Spicy Potstickers

Today I am thankful for my husband. I saved the best for last. Al is the most amazing person to ever come into my life. We are so close, I never imagined loving someone and sharing so much with someone. In the   15 months of dating, 6 months of engagement, and almost 11 months of marriage...I have found out more about who I am suppose to be, because of him. He's also hilarious, intelligent, considerate, and genuine.

Perhaps I'm thankful for him today too, cause I made dinner for one tonight. And I made something that Al looooves! I have some ready to go for a snack when he gets home from school. This is a favorite of mine too, I think its because it reminds me of being back in China. This was street food. I love street food!! Ha! The key to these bad boys is the crispy bottom. It makes the dish. I'm not gonna fry them in tons of oil to get it though. The way I have this recipe it makes about 20, depends on how much you stuff in, I usually shoot for about a tablespoon. Anyway, enough jabbering-lets get to the potstickers!! Oh! First, I will say that I usually pair it with a little dippin' sauce. I mix a couple tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce with a dash of rice vinegar, a sprinkling of brown sugar and some crushed red pepper...it gets the job done. :)

INGREDIENTS:
potsticker wrappers
1/2 lb of ground pork
3 green onions, chopped
1 fresno pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
splash of rice vinegar
1 teas hoisin sauce
1/2 teas chinese five spice
cooking spray
water

*In a bowl mix pork, onions, pepper, garlic, vinegar, hoisin, and chinese five spice. Make sure everything is well incorporated.
*Take a wrapper, lay it flat in your hand. Pile in the middle, about a tablespoon of the pork mixture. Dab finger tip in water, wet the edge of half the wrapper. Fold in on itself and crimp the edges. Making sure it's all sealed. Place wrappers on a sheet with a damp towel and cover as you keep forming them.
*Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, spray cooking oil and then place in, edges up, your potstickers. Cook for about 4-5 mins cover on, making sure the bottom gets crispy brown, but not burnt. 30 seconds before removing from the skillet, pour a few tablespoons of water into the pan and cover quickly with a lid. Let the steam finish off the potstickers and then remove from skillet.
*Eat them right away, they don't hold heat too well, but trust me, they eat up fast anyways!

Six Veggie Stir-Fry

Lets just say, I'm writing this with remnants of this meal in my mouth and I'm contemplating not brushing my teeth for a couple days. I make stir-fry type dishes about once a week. Its fun to experiment with the basic concept of a stir-fry and make it different each time. Broccoli is a must. Peppers...always. The rest really depends on what looked tasty when I got the groceries last. Also, I finally remembered to get some chinese five spice seasoning...and I'm glad I did. Its a simple mix of a few spices...five, go figure. But the levels of flavor are complex and satisfying. Worth a purchase if you plan on making chinese food regularly. Anyways, here's my latest meal...hope it's inspiring you to try something new perhaps!

INGREDIENTS:
sesame oil
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbls crushed red pepper
8 stalks of asparagus, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 large head of broccoli, chopped
1 tbls chinese five spice
3 tbls lite soy sauce
2 tbls hoisin sauce
3 cups of spinach

*In a skillet, heat up oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Cook for 3 mins.  Then add in veggies, except for the spinach, and work in, getting all the veggies covered in a bit of oil. cook for about 5 mins.
*Put in the five spice, soy sauce, and hoisin. Make sure all veggies are again, covered in the sauce. Cook for another couple minutes. When veggies reach desired tenderness, throw in the spinach. Stir until it wilts. Serve with brown rice.

Spicy Vegetable Fried Rice

Bam! Double post day!

Plain and simple, we love asian inspired food. Not that this is terribly traditional...but it is easy and delectable. Its another one of those "whatever you have" kind of meals. Throw in whatever veggies you have or like. I always put bell peppers and broccoli in. Al is a big fan of mushrooms, I am not...so we don't have mushrooms. Ha! I've added carrots before or you could toss in some edamame. And if you weren't trying to go vegan like us, scramble a couple eggs and toss those in there too.

Short post tonight, but I'm being crafty and must get back to my crafts!

INGREDIENTS:
prepared brown rice
2 tbls sesame oil
1/2 an onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teas crushed red pepper
1 head of broccoli, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 cup pea pods
2 tbls low-sodium soy sauce

*Heat oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Add in the onion, garlic and crushed red pepper. Allow those to cook until they're fragrent, 1-2 minutes.
*Add in the vegetables and toss periodically for 2 minutes to coat and cook. Add in the rice, stir and cook for another minute. Then pour in the soy sauce, stir and serve.