Image: Gary's Soup, flickr
My older son is obsessed with dumplings. He could live on the Trader Joe’s frozen veggie Thai dumplings slathered in Goddess dressing, with nutritional yeast sprinkled over it for protein and B vitamins. This works great for me when I’m in a hurry, because I can microwave it if needed. Tonight I had time to make homemade dumplings, using vegan won-ton wrappers from the Asian market. Turns out, you don’t really need a lot of time to make them at all. I’m a big fan of being able to make one dish dinners that kids and adults like. Here, you’re getting carbs, protein and veggies, with some fat if you fry them. Find a good dipping sauce (like Goddess dressing or a Chinese or Thai all-natural sauce), and it’ll be loads of fun to dip your way through dinner.
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, finely shredded or minced
1/4 cup Napa or regular cabbage, finely shredded or minced
1/4 cup mushrooms, very finely chopped (optional)
1 1-inch chunk peeled ginger root, minced or very finely shredded (optional)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, very finely chopped or minced
1 package silken tofu (1 1/2 cups), drained and mashed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Grapeseed, canola or light olive oil plus toasted sesame oil for frying
Saute the garlic and mushrooms in a small amount of oil until light brown.
Add the carrot, cabbage, ginger and salt and keep cooking until softened.
Stir in the tofu, cilantro and lemon juice.
Let the filling cool.
Spoon a teaspoon of filling onto each won-ton wrapper. Wet the edges and seal well.
Heat a small amount of oil in a large saute pan. Add a little of the sesame oil for flavor.
Fry each dumpling on each side until light brown. Alternatively, you can steam the dumplings.
Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.
Store covered in the refrigerator for several days or freeze.
Love,
Sharon
