Kimchi Hamentashen Dumplings

February 24, 2014 · by ·

kimchi-hamentashen

The Jewish holiday of Purim will be upon us in a few weeks, and I’m in that creative zone thinking about what to prepare. Purim is a very lighthearted holiday. You can learn more about it here.

One of the foods that we traditionally eat on Purim are hamentashen. They are usually triangular filled cookies made to represent the evil Haman from the holiday story. I’ve been making these little cookies since I was a kid, but in the past few years, I’ve been trying to balance the savory and the sweet when making my hamentashen for the Jewish Holiday of Purim. This year was no different.

I’ve been brainstorming various flavors this year and hope to share a few of them with you over the next several days.

This hamentashen came about because I’ve been wanting to make traditional Korean Mandu for a while now. I’m also a huge fan of Kimchi – and from that, kimchi dumplings, of course. It dawned on me last week, that I could possibly turn it in to a hamentashen of sorts. Both are always filled and shaped. Why not? I made some vegan  daikon kimchi a few weeks ago, so these dumplings came together quickly.

I decided to cook them potsticker style so that I could keep the hamentashen dumplings up right, so that it looked like a traditional hamentashen where you can see the filling.

I started by quickly stir-frying some tofu with ginger and garlic. Next, I added in some grated carrots, scallions and Napa cabbage. Once that mixture had softened, I added some of my special radish kimchi. I added enough that it was would contribute a lot of flavor to the mix, but I didn’t want the kimchi to overpower or overheat the dumpling. The smell coming off of the pan is amazing! I seasoned with a small amount of salt – about a teaspoons.

dumpling-filling

When the filling mixture was done cooking, I transferred it to a bowl and let it cool.

I placed a tablespoon of the filling in the dumpling wrappers and then pinched the round dough to form corners, like I’ve done in the past with my hamentashen cookies. I dabbed the corners with a bit of water mixed with corn starch. It helps glue the corners in a bit.

Shaping Kimchi Dumplings

Once I prepared several dumplings, I heated my pan with vegetable and sesame oils. I placed the dumplings in the pan and let them brown a bit. Once they were browned, I added some water to the pan and covered the pan to let them steam. I removed the lid when the water had evaporated.

Prepping and Cooking Dumplings

We then dug in.

Oh my. Now this is a hamentashen to enjoy and be proud of! Definitely making these dumplings and these hamentashen again.


Kimchi Hamentashen Dumplings
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 tsp. vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • ½ lb. super firm tofu, diced small
  • 2 tbsp. ginger, peeled and minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and grated
  • ¾ cup napa cabbage, chopped
  • ¾ cup daikon kimchi (veganized), chopped (can sub cabbage kimchi if you have that)
  • 2 scallions, sliced thinly
  • 1-2 tsp. salt - as needed
  • dumpling wrappers (I used around 30)
  • ½ cup warm water mixed with a 3 tsp. corn starch (to seal the dumplings)
  • 2 tsp. vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • water for steaming
Dipping Sauce
  • 3 tbsp. tamari
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
  • chopped scallions
Instructions
  1. Heat up the 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil along with the 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil. Add in the tofu and cook for several minutes. Once the tofu is cooked a bit, add in the garlic and ginger.
  2. Let the garlic and ginger get fragrant, then add in the carrots, cabbage and scallions. Let them soften a bit.
  3. Next, add in the chopped kimchi. Stir everything together.
  4. Salt as necessary.
  5. Place a tablespoon of dumpling filling on the dumpling wrapper. Pinch in the corners and seal with the corn starch and water mixture.
  6. Repeat with more dumplings.
  7. Heat the oils in a large pan that has a fitting lid.
  8. Place the dumplings bottom down in the pan and let them brown a bit. Should take a couple of minutes. Once the dumplings have lightly browned on the bottom, pour about ⅔ cup of water in the bottom of the pan and cover pan with a lid to steam the dumplings.
  9. Let the dumplings steams until the water has evaporated completely.
  10. Transfer to a platter. Repeat with any additional dumplings.
  11. Dip the dumplings in a mixture of tamari, sesame oil, rice vinegar and scallions.
  12. Enjoy!

kimchi-hamentashen-dumplings-tall

Filed Under: Appetizers, asian, Jewish Holidays, Purim, Side Dish, tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sriracha Chex Mix

January 8, 2014 · by ·

Sriracha Chex Mix

I love Chex Mix. Chex Mix is one of my favorite snacks. Only homemade Chex Mix though. I stock up on Chex Cereals whenever I see them on sale at the grocery store. I’m always trying to come up with new flavor options for the wonderful snack mix.

