Meatless Meat-filled Pot Stickers (Vegan)

Keeping with the Asian cuisine theme of the last post, this week I delved into the land of Pot Stickers! This recipe is a healthy meat alternative for those who just love Pot Stickers and the flavor and texture of ground meat, just without the actual meat (you wouldn't know the difference if you didn't know there was no actual meat). I will walk you through making your own dough, the filling, forming the pot stickers and cooking them up; along with a homemade Asian inspired dipping sauce.

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup water (tepid to warm)
3/4 cup baby bok choy (blanched and chopped)
3/4 cup Asian cabbage (blanched and chopped)
1/2 cup organic carrots (diced)
1/2 cup organic green onions (diced)
4 medium toes organic garlic (diced or pressed)
1 Tbs organic fresh ginger (peeled and diced fine)
3/4 bag Boca Meatless Crumbles (the 12oz frozen bag)
2 Tbs white rice vinegar
1/2 tsp organic agave
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Tools
1 medium wok or sauce pan with lid
1 medium stock pot (for blanching)
1 med bowl with ice water (for blanching)
1 mixing bowl
measuring cup and measuring spoons
Chef's knife
cutting board
Garlic Press
parchment paper
rolling pen
Pot Stickers Mold Shaper

The Pot Sticker Dough
The first step is to make your dough so you can set it aside to relax while you make your filling.  In your mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of flour and 1/2 cup of tepid water and mix by hand.  You are welcome to use a mixer with a dough hook, but I prefer the hand mixing method.  You want a tepid to warm temperature water and you can add a bit of water at a time while mixing.  I keep a small cup of flour and some extra water on hand before I begin, adding a small amount of either to adjust the consistency if necessary.  You are looking for a well mixed dough that you knead for 10 to 15 minutes.  Then cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 20 minutes.  Just before I roll out my pot sticker dough, I knead for another 5 to 10 minutes as I found that after the dough has rested and then is kneaded again, you get a stronger, more flexible finished product.

The Filling
Like with any other wok cooking, you want to prepare all of your vegetables ahead of time, so when it is time to cook, you are not faced with needing stop and chop.  Remember that wok cooking is done on high heats with a lot of motion in a small amount of time.

I begin by washing my baby bok choy and asian cabbage, cutting the leafy greens off of the stems, as we will only be using the greens.  You can substitute green or purple cabbage in place of the Asian cabbage or double your bok choy if you don't want cabbage at all.  Next we will blanch our leafy greens by bringing a medium stock pot filled with water to boil.  Add your greens and let simmer for 10 minutes or until your water turns a beautiful shade of green.  Remove the bok choy and cabbage and place directly into a bowl of ice water.  This stops the cooking process.  Then take a handful of greens and queeze the water out, forming a clump in your hand.  Next chop your greens into a loose dice.

Then wash and dice your carrots and green onions. Then peel and dice your fresh ginger root.  If you love ginger you can add a bit more, but remember that ginger is a potent root and will quickly over power all of the other flavors.  Then peel and press your garlic toes.  If you don't have a press or prefer to chop, then finely dice your garlic.

In your medium wok, add a teaspoon of sesame oil and bring to high heat.  Then add your carrots, green onions, ginger and garlic, stir frying continuously for 5 to 10 minutes or until your carrots begin to soften.  Next add your Boca meatless crumbles directly into the wok.   I like Boca crumbles because they give you the consistency of a ground pork or beef and absorb the flavors around them quickly.  I take the bag right out of the freezer and break all of the crumbles apart before opening the bag and measuring out my amount.  Do not defrost them first, just add the frozen crumbles right to the wok. Continue to stir fry all of your ingredients together for another 5 minutes.  Add 1 Tbs of sesame oil, 1 Tbs of soy sauce, and 1 tsp of white rice vinegar to the mixture, along with a few pinches of pepper.  If you want to spice things up more, you can add some chili flakes!  Lastly, add your blanched, chopped greens and continue stir frying for a minute or two as your greens heat up and mix in.  If your mixture is too dry and not coming together, you can simply add 1 tsp of corn starch to some water, mix until dissolved and add to your mixture while still stir frying over high heat at the very end. This will act as a bonding agent to your filling.  Turn off your fire and place your filling in a bowl and let cook completely.

