I love spring rolls…it’s one of my favorite snacks or meals. When you order spring rolls in a restaurant, they come premade…all rolled up for you to enjoy.

When we make these at home, we make them together as a family and enjoy them as you make them. Wrap, roll and eat. That’s the way we roll. Okay, I had to! LOL

I have wonderful memories of sitting around the dinner table with my family as a kid making and eating spring rolls. Making and eating…my favorite activities!

Things have been crazy up in here. I received some test results that kind of rocked my world. I mentioned before that last year, I had active tuberculosis. The doctors kept telling me that I didn’t fit the profile for someone who could have active tuberculosis. (By the way, I keep saying to myself, I’m going to write about my experience last year and share here. Because it was a doozy…being as sick as I was, I learned so much and it changed my perspective on so many things.)

Anyways, I found out that I have mannose binding lectin deficiency which means I don’t make enough of a protein (in my blood) to fight off infections. It's likely(?) a genetic mutation that I have. Which makes so much sense. I get sick a lot and as a child, I was sick all the time. About 90% of the time when I get a cold, it turns into bronchitis. It would last for weeks and it would take forever for the cough to go away. So it makes so much sense. And it's good to know.

There's nothing they can do for this deficiency. It helps to know but it makes me so scared to get sick. To be around sick people. To be around very sick people. It scares me.

I mentioned there's nothing they can do but they do recommend people with this deficiency to get certain vaccinations last October at 36 years old, I got the pneumonia vaccine. I'm also going to keep up with my flu shots. I got the meningitis vaccine recently too.

After being sick last year, my number one goal was to stay healthy and to take care of myself. Once I found out these results, I realized important it is for me to get enough rest and to take care of myself period.

Alright, let's get to the recipe…slice up the tofu and then cut into strips. Dry it with a paper towel (makes for easier frying).

I can eat fried tofu like they are French fries…I LOVE it! Prep all of those veggies and make your sauce too.

In another recipe for Vietnamese spring rolls, I share step by step photos on how to wrap them!

I'll say this…I'll bet you can't eat just one! This recipe is super easy to make!

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Tofu & Avocado Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

Peanut Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
• splash of fish sauce optional
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• rice noodles cooked according to instructions on the package
• 1 pound firm tofu sliced and then cut into strips
• 1/4 in grape seed oil
• 1/2 red pepper sliced into strips
• 1 avocado sliced
• 1/2 cucumber cut into strips
• 1/4 purple cabbage sliced
• Thai basil leaves
• rice paper

Instructions

Peanut Dipping Sauce

• Whisk peanut sauce ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the rice noodles according to the instructions on the bag or box of noodles. Prep the tofu and vegetables. After cutting the tofu into strips, place on a dry, clean paper towels. You want to remove as much moisture as possible.
• Add grape seed oil to a nonstick skillet until you have about a quarter inch of oil. Heat the oil on medium to medium high for 4 to 5 minutes. Cook the tofu for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.
• Place on a plate lined with clean paper towels.
• One at a time, wet the rice paper (wet on both sides with really warm water, don’t allow it to soak) and then place on a round plate. Allow the rice paper to sit for at least one minute. Add rice noodles, tofu, red pepper, avocado, cucumber, cabbage and a couple of basil leaves. Roll once, fold in the sides and continue rolling until it’s a spring roll!
• Serve with the peanut dipping sauce.

Notes:

• Best if served or enjoyed immediately after making the spring rolls!

The post Tofu & Avocado Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

This post is sponsored by Florida Department of Citrus.

I'm constantly inspired by the food I have at restaurants and on my travels. When I was brainstorming what to make and share with you that includes Florida orange juice, my friend Nina and I immediately thought of tacos!

At a Chinese restaurant in town here, they serve these lightly battered and fried shrimp with a citrus sauce that's sweet. I have been wanting to give a homemade version of this a go…and dreams do come true because this recipe is amazing. I can't even…

And speaking of Florida orange juice. Did you know that I live in Florida? We love our orange juice here. I drink it practically every day for the vitamin C and the potassium that I need. I'm so excited to work with the Florida Department of Citrus…sharing with you recipes that I made with Florida orange juice!

