste good from the pantry. You can take this Casserole any direction you want.

And I made my own croutons and didn't cut them into chicken shapes.

Also, here is a testimonial from my roommate/best friend, Mica: 

" This casserole was absolutely perfect. the mixture of flavors was satisfying and  delicious. it also used a bunchof leftovers we already had. i brought it to school for the lunch the next day, and it was just as delicious cold as it was hot. YUM.    "

Whatevayougot Casserole

2-3 slices of bread

1-2 chicken breasts, precooked

1/2 small onion

1 garlic clove (if you are using regular cream of mush soup)

1/2c frozen or canned peas

1/2 pkg frozen spinach, thawed and squeeze-drained or whatever veggie you like or have leftovers of (mushrooms would be good)

1 c precooked medium shells (or rice, or whatever starch you like)

parmesan cheese

1. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add chicken until it is heated through. Add Cream of Mushroom Soup, peas, spinach. Gently heat through. Salt to taste.

2. Cook the rice or pasta while the other ingredients are heating. Also cube the bread, toss with olive oil and garlic salt, and toast in the oven (350 deg for about 10 minutes or until golden and crispy).

3. Mix the soup mixture and cooked pasta together. Pour into a greased baking pan/casserole dish, top with croutons and cheese.

4. Bake at 350 until cheese is melted and the center of the casserole looks warm and slightly more firm than when it went in.

Enjoy!

Spinach and Feta Frittata

My new go-to meal is the Frittata. I usually make it when I have forgotten to thaw out a protein for dinner or lunch.

It is pretty simple to make, and you can customize it however you like! Chopped ham would be yummy too!
I added spinach for its nutrients and flavor. Spinach, along with those fruits and veggies high in Vitamin A like carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, mangoes, guavas, kale, and pumpkin, are excellent for people with acne. As David Grotto states in his book 101 Optimal Life Foods, "Six to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day will keep acne away. These same vegetables also support your liver's detoxification ability" (25).

                          

Spinach and Feta Frittata

6 eggs

3/4 package frozen chopped spinach

1/4 c milk

1/2 medium onion

1 clove garlic

Feta cheese

salt & pepper

1. Chop the garlic. Sprinkle with salt and mash with the side of your knife to make a paste. Slice the onion. In a small pan, sautee onions with salt, pepper, and olive oil on medium heat. As the onions start to get softer and brown, add a splash of water. Do this every couple of minutes until you get the consistency that you want (I made them soft, easy to cut with a fork). Then add in garlic paste to slightly cook it.

2. Thaw the spinach in the microwave (about 6 minutes) then place in a couple paper towels and squeeze it until most of the excess moisture is out. Meanwhile, heat a large, oven-proof pan on medium and turn on your oven broiler to a high setting (about 425). In a bowl, crack the eggs and whisk with milk. 

3. Thoroughly spray the pan with cooking spray. Add the onions and spinach to the egg mixture, season with salt and pepper, then pour into the pan. Using a rubber spatula, stir the eggs around a bit until they start to set. Turn down the heat a little bit as not to brown the bottom. Run the spatula around the edge of the frittata as it is cooking so it does not stick.

4. Let the frittata cook on the stove until most of the eggs are set. Place pan under the broiler until all eggs are cooked. Slice into thirds and top with Feta cheese.

(good for breakfast, lunch, or dinner)

Funds

eggs= 1.59 carton =.79 (for 6 eggs)

feta= about 3-5

half onion=.74

Total Tally= $3.00* (for whole frittata)

*prices based on individual ingredients, not the whole package they come in.