I’ve made it with Creole seasoning, I loved it with curry seasoning and just recently, I decided I needed to make a Sriracha Chex Mix. Who doesn’t like sriracha? It seemed like it would be the perfect addition to this snack mix. I was right.

In a giant mixing bowl, I mixed up the Rice Chex, Corn Chex, cashews, almonds and peanuts.

I mixed up some melted butter, sriracha, sesame oil,  and tamari.

mixing-chex-mix-

I processed some garlic and ginger in my Cuisinart Mini-Prep so it became a paste and then added it to the bowl with the butter and the sriracha.

I poured the mixture over the Chex and nut mixture. I stirred everything well.

mixing-chexk-mix

I placed everything on a rimmed baking sheet and then I baked it in the oven at a low heat for an hour. I stirred it up every 15 minutes or so.

I then let the mixture cool and then sampled a bit. Oh yeah.

This Chex Mix came with us to our New Year’s Eve party. It’s perfect for any party or just for casual snacking. I love the kick of the sriracha!

Hope you enjoy!


Sriracha Chex Mix
 
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Recipe type: Snack, Gluten Free
Ingredients
  • 6 cups Rice Chex
  • 6 cups Corn Chex
  • 1 cup roasted unsalted cashews
  • 1 cup roasted peanutes
  • 1 cup toasted almonds slivers
  • 1 stick of butter, melted
  • ⅓ cup Sriracha
  • ¼ cup tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 3-4 inch piece ginger, peeled
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 250
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry cereals and the nuts.
  3. In a smaller bowl, combine the melted butter, tamari, sriracha and the sesame oil.
  4. Puree the garlic and ginger in a food processor and then mix in to the sriracha mixture.
  5. Stir the melted butter and sriracha mixture in to the cereal mixture and stir well, making sure that all nuts and cereal pieces are coated well.
  6. Transfer to rimmed baking sheets.
  7. Bake in the oven for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
  8. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  9. Enjoy!

Sriracha Chex Mix

Filed Under: asian, Gluten Free, munchies, recipes, Snacks, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Spicy Miso Ginger Soup with Mushrooms & Spinach

January 6, 2014 · by ·

miso-ginger-soup

We were having a get-together with some friends and I offered to bring something over. They suggested soup. I initially thought I would do something simple like my Cardamom Cauliflower Soup or perhaps my French Onion Soup. I wanted to change things up a bit though. It’s been pretty cold around here and I’ve been craving spicy Asian noodle soups. My Bon Appétit Magazine had just arrived and I was drooling over the rice noodle soup on the cover.

Having looked through various recipes for inspiration, I decided to come up with my own vegan soup recipe. I had some miso on hand as well as shiitake mushrooms. I knew I could pull something together.

I began by sautéing up some shallots, garlic and ginger in a little bit of sesame and canola oil. As they softened, I added some cubed extra firm tofu and some sliced shiitake mushrooms, along with the whites of the scallions. I let everything sear and soften. The smell coming off the pot was amazing.

I stirred in some chili garlic paste and added some vegetable broth to the pot. I then added a strip of Kombu to the broth mixture. Kombu is a type of seaweed that adds amazing flavor to soups.

Next, I stirred in some miso and tamari to the mix. I tasted the broth a bit to see if it needed additional spice. I like heat, so I added a couple of squirts of Sriracha.

Next, I added some spinach, shredded daikon and shredded carrots. The spinach cooks up fast. At that point, the soup smelled amazing and I really wanted to dig in. I let the soup simmer for about a half hour. I then ladled in to a bowl over some gluten free soba noodles.

This soup is perfect. It’s great for these cold winter days. Add some extra sriracha if you want an extra kick.