I know you will love these tacos when you make them!

First, make the sauce which of course includes Florida orange juice. I just used a spoon to mix up the ingredients.

After you have prepped the cabbage and the cilantro…heat a cast iron skillet to warm up the corn tortillas.

Beat two large eggs with some Florida orange juice.

Mix together cornstarch, salt and white pepper.

First put the shrimp in the cornstarch mixture…

Dip the shrimp in the egg and Florida OJ mixture.

Then, toss the shrimp back into the cornstarch.

Fry up the shrimp in a nonstick skillet.

Put the tacos together with cabbage, shrimp and cilantro.

Then, drizzle the sweet orange sauce on top. These tacos are amazing…I know you'll love them and your family will too! So easy to make and perfect for any summer get together!

You should check out the Florida Department of Citrus' website and facebook page to get more recipes and learn more about the nutritional benefits of Florida orange juice!

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Orange Shrimp Tacos Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 10 to 12 tacos

Ingredients

sweet orange sauce

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 3 Tablespoons Florida orange juice
• 1/4 red/purple cabbage sliced thin
• chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)
• 1 pound shrimp if frozen, defrosted, peeled and de-veined
• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tablespoons Florida orange juice
• corn tortillas about 10
• oil for frying the shrimp

Instructions

• Make the sweet orange sauce by combining mayonnaise, sweetened condensed milk and 3 tablespoons Florida orange juice in a small bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Prep the cabbage and cilantro and set aside.
• Season the shrimp. Mix together cornstarch, salt and white pepper on a plate or shallow bowl. On another plate or shallow bowl, whisk together egg whites with 2 Tablespoons Florida orange juice.
• Heat a seasoned cast iron skillet on medium for about 3 minutes. Heat corn tortillas (one or two at a time, depending on the size of your skillet) one minute on each side. Place tortillas on a plate with one paper towel (to keep the bottom tortilla from getting soggy from condensation.)
• Prepare a plate and line it with paper towels. In a non-stick skillet, pour oil so it's at about 1/4 inch. Heat for about 4 to 5 minutes on medium.
• One at a time, dip the shrimp in the cornstarch mixture, then dip the shrimp in the egg mixture and then lastly dip again in the cornstarch mixture.
• In two or three batches, fry the battered shrimp for about 30 to 45 seconds on each side. Remove from oil and place on paper towel-lined plate.
• Serve on corn tortillas; place cabbage, shrimp and cilantro on tortillas and drizzle the sweet orange sauce on top.

Notes

Note:  When battering the shrimp, I noticed that part of the batter would come off if I put it on a plate, when I went to pick it up. So it’s best to leave the battered shrimp in the plate or bowl with the cornstarch and place into the skillet directly from there. (Be sure to shake off excess cornstarch.)

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Florida Department of Citrus. I only work with brands that I love and only share with you my own opinions. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Little Kitchen possible.

The post Orange Shrimp Tacos appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

I'm all giddy thinking about sharing this recipe with you. This is another installment on my project with McCormick Gourmet. Thinking about what kind of recipe I wanted to make with farm-to-table ingredients and pairing with their high quality spices, I immediately thought of wonton soup. It's officially Fall and even though it's still warm here in Florida, I'm ready for soup. Okay, let's face it, I can have soup year-round.

I remember my Mom making wonton soup for us when I was a kid and how comforting it was. I would cut the wontons with the edge of my spoon and eat the dumpling part first and leave the “pasta” in the bowl and eat that last.

Although, this is a little different from the recipe she would make for us and a little non-traditional, it has so much flavor, it's very filling; good enough for a meal but not overfilling and full of fresh ingredients. It will make you feel good to make and eat. The wonderful thing about this recipe is you can switch out the fresh produce for what's in season and what you have on hand that's fresh. 