Rolling out your Dough
As mentioned earlier, I knead my dough for another 10 to 15 minutes after it has rested fully.  Flour a flat, clean surface and pull off a small amount of dough, rolling it into a ball between your palms.  Using your rolling pin, push down hard while rolling out in one direction, then turn your dough and roll out in the opposite direction.  You are rolling out a small, thin circle.  The circle needs to be about the same thickness all the way through and large enough to cover your Pot Stickers Mold Shaper.  A couple of notes to help you out: be sure to have extra flour on hand and dust your rolling pin and flat surface between each rolling.  If you are going to roll out all of your dough at one time, place sheets of parchment paper or layers of flour between the finished dough circles or they will stick together and become impossible to separate.

 
Molding your Pot Stickers
This is my favorite part!  I like using the Pot Stickers Mold Shaper only because it is fast and keeps all of your portions identical, which is great for events or dinner parties (and for a cool kitchen tool under $5.00, you just can't live without one).  I begin by setting up my area with my rolled out dough circles, my chilled filling, extra parchment paper, a little bowl of water (to seal the pot stickers), a little bowl of sesame oil (to grease the mold) and my Pot Stickers Mold Shaper.

Begin by oiling your Pot Stickers Mold Shaper with sesame oil. You only need a thin coat and will only need to apply a new coat after 4 to 5 finished pot stickers.  Then place a round dough circle, centered, on top of your Pot Stickers Mold Shaper. Spoon one to one and half spoon fulls of filling into the center of your dough where the well is located on the mold.

Next, using a clean finger, apply a bit of water to one side of the dough, along the bottom of the mold from hinge to hinge.  This will act as a glue when pressing the dough together.  Then gently bring the handles together and press firmly.

Next, use your fingers to pull straight down on the excess dough, while keeping the handles together.  This allows you to remove the excess while creating a nice Pot Sticker edge.  I make a pile of the excess dough and at the end, I knead it together and roll out as many circles as I have and make those into Pot Stickers as well.

Open your Pot Stickers Mold Shaper and gently remove your completed dumpling! 

Set these aside on your parchment paper, making sure they do not touch, as the dough may adhere together.  Also be sure not to stack them.

Cooking the Pot Stickers
Now that you have formed all of your Pot Stickers, you are ready to cook them up!  This recipe will make between 25 and 40 Pot Stickers, depending on how you roll your dough out.  I tend to average about 35 when I follow these measurements.  Decide how many you are cooking for this meal and set those aside.  You can take the remaining dumplings and place them directly into the freezer, freezing them solid and then portioning them into ziplocks or storage containers for later meals.  You do not need to defrost them when you are ready to cook more, just take as many as you want out of the freezer and follow the next steps as written.

Using your wok or skillet (I do not recommend using a non-stick skillet as these are called Pot Stickers for a reason), add a Tbs of sesame oil and bring your wok to high heat.  Place enough pot stickers in the wok to cover the bottom, but not so they are touching or overlapping.  Let them sear in the oil for about 1 minute, then carefully add just enough water to coat the bottom of the wok. Not so much water that they are swimming in a pool!

This will instantly create a billow of steam, so quickly cover the wok to create a steam bath.  I use a smaller wok flipped on top of my medium wok for this.  Let steam for exactly 2 minutes.

When your 2 minute is up, remove the lid (or small wok cover) and all of the water should have evaporated.  If you still have a bit of water remaining, leave the cover off and let the water finish turning to steam.

Use a pair of tongs to gently remove your cooked and steamed Pot Stickers. I recommend serving these little wonders with a dipping sauce consisting of the following mixture:

2 Tbs white rice vinegar
2 Tbs water
1/2 tsp organic agave
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Sesame seed, green onion shaving and/or red chili flakes on top.

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If you would like to assist in supporting my blogging and recipes, please consider making a donation towards the next meal.  Healing the world's health one lentil at a time.  Blessings.

Organic Spring Rolls

Today we move our pallets to an amazing taste of the orient.  Inspired by the works in Chinese Dim Sum (Chinese Edition)(which also has full English translations throughout), I formulated and created an organic spring roll full of healthy choices with flavors that play out in the mouth not unlike a fine aged wine or amazing pure chocolate.  The prep time on these takes longer than the actual cooking time and they can be frozen and used later if you so desire.

Ingredients
1 Pack Sunlee Rice Springroll Rounds (Size 16 cm) (From your local Asian Market)
1 Bowl of Water
1 Organic Yellow Onion (diced - you may substitute Asian green onions)
3 Stalks Organic Celery (diced)
3/4 Cup Shiitake Mushrooms (diced)
3/4 Cup Baby Bella Mushrooms (diced)
1 Can Bamboo Shoots (diced)
1 Can Chestnuts (diced)
1/2 Cup Organic Carrot (diced)
3/4 Cup Baby Bok choy (blanched then chopped)
2 Tbsp Cornstarch (dissolved in water)
2 Tbsp Organic Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Organic Shoyu (soy sauce)
1 Tbsp Organic Agave Nectar
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 tsp White Pepper
4 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce

Tools
Chinese Wok
Chinese Wok Spoon for Stir Frying
Blanching Pot
Bowl of Water
Chef Knife
Cutting Board
Measuring Spoons
Measuring Cup
Parchment Paper and Scissors

The Spring Roll Filling
Asian cuisine is an art form to all of the senses: the layers of taste, the texture, the aroma and the visual presentation.  This does not mean that you have to be an artist to make this dish.  Asian culinary secrets are found in the most important place, within each and every one of us as we posses the ability to relax and breathe.  The invitation from this dish is to be in a mindful place of being with yourself as your prepare each stage.  This means simply noticing your thoughts, your breath, your body and not holding onto or judging anything that arises from within you.  From chopping to stir frying to rolling the rolls, simply BE with you and with the ingredients.  I guarantee that if you do this, your dish will sing in ways that will blow you away!

Begin with your baby bok choy.  You can find fresh organic baby bok choy at your local farmer's market, Asian market or grocer.  I buy mine at my local farmer's market.  Wash it thoroughly and then cut the leafy tops off just below where the leaves terminate into the stalk.  You can use the white bottoms in other stir fry dishes or soups, we will not be using them in this dish.

Bring a pot of water to a boil while you are cleaning and prepping your baby bok choy as you are going to blanch the leaves.  To do this, have a bowl of cold water also ready near your boiling pot of water.  Drop your leaves into the water and let them boil for 2 to 5 minutes.  The water will turn a beautiful green and your leaves will become even more vibrant.  Carefully scoop them out of the water and place them immediately into the cold still water to stop the cooking process.

Next, take a handful of leaves and ball them into a mass in your hand, gently squeezing the excess water out.  Then chop the mass of greens into a loose chop.  Not too fine as the leaves will greatly reduce in size upon cooking.

Set your chopped baby bok choy aside and move onto your other ingredients.  You are now going to dice each of the following, keeping in mind that you want all of your dice to be about the same size and shape across your various ingredients for a texture consistency in your final dish: onion, celery, carrots, bamboo shoots, chestnuts, shiitaki and baby bella mushrooms.

I buy the 8 oz cans of Dynasty brand bamboo shoots and water chestnuts from my local Asian market and then drain and dice the ingredients.  I pick up my mushrooms from my local Farmer's Market from "The Mushroom Lady" (see my Mushroom and Garlic Soup for more about her amazing fungus!)  Wash your shrooms, removing any woody stems and then dice.  I mix my two mushroom dices together in a separate bowl in preparation for the wok.

Next we are going to prepare our wet mixture, which will also go into the wok in the last stage of cooking.   In a measuring cup, add your cornstarch and enough water to cover completely with a splash more.  Mix the two together thoroughly.  Then add your sesame oil, Shoyu, agave, salt and pepper.  Mix all of the ingredients together and set aside.

The wok is an amazing culinary invention and a must have for any kitchen, especially for those vegans out there!  I have 3 different size woks, but for this dish I chose my largest (18") carbon steel hand hammered Pow Wok from China.  If you are in the market for an authentic Chinese wok, visit The Wok Shop as their prices are AMAZING and no one does Woks like they do!  If you are in Northern CA, you can visit their shop in San Francisco's China Town district.

Heat your wok on high heat.  I use a gas stove, which is the preferred heat source for this type of cooking.  Add a couple of table spoons of good sesame oil and let the oil get really hot, to the point that you smell the aroma of the oil.  Add your onion, carrot, celery, bamboo and chestnuts and begin stir frying.  This means using your wok spoon to move the ingredients around in a fairly continuous motion, remembering that the center of the wok is the hottest point and the sides cool more and more as you move away from the center.  In the end, you are looking for the carrots to cook all the way through, being the toughest member of your veg medley.

After a good 10 minutes or so, add your baby bok choy and mushroom mixture and continue stir frying your ingredients together, making sure to evenly distribute all the bok choy as it cooks.  Take your time.  Keep breathing and being with yourself and your dish in a mindful way.

The wet mixture you made earlier is now ready to be added to your wok.  Give the sauce one more good whisk and then pour it into the middle of your veg.  Your carrots should be about fully cooked at this stage.  Mix everything together, noticing how the sauce thickens the mixture - the magic of cornstarch!

Scoop your filling into a bowl and set aside to cool.  You will want your filling to reach room temperature or even cooler before using it to make your rolls.  You can place it in the fridge if you are short on time.

The outer wrapper

The wrappers are simply made of rice and water and are firm and brittle when removed from the package.  I buy mine from my local Asian market.  They come in several sizes and shapes.  For these rolls I use the 16 cm rounds from Sunlee.  I recommend you take one out and try to fold it in half to see how rigid it is out of the bag, impossible to make a roll!  So we add the magic of water.

I set up my rolling work space by using a wooden chopping board to roll on, a large shallow bowl with water to soften my outer rice papers with, my filling and a container lined with parchment paper to house the finished rolls.  Remove all of your rice paper skins from the plastic wrapper and have a kitchen towel on hand to keep your fingers clean.  You do not want to contaminate your water or accidentally smear excess filling around your work area. 

Begin by placing a fresh skin into your bowl of water and fully submerge it.  give it a good 10 count and then flip it over for another 10 count then flip it again.  You will notice how it immediately begins to soften.  Remove the wrapper from the bowl and let the excess water drip off.  Place it flat onto your wooden cutting board with the bumpy side facing you, as this is the inside of the roll.  The smooth side of the wrapper is the outside of your finished springroll.  With your fingers, wipe the excess water away.  Using a small spoon (abut a teaspoon in size), place 2 scoops of ingredients about 1/4 of the way onto your wrapper.  Use your fingers to make sure the scoops are evenly distributed together and form a nice line.

Gently fold the bottom of the wrapper up and over the top of the filling.

Then, gently fold the left side up and over onto the filling (not unlike wrapping a present).

Then gently fold the right side up and over the filling.  Now you have an envelope shape.

Using your fingers to tuck the filling in, towards your body, roll the wrapper one time forward, away from your body.

Roll again, pulling back slightly to maintain some tension on the wrapper and roll the rest of the way.  You have your finished roll!  Place the roll on parchment paper and be careful not to touch the sides of your rolls together or to stack them without parchment paper between them as they will stick together and may be almost impossible to separate.  Serve them with a Hoisin dipping sauce.

 You can also deep fry these finished rolls in vegetable oil, but here we are looking to keep health up and excess fats down, so I opted not to fry them.  Serve with a fresh cup of hot Chinese whole leaf Jasmine tea!

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If you would like to assist in supporting my blogging and recipes, please consider making a donation towards the next meal.  Healing the world's health one lentil at a time.  Blessings.

Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Soup

When its cold outside and you can feel Father Winter penetrating your clothes right through to your bones, its time for some hearty, healthy, healing soups!  This is a recipe that I have used for several years, changing up the main ingredients to create a variety of amazing soups that will warm the very heart of winter!  AND they are vegan (ssssshhhhhh).

Today I will walk you through a wonderful mushroom with roasted garlic and leek soup.  You can leave out the mushrooms if you prefer, but then you need to double your garlic and leek counts and know that you will then have a Roasted Garlic and Leek Soup, also a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients
4 to 6 Fresh Heads of Organic Garlic (Roasted)
1 Large Organic Onion (Chopped)
2 Organic Garlic Toes (Minced)
2 Medium Organic Bell Peppers (Chopped - Green, Yellow, Red or Mixed)
5 Stalks Organic Celery (Chopped)
6 Medium Organic Leeks (Cleaned and Chopped)
1 Cup Organic Baby Bella Mushrooms (Chopped)
1 Cup Organic Shitaki Mushrooms (Chopped)
1/2 Cup Organic Plain Soy Milk
4 - 6 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 - 4 Tbsp Herbes de Provence 
Fresh Pepper and Sea Salt to taste

Tools
1 Sharp Knife for Chopping
1 Stock Pot
1 Stock Spoon
1 Cookie Sheet
1 Measure Spoons and Cup
1 Electric Hand Blender
1 Garlic Press

Step One - Roasting the Garlic

There is nothing like the taste of fresh roasted garlic when prepared properly and added to your dishes.  The roasting process brings a wonderful deep aroma and taste that can not be reproduced in any other way and will give your soup that magic quality.

To begin, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Then carefully cut each of your garlic heads by slicing straight across the top, about 1/4 of the way down the head, removing the top quarter and exposing the fresh garlic inside.  Do not throw the top of the garlic head out, as you will roast these little bits as well.  Take a cookie sheet that has a small or medium rim running all the way around the perimeter and place your garlic heads onto the sheet, along with the garlic tops that you cut off.  Spread them out evenly across the cookie sheet.  Drizzle your extra virgin olive oil onto each exposed garlic head.  You can also use a rubber basting brush to apply your garlic if you prefer.  Then sprinkle sea salt and cracked pepper onto each exposed garlic surface.  Add just enough cold water to the bottom of your cookie sheet to cover the surface area.  This will assist by adding some steam to the mix.

Roast your garlic for anywhere between 25 and 45 minutes, checking it occasionally.  You are looking for the tops to become golden to dark brown with small bubbles on the outer edges of the large heads.  Some of the smallest bits of the top parts of the heads may turn black, which is OK as you will simply throw those little bits out.  Almost all (if not all depending on your oven) of the water will have evaporated.  Carefully remove the roasting sheet and let your garlic cool.  Once it's cool enough to handle, gently squeeze each garlic head to remove the freshly roasted toes.  Set the garlic aside and throw away the garlic wrappers.

Step Two - Preparing Your Primary Veggies

Some people like to use potatoes as a starch to firm up their soups.  That is fine to do and sometimes, when I want a fattier starchier soup, I will do the same.  But most of the time, I prefer to use Leeks in place of potatoes (unless of course I am making a Leek and Potato Soup).  Start by cutting the bulb end of your leeks right above the little roots.  Then cut the greens off just below where the green split into their leaves.  Slice the leek long ways down the middle, cutting it in half.

Now if you have never cooked with leeks before, know that they are grown in loose sandy soil and tend to be very dirty.  The dirtier the fresher in my book!  Therefore you have to spend some time washing them thoroughly under cold water.  Be sure to get all of the sand from between the layers.  Then cut them into chunks and set aside.

Next, take your mushrooms and wash them clean.  I love baby bellas and shataki mushrooms for their rich earthy flavor and natural aroma.  I recommend going to your local Farmer's Market or Organic Co-op as the freshness and prices are going to be much better than your local store in most cities.  Here in Northern California, I go to my local Farmer's Market and see "The Mushroom Lady" where I can get a 1 pound bag of fresh shataki mushrooms for $8.00!  I just love her set up!

 The baby bellas I sometimes get from her and sometimes from Whole Foods or even CostCo when they have the fresh large package. I also use them for stir fry, spring rolls and other Asian inspired delicacies. 

Once you have washed your shrooms, quarter them and set them aside.  I tend to also cut the very ends of the woodier stems off during the washing phase.

So now we have prepared the star ingredients: roasted garlic, fresh leeks and our mushrooms!  Now we move to our soup base.

Step Three - The Soup Base

Prepare your onion, bell pepper and celery by washing, peeling and chopping.  Then mince your 2 toes of garlic (not your roasted garlic) and set aside.  I use a Garlic Press for my garlic but you can use your knife to chop the toes if you prefer.

Next place your stock pot onto your fire and add 3 or 4 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to the pot.  Crack some fresh pepper and sea salt directly into your oil as the heat begins to take effect.  Add your herbes de provence to the oil.  If you don't have the herbes de provence on hand, a mixture of Italian seasoning can be substituted.  Add the garlic toes, onion, bell peppers and celery, mixing all together.

This is a typical stock base which is used in most cooking recipes in the South (I grew up cooking in my family kitchens of New Orleans).  You want to keep your heat between high and medium-high, stirring regularly while your veggies begin to expel their magical juices.  Once your onion is semi translucent, add about 1/4 cup of water to your pot, be mindful of the steam and mix again.  We are now beginning what is known as a reduction, cooking the vegetable medley down.  Continue to stir occasionally until your water is almost all gone, then add another 1/4 cup of water and repeat the process.  This is important because you are not only further cooking and mixing your wonderful veggie base, but you are sweating the ingredients, coaxing them to release all of their amazing juices, while deglazing the pot.

Next add 3 to 4 cups of water and mix everything together, bringing the mixture up to heat again. Then add your leeks to the pot.  Mix them into your veggie base, fully coating all of the leeks in the water.

Once the mixture begins to simmer and your leeks relax, slightly becoming translucent, add your mushrooms to the pot and mix together.  You may also want to add another 1 to 2 cups of water, depending on your stock pot.  Keeping in mind that your finished mixture will be about 2 inches from the top of the pot and will cook down for an hour or so, loosing another 3 to 6 inches in evaporation.

Once the mixture is back up to temperature and simmering again, add your roasted garlic, mix everything together and adjust your liquid as needed.  Let simmer on medium to low for 45 minutes or more.  Stir occasionally, making sure your fire is not too hot that you are scorching the bottom of your pot.

The last step is to take your Electric Hand Blender and carefully place into your hot pot and begin blending on low.  I take my time with this step and slowly increase the speed as I puree all of the ingredients together.  about half way through this process of blending, add your soy milk, slowly, while continuing to blend.  If you have soy allergies or just don't want to use soy (or rice milk), you can skip this step all together.  The soy mellows the mixture ever so slightly and completes the unification of flavors.  This entire dish is about layering wonderful flavors together into a medley of healthy foods to strengthen your body in these cold winter days.

Finally, taste and add sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, adjusting to your pallate.  Serve with home made french bread and a leafy green salad by a warm fire with your loving family.

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If you would like to assist in supporting my blogging and recipes, please consider making a donation towards the next meal.  Healing the world's health one lentil at a time.  Blessings.