ladled-miso-ginger-soup

Spicy Miso Ginger Soup with Mushrooms & Spinach
 
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Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Asian, Gluten Free
Ingredients
  • ½ tbsp. rice bran oil
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 2 shallots, chopped
  • 4 inch piece of ginger, peeled
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 scallions, chopped (whites and light green only)
  • ½ pound extra firm tofu, drained and cubed
  • 10 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 tsp. chili garlic paste
  • 10 cups vegetable or imitation chicken broth
  • 1 6-inch strip of kombu
  • 2 tbsp. white miso paste
  • 1 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce (can adjust taste)
  • 1-2 tbsp. sriracha (optional, to taste)
  • red pepper flakes (optional, to taste)
  • 1.5 cups shredded carrot
  • 1.5 cups shredded daikon
  • 2-3 cups packed spinach leaves (could also use kale or mustard greens)
  • Soba noodles (optional, to serve)
Instructions
  1. Process the garlic and ginger in to a paste in the food processor.
  2. Heat up the oils in a heavy bottom soup pot.
  3. Add in the garlic, ginger and scallions and saute for a few minutes to soften.
  4. Add in the mushrooms and the tofu and saute for several minutes.
  5. Stir in the chili paste and add in the broth.
  6. Mix in the miso paste and tamari and taste the soup a bit. Add additional sriracha or red pepper flakes for extra heat.
  7. Add in the shredded veggies and spinach and cover the pot. Let the soup simmer for about a half hour.
  8. Serve over soba noodles.
  9. Enjoy!

Spicy-Miso-Ginger-Soup

Filed Under: asian, Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, noodles, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Red Miso Braised Baby Bok Choy

August 21, 2013 · by ·

miso-braised-baby-bok-choy

This vegetable side dish was inspired by a walk through my local farmer’s market a while back. As new fresh veggies come in to the market, I get more and more excited to bring new stuff home.

I also  recently went on a shopping frenzy at my local Korean grocery store. I managed to pick up my favorite kind of miso, red miso. Red miso is a rich fermented soy bean paste that lends itself to heartier foods. It’s perfect for a braise and bok choy works well with it.

This bok choy comes together in just a few simple steps. We served this with some grilled salmon. I hope you enjoy!

Red Miso Braised Baby Bok Choy
 
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Recipe type: side dish, vegetable
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp. coconut oil (you could also use peanut oil or canola oil)
  • 1 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 2 tbsp. ginger, chopped
  • 2 tbsp. garlic, chopped
  • 5-7 medium heads of baby boy choy, washed and trimmed
  • 2 tbsp. red miso
  • ½ cup vegetable broth
  • 2 tsp. tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 tsp. red pepper flakes
Instructions
  1. Heat up the oil in a large pan.
  2. Add in the shallot, garlic and ginger. Cook a few minutes to soften.
  3. Add the cut bok choy to the pan and sear on both sides - about two minutes.
  4. In a small bowl, mix the miso with the vegetable broth and the tamari.
  5. Pour miso mixture over the bok choy. Cover the pan for 2-3 minutes to cook the boy choy a little.
  6. Add red pepper flakes to taste.
  7. Remove from heat and serve.
  8. Enjoy!

miso-braised-baby-bok-choy

Filed Under: Gluten Free, Side Dish, Vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tofu, Cauliflower & Greens with Soba Noodles and Miso Tahini Sauce

August 8, 2013 · by ·

Soba Noodles in Miso Tahini Sauce

I’ve had a jar of tahini sitting in my pantry for too long. I really should use it more often. My intention when I bought it was to use it in salad dressings and similar sauces, but I just haven’t reached for it until now. I actually never intended to use it in this dish, but it just happened, and I’m glad it did.

I got a couple of bunches of broccoli rabe greens in my CSA and I wanted to include it in dinner. I also had a head of cauliflower begging to be used. Both of these veggies tend to get used as side dishes. I wanted to include both in my main course. So I came up with this soba noodle dish. I love cooking with soba noodles. I buy a gluten free version and they cook up so fast and taste excellent.

 

Tofu, Cauliflower & Greens with Soba Noodles and Miso Tahini Sauce
 
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Recipe type: vegan, dinner, gluten free
Ingredients
  • Soba Noodles
  • 1 pound of extra-firm tofu, cubed and drained
  • 1 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp. coconut oil
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1.5 tbsp. ginger, chopped
  • 1 head of cauliflower, washed and trimmed
  • 1 bunch of broccoli rabe greens (could also use spinach or swiss chard), washed and chopped
  • 2 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. ground black pepper
Miso Tahini Sauce
  • 3 tbsp. tahini
  • 2 tbsp. white miso
  • 1 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp. ginger, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • ¾ cup water
  • 1 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • additional salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Boil some salted water in a pot and cook the soba according to the directions on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
  2. Preheat the oven to 400.
  3. Mix the tamari and the sesame oil. Mix in to the cubed tofu. Place the tofu on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes.
  4. Heat up the coconut oil in a large pan. Add in the sesame oil.
  5. Saute the onion, garlic, ginger and shallots for a few minutes to soften.
  6. Break up the cauliflower and add to the pan. Cook for about 8-10 minutes. Let the cauliflower brown a bit.
  7. One the cauliflower is softer, but still has some bite to it, turn the heat down lower add in the chopped greens.
  8. Add in the red pepper flakes, salt and ground pepper.
  9. In a separate bowl, whisk all of the sauce ingredients together.
  10. To serve, layer the soba noodles then the cauliflower mixture. Then pour the sauce over both. You can garnish with scallions, roasted sesame seeds and additional red pepper flakes if you like.
  11. Enjoy!