I used cabbage for the filling but you can use shredded Brussels sprouts if that's what you have on hand.

For the soup, I used escarole lettuce but you can use romaine lettuce or even sliced mushrooms if that's what you have. And instead of broccoli, you can use cauliflower or kale. The sky's the limit on what you can do as far as fresh produce in this soup!

Traditional wontons have a pork filling but I opted for a mixture of ground pork and shrimp. You can go all the way pork, all the way shrimp or mix it up like I did.

I smashed the shrimp with the side of my knife and then chopped it up.

Here's the line-up for this recipe: McCormick Gourmet Ground Ginger, Ground Coriander Seed, California Garlic Powder and Ground Cayenne Red Pepper. These are quality spices…a little bit goes a long way.

Add all of the filling ingredients along with the spices, salt and pepper.

And seriously, just use your hands to mix the filling up.

All done.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of filling to the middle of the wonton shell.

Fold up the opposite corners to meet.

I pat around the filling to make sure there are no air bubbles when you cook them.

A little easier to see.

Using your thumbs and fingers, pinch the wonton shell.

Pinch, pinch…

Pinch.

See my hands?

Almost done.

See how easy it is?

And I always say, when you turn it upside down, it looks like a ghost!

Doesn't this look like fun?

I boil them in small batches, 6 to 8 at a time for 4 minutes.

The soup broth is easy, it's chicken broth with McCormick Gourmet Ground Ginger and Ground Cayenne Red Pepper.

And guess what? These freeze rather nicely! Freeze them on a baking sheet in one layer and then place them in a zippered plastic bag and date it with a permanent marker. You can boil them straight from the freezer!

It's so warm and comforting. The little bit of Ground Cayenne Red Pepper gives the broth a nice little kick. The veggies in the soup make you feel good. This dinner was a winner in Curtis' book. Love love love, I hope you try this soon!

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Pork and Shrimp Wonton Soup with Broccoli and Escarole Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

Wonton Filling

• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/2 pound shrimp peeled, deveined and washed, smashed and chopped
• 2/3 cup chopped small green cabbage
• 2 green onions sliced thin (divided in half)
• 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Ground Ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Ground Coriander Seed
• 1/2 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet California Garlic Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• wonton wrappers
• 8 to 10 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Ground Ginger
• one or two pinches McCormick Gourmet Ground Cayenne Red Pepper optional
• broccoli cut into florets
• sliced escarole or romaine lettuce

Instructions

• Add wonton filling ingredients to a medium-sized mixing bowl and mix together, you may have to use your hands.
• Add water to a medium-sized pot and bring a boil. Add chicken broth, sesame oil, ground ginger and ground cayenne red pepper to a large pot. Turn on low heat.
• Add 1/2 tablespoon filling to the middle of a wonton wrapper, fold so it's a triangle. Flatten out to ensure there are no air bubbles when boiling. Using your fingers and thumbs, pinch the wrapper shut.
• Boil wontons 6 to 8 at a time for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and portion out to bowls for serving.
• Increase heat of the broth to high and allow to boil for about 5 minutes. About one or two minutes before ready to serve, add broccoli and green onions.
• Ladle broth over wontons and serve topped with escarole.

Notes

Freezing Tips: Freeze the filled wontons on a baking sheet in one layer for at least 20 minutes (not touching). and then place them in a zippered plastic bag and date it with a permanent marker. You can boil them straight from the freezer! When boiling them, add 1 or 2 minutes to the cook time for the wontons.

from The Little Kitchen

Disclosure: This post by McCormick Gourmet. I’m thrilled to be working with them, I always share with you my own words and opinions and only work with brands that I love.

The post Pork and Shrimp Wonton Soup with Broccoli and Escarole appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

When I think of growing up and my favorite Vietnamese dishes, I think of egg rolls and pho (beef noodle soup). I do have my Mom's recipe and I will be sharing that, not sure when yet! But these egg rolls, they are my Mom's recipe for Vietnamese egg rolls. I'm sure somebody will say they are not authentic. But when that's what you grow up with and your Mom is Vietnamese, they are authentic to me!

This past weekend, Curtis and I celebrated 11 years of marriage. We got married on his 30th birthday. This was supposed to be a surprise party for Curtis. But two weeks before the party, he found out about the surprise and was upset. He hates surprises and I thought we were going to have to call the whole thing off!

But then, the same day, Curtis suggested we get married at the party…surprise everyone back with a wedding ceremony. What do you think? I was on board. He kept asking me, are you sure you're okay with this? I was and still am. We scrambled, I found a dress a week before the wedding and even traveled for work that week to Las Vegas for a tradeshow! I shopped for my shoes in Vegas too! Haha

One of our favorite things about our wedding day was that our late dog, Cinder, was there.

She got to enjoy the party. She knew how to open presents! We miss her and it's been almost 6 years since we had to say good bye to her and it took a while to not cry when I thought of her. Now, I smile when I think of her or catch a glimpse of the drawing we have hanging in our family room of her. (She was opening Curtis' birthday present in the picture above.)

My Mom made her Vietnamese egg rolls for our wedding too…so it's only fitting I'm sharing them with you now! There are four components to a Vietnamese egg roll that are very important. Above is taro root. Its consistency is like a potato but it has purple squiggly lines. Sometimes it's hard to find so that's when I have used malanga blanca which is very similar but no purple. The other three components, I'm mentioning below…dried seaweed (as it says on the package below) or dried black fungus, cellophane noodles and the kind of egg roll wrapper you use (it's very important).

The dried seaweed or dried black fungus comes in a bag like this. (Also known as wood ear mushrooms.)

After soaking it in hot water for 30 minutes, it looks like this! It's amazing how much more volume there is! See that knobby looking piece in the center? You want to cut these off before slicing it up.

All sliced up.

Next are cellophane noodles also known as bean thread noodles. They are sold in packages like this but you only need one section of the bag for this recipe.

Soak it in hot water for at least 15 minutes. And then roughly chop it after draining it.

I made this recipe three different ways so you can adjust for diet. Above, I processed chicken breasts and peeled and deveined shrimp. You can do all pork or all shrimp also. And to make it completely vegetarian, you can do a tofu version. I have the ingredients and instructions for each type below!

All of the veggies.

And sometimes you just have to use your hands.

Photo of the filling when it's made with tofu.

I'm here to say the spring roll or egg roll wrappers you find in most grocery stores will not cut it. They are too thick. I buy these at my Asian grocery store and a produce market I go to carries this brand as well. The Spring Home TYJ Spring Roll Pastry is my Mom's favorite brand for egg rolls. They are super thin and are freezer friendly so I usually stock up on these when they are on sale!

Here's my set up when I get ready to wrap and roll…haha like my joke?

I even put together a video as well as did step by step photos on how to wrap a Vietnamese egg roll. (Huge huge thanks goes to my friend, Joanne, for her help in filming this video!)

First place 2 Tablespoons of filling on one corner of one wrapper.

Roll that corner up.

Then fold over the side corners.

And then start rolling, as you are rolling, tuck it in tightly.

Use the egg whites as glue for the egg roll.

All done. But seriously, watch the video, it will help immensely if this is your first time making egg rolls!

I put them on a quarter sheet baking sheet covered in foil or parchment paper. This makes it easy to count, to organize and you can put the baking sheet in the freezer to prep for freezing. (Just be sure to layer foil or parchment paper on top so there's only one layer of egg rolls or they will stick to each other.)

Once frozen, you can put them in a zippered plastic bag…to keep them for when the craving or guests arrive. Freeze them separately at first so they don't freeze stuck together.

Before frying, set up your baking sheet with foil, paper towels and I use a cooling rack for the egg rolls. I sometimes use chopstick to remove the egg rolls but tongs are way easier!

We don't deep fry these, we fry them in about a 1/2 inch of oil (canola or vegetable) and they cook up nicely.

Right out of the fryer, be careful and let them cool for a few minutes before biting into one of these. I'm speaking from experience!

You won't be able to have just one. I promise.

Thanks, Mom, for the guidance. I have made these at least 10 times now measuring to make sure I have the measurements correctly because my Mom never measures.

Cut them up with kitchen shears to serve as a small appetizer at your next get together or on top of rice noodles and and with veggies to make a great noodle bowl! These will not disappoint!

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Vietnamese Egg Rolls Recipe (3 Ways!)

Most of us normally see Vietnamese egg rolls made with ground pork. You can make this recipe with ground pork, ground chicken & shrimp, ground shrimp or with tofu to make it vegetarian. All ways are super tasty!

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 48 to 50 egg rolls

Ingredients

• 2.5- ounce bag dried black fungus about 1 1/2 cups (I used half of the bag)
• 1 1/2 cups bean thread or cellophane noodles and roughly chopped
• 2 green onions sliced thin
• 1 medium onion diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 carrot about 1/2 cup, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 1/2 head of cabbage about 1 cup, shredded
• 1 medium taro root or melanga blanca about 1 pound (about 2 cups), cut into large matchsticks
• a couple of dashes granulated sugar
• 2 packages egg roll wrappers I use Spring Home TYJ brand Spring Roll Pastry
• 2 eggs yolks and whites separated
• vegetable or canola oil for cooking

Choose one of the following:

Chicken & Shrimp

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 pound shrimp if frozen, defrosted, peeled and deveined and rinsed
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Shrimp Only

• 1/2 pound shrimp if frozen, defrosted, peeled and deveined and rinsed
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Tofu

• 1 14-ounce package of firm tofu, sliced thin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

• First thing, (soaked in hot water for at least 30 minutes, drained, rinsed and then cut
• and sliced). Soak 1/2 a bag of dried black fungus (dried wood ear mushrooms) in a large bowl with hot water for at least 30 minutes. Soak 1 section of a bag of bean thread noodles for 15 minutes in a hot water.

If you're making tofu egg rolls

• Heat a nonstick skillet with one Tablespoon of grapeseed oil.
• Slice tofu into thin slices and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
• Remove and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Allow to cool and set aside.
• Once they are cool, cut them into strips.
• Prep other vegetables. Removing knobby pieces of the mushrooms and then slice thinly.
• Mix all vegetables together in one large mixing bowl. Use your hands, if needed.

Meat and/or Shrimp Filling

• Pat meat and/or shrimp dry with paper towels. Add meat and/or shrimp to a food processor and pulse for a few seconds at a time until blended and meat is roughly chopped. Don't over process so that it's mushy.
• Split vegetable mixture in half and mix meat in batches. Until it's all mixed together. Add salt and pepper and dashes of sugar. Mix in egg yolks thoroughly.

Wrapping Egg Rolls

• After opening the bag of egg roll wrappers, cover with a wet paper towel (that's been wrung out) to prevent drying out of the wrappers.
• On a clean surface like a cutting board, place one wrapper on the cutting board so it's a diamond. On the corner closest to you, place 2 Tablespoons of filling. Fold up that corner and then fold over the side corners.
• Start rolling up and as you're rolling, tuck the filling side in tightly. Use egg whites as a glue on the inside and outside to seal it closed.

Frying the Egg Rolls

• Line a Cookie sheet with foil and paper towels and top with cooling rack.
• Heat oil (about a 1/2 inch layer) in a nonstick skillet on medium high for 5 minutes. Oil should start to swirl when it's hot.
• Add 6 to 8 egg rolls and cook for 3 minutes (if frozen 5 to 6 minutes) on each side and then an additional 60 to 90 seconds on each side, if needed, until golden brown. (Lower heat to medium if oil gets too hot.)
• Using tongs, remove one egg roll at a time and hold them up lengthwise and allow oil to drain back into the pan.
• Place egg rolls on prepared pan and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Tools I use for this recipe:

• KitchenAid 13-Cup Food Processor  (KitchenAid.com)- I can't live without mine. From grinding meat to making pie dough, I know some think food processors are a pain to clean but they are a must. It only takes seconds to prep food and when I use it to grind raw meat, I stick the cup, the blade and the lid in the top rack of my dishwasher.
• KitchenAid baking sheets – You can never have too many. I love love the quarter sheet size because that's what I use to freeze my dumplings, egg rolls and cookie dough. It fits right into my freezer snugly.
• KitchenAid silicone tipped stainless steel tongs – I have two pairs of these. Love them for cooking. Tongs are a must have in the kitchen!
• OXO Splatter Screen with folding handle – I love love this thing. It's saved me from so many messes. I actually wish I had two of these!
• Wilton cooling grid – I use these to cool my cookies and bars after they come out of the oven but I also use this rack to drain oil from fried things. It's a must have in the kitchen…I broke one of mine (got stuck in a drawer in an odd way) so I only have one now, I need to replace it soon!
• OXO Handheld Julienne Slicer – So cool and so convenient. Don't forget to use the guard on this thing!
• Ingredients: dried black fungus // bean thread or cellophane noodles

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links which means that I get a small percentage if you make a purchase. Thanks for allowing me to share my favorite recipes with you!

The post My Mom’s Vietnamese Egg Rolls (3 Ways!) appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

I have made chicken/turkey potstickers and we love them but I have been wanting to do a seafood version because my sister is a pescatarian (which means she the only “meat” she eats is seafood) and I want her to enjoy my homemade potstickers too! It took a couple of tries but I think I have this recipe just right. I brought some of these potstickers over to my friend, Aggie, who just had a beautiful baby boy last month when I visited her the other day. I had a great time chatting with Aggie. It was so great to see her and meet her baby…he's so cute! And no, if you're going to ask, I don't have baby fever right now. LOL

You may or may not know about my obsession with dumplings or potstickers. It's kind of embarrassing that I have so many instagrams of these little pockets of goodness. I love making them but even more I love eating them! I love making a bunch and having them in the freezer for a quick lunch or snack. And I love even more that Curtis loves them too even though he doesn't like mushrooms.

I cook the mushrooms in butter and soy sauce after chopping them up small. Then, allow them to cool and mix in with the cabbage mixture.

Take the side of your knife and smash the shrimp and then roughly chop it. You can also food process it but it's such a small amount of shrimp so I smash it with my knife.

Mix it all together and you have your filling!

Set up your station. Your parchment paper lined pan. A small bowl of water and the filling so you can start wrapping…

I also have a quick video (which was couldn't have been possible without Aggie's help with the camerawork) that shows you how to do fold the dumplings and do those cute little pleats!

Now I'm going to have to make another batch for my sister since they are all gone now! She's coming over for Christmas dinner and I hope she enjoys these!

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Shrimp and Mushroom Potstickers Recipe

Servings 48 to 50 potstickers

Ingredients

• 8 ounces mushrooms chopped small
• 2 Tablespoons salted butter
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 1/4 cups cabbage chopped small
• 3/4 cup carrots about 2, washed, peeled and grated/shredded
• 2 Tablespoons green onions sliced lengthwise and then sliced thinly (about 1)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound shrimp peeled & deveined, smashed and chopped
• 1 package dumpling or wonton wrappers if square, cut into round circles with a cookie cutter, about 48-50

Instructions

• In a non-stick skillet heat soy sauce and butter until the butter is melted. Add chopped mushrooms and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes stirring frequently. Remove from pan and allow to cool on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Prep vegetables and garlic and add to a large mixing bowl. Add sesame oil, vinegar and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly with a large spoon. Smash the shrimp with the side your knife and chop. Add to the cabbage mixture and combine.
• Set up a small bowl of water and wnwrap dumpling wrappers (leaving them in the wrapper but also covering with a wet paper towel to insure they don't dry up) and one at a time, scoop about a teaspoon of filing into the middle of your wrapper. Dab a small spot of water onto the middle top of your dumpling, fold in half and press to seal. Using your thumb and finger, fold pleats into the dumpling on one side and then do the same for the other side. For reference, check out my

  video on how to wrap potstickers.
• Repeat until you have no more dumpling wrappers or no more filling.

How to Cook the Potstickers

• I usually make about 8 to 10 at a time to not crowd the pan. Add 1/2 Tablespoon oil to a non-stick skillet and turn heat to medium. Add dumplings to the skillet and cover. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. If frozen, add an extra minute. Uncover and add 1/4 cup of water (1/3 cup if frozen) and recover and allow potstickers to steam for about 3 to 4 minutes (4 to 6 minutes if frozen).
• Serve with soy sauce.

Notes:

• These potstickers definitely freezer friendly. Place uncooked dumplings onto a plate or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for at least 2 hours. Once frozen, they can go into a freezer friendly container or zippered plastic bag.

This isn't a sponsored post but I did want to mention something that's near and dear to my heart. KitchenAid is a huge supporter of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and as the granddaughter of a breast cancer survivor, I know how important it is to have local support for treatment and national support for research. That's why I love what KitchenAid is doing. They have a program called “Pass the Plate” and Jacques Pepin created a unique design on a Villeroy and Boch plate. KitchenAid will donate $5 Susan G. Komen for the Cure every time the plate is passed between family and friends. You need to register the plate at this special website. Every plate is uniquely numbered. Be sure to check out Cook for the Cure for more information.

The post Shrimp and Mushroom Potstickers appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

I had no idea potstickers were so easy to make. Seriously…so easy or you can make them into dumplings. Whichever way you like them – either pan fried and steamed or just steamed.

I probably sound super cheesy when I say over and over again that I'm truly thankful for my friends. I have had to learn the hard way, after hitting some bumps, that I need to appreciate those true friends that I do have and to hold them close. I have a handful of friends who are incredibly generous and supportive and I feel like such a lucky girl! One of those friends is Aggie. We had been chatting about getting together (we live an hour away from each other) and cooking forever. It finally happened last week and we made these potstickers and Aggie made these amazing Asian turkey meatballs. She also made this amazing salad with the meatballs (she's sharing it soon)…seriously layers of amazingness in that salad. I can't wait to make it myself at home!

So for the potstickers – they are cooked in a skillet with some oil (covered) and then you after they brown, you can add some water and cover again to steam them. To make them as dumplings, you just steam them in a wok. My favorite wok? Jaden's wok – hands down. I love it for stir fries, for steaming and to make fried rice of course! For inspiration and the how to wrap the potstickers – I used Bee's book, Easy Chinese Recipes. And with the Chinese/Lunar New Year coming up in a couple of weeks, this is the perfect dish to serve!

Start by getting all of the vegetables ready – carrots, Napa cabbage, green onions and fresh ginger. Nothing beats fresh ginger – except for maybe fresh garlic. Skip the jarred stuff when it comes to garlic and ginger, trust me.

A tip I learned from my friend, Jaden, cook a couple pieces of your filling in a skillet to make sure you have the seasoning right.

Combine the veggies with the meat – I have officially made this recipe three times now. Once with Aggie and twice by myself. We used ground turkey and I have even made it with ground chicken. Both work great and I'm not sure I have a favorite between the two. This is a little different since traditional potstickers are made with ground pork.

Aren't they cute? Those cute little pleats aren't hard at all. Aggie filmed me wrapping potstickers or dumplings to show you how easy it is! (Video below)

So simple, I know you can do it. Seriously you can, I believe in you! Thank you, Aggie, for your wonderful video handiwork!

If you're steaming them, hopefully your wok has a steamer rack like Jaden's does and place a piece of parchment paper on top. Fill the wok up with water just below the steamer rack.

Add your dumplings and be sure to cover your wok and steam for 5 to 8 minutes.

These potstickers even freeze really well. I put them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and stuck them in the freezer (for about a couple of hours) and then you can put them into freezer-friendly zippered plastic bags – be sure to label them and date them.

Fresh or frozen, potstickers cook up nicely. I used a non-stick skillet and heated canola oil on medium heat. Add the potstickers and cover.

Cook for 3 to 5 minutes and then add 1/4 cup of water (1/3 cup if they are frozen) and cover again to steam.

This is a photo of the potstickers right after I added the water. Be careful, the water will sizzle and pop!

This is after about 4 to 5 minutes of cooking the potstickers covered. If there's a little bit of water left, I usually uncover and let the water evaporate with the heat turned off.

And they are ready to serve with your dipping sauce. Easy peasy. The ones above are steamed Chinese dumplings. I hope this motivates you to try them and try them with different meats and different vegetables – the possibilities are endless and I love that they freeze easily. Curtis enjoyed them with steamed Jasmine rice. And you can make them a few weeks ahead of time and cook them right before a party and everyone will be so impressed!

Print

Chinese Potstickers with a Ginger-Scallion Dipping Sauce

Servings 40 to 50 Potstickers or Dumplings

Ingredients

Potstickers or Dumplings

• 1/2 cup cabbage chopped small
• 1/4 cup carrots washed, peeled and grated/shredded (about 1/2 carrot
• 1/4 cup green onions chopped (about 3 green onions)
• 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger minced
• 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 package dumpling or wonton wrappers if square, cut into round circles with a cookie cutter, about 48-50
• canola oil for making potstickers
• water

Ginger-Scallion Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons green onions chopped (about 1 1/2 green onions)
• 1/2 Tablespoon fresh ginger minced

Instructions

Potstickers or Dumplings

• In a large mixing bowl, combine ground turkey or chicken with vegetables and sesame oil, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Cook a couple of pieces of your filling either flat or rolled up as a meatball in a skillet on your stove before filling the potstickers to make sure the seasoning is right. If needed, add more soy sauce, salt and/or pepper.
• Set up a small bowl of water and wnwrap dumpling wrappers (leaving them in the wrapper but also covering with a wet paper towel to insure they don't dry up) and one at a time, scoop about a teaspoon of filing into the middle of your wrapper. Dab a small spot of water onto the middle top of your dumpling, fold in half and press to seal. Using your thumb and finger, fold pleats into the dumpling on one side and then do the same for the other side. For reference, check out my video on how to wrap potstickers.
• Repeat until you have no more dumpling wrappers or no more filling.

How to Make Potstickers

• I usually make about 8 to 10 at a time to not crowd the pan. Add 1/2 Tablespoon oil to a non-stick skillet and turn heat to medium. Add dumplings to the skillet and cover. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. If frozen, add an extra minute. Uncover and add 1/4 cup of water (1/3 cup if frozen) and recover and allow potstickers to steam for about 3 to 4 minutes (4 to 6 minutes if frozen).

How to Make Steamed Dumplings

• Same for steamed dumplings, I only like to make 8 to 10 at a time. Add steamer rack to your wok and and fill with water - not allowing the water to touch the rack. Top with parchment paper (don't cover the entire rack). Cover and turn heat to medium high. Once the water starts bubbling up to a boil, add dumplings and steam for about 5 to 8 minutes (add 4 to 6 extra minutes if dumplings are frozen).
• Serve with dipping sauce or even just soy sauce.
• These are definitely freezer friendly. Place uncooked dumplings onto a plate or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for at least 2 hours. Once frozen, they can go into a freezer friendly container or zippered plastic bag. Label your containers and when steaming or making them as potstickers, follow instructions above on what times and how much water to increase by.

Ginger-Scallion Dipping Sauce

• Mix ingredients together and set aside until ready to serve.

Notes

Adapted from these Potstickers that also appear in Easy Chinese Recipes.

Disclosure: I was given Jaden's Steamy Kitchen wok for review and my opinions are my own and I only share with you products I love! There are affiliate links in this post.

The post How to Make Chinese Potstickers (with Video) appeared first on The Little Kitchen.