Soba Noodles in Miso Tahini Sauce

Filed Under: asian, Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, Main Course, noodles, recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad

July 31, 2013 · by ·

Vietnamese-Rice-Noodles-SaladIt’s been crazy hot here on my part of the world. I’m trying to stay away from the stove as much as possible. I’m sure you all can relate.

I’ve been trying to come up with substantial dishes that can be served cool or room temperature that don’t require to much heating up of the kitchen. This especially applies to Shabbat, where I’m tasked with creating and serving multiple dishes for a crowd.

This Vietnamese Rice Noodle dish is a perfect example of a meal-in-a-salad that comes together quickly and is great both warm or cold. It’s also very adaptable. You can swap out some of the veggies and change the protein to whatever you prefer. For this dish, I used turkey. I knew that my guests would be looking for some kind of meat dish and I had the turkey ready to go.

I started by cooking up the rice noodles. I used the thin rice vermicelli, which I can pour boiling water over to cook. Super easy to do. After soaking for around ten minutes, I drained the noodles.

I then cooked up the turkey with some garlic, ginger, shallots and chopped shiitake mushrooms. I love the flavors that comes off of the meat. Once cooked, I added some tamari and lime lime juice to the meat directly.

I chopped up my veggies and made the dressing. I was ready to go.

I mixed the veggies with the noodles and layered the ground turkey over it and then poured on the dressing. Everyone was happy with the salad.

I also make a vegetarian version of this salad. When I do, I swap out the turkey and use chopped tofu or the soy beef-style crumbles. They work well. When I crumble the tofu, I tend to use an extra firm version and add some extra garlic, ginger and soy sauce for extra flavor.

Hope you enjoy!


Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad
 
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Recipe type: gluten free, salad
Ingredients
  • 1 package vermicelli rice stick noodles
  • 1 tbsp. rice bran oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. ginger, chopped
  • 1 lb. ground turkey
  • juice of ½ lime
  • 2 tsp. tamari
  • 2-3 scallions, chopped
  • 2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. mint, chopped
  • 2 carrots, shredded
  • ½ daikon, shredded
  • 1 red pepper, chopped or julienned
  • 1 seedless cucumber, julienned or chopped
  • 1 cubed avocado
  • 2 tsp. red pepper flakes
For the dressing:
  • juice of ½ lime
  • 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp. brown sugar or honey
  • 2 tbsp. tamari
  • 1 tbsp. water
  • ½ tbsp. rice bran oil
  • 1 tbsp. chopped peanuts (optional)
Instructions
  1. Cook the noodles by placing them in a large bowl and pour boiling water over it. Let sit a few minutes, drain and set aside.
  2. Heat up the oil in a large pan and saute the ginger, garlic and shallot.
  3. Add in the ground turkey and chopped shiitake mushrooms and cook until done.
  4. Squeeze the juice of a ½ lime and 2 tsp. tamari or soy sauce over the turkey and mix.
  5. Prep all of the veggies and set aside.
  6. Mix up the dressing ingredients and set aside.
  7. Mix the rice noodles with the veggies and then layer with the ground turkey mixture. Stir in the whisked dressing.
  8. Serve and enjoy!

 

 

Vietnamese-Rice-Noodles-Salad

Filed Under: asian, Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, poultry, recipes, Salads, vietnamese · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Honey Sriracha Glazed Tofu

April 22, 2013 · by ·

This tofu dish was actually inspired by some chicken I prepared for my family. The other night, I set aside some chicken wings from the batch I was using for chicken soup. I had plenty for the soup and figured that if I baked them, they’d be perfect for my husband as an appetizer of sorts. As I looked in the fridge for seasoning ideas, I eyed the bottle of sriracha sitting in the door. I eyed a few other potential ingredients, and settled on this sweet and spicy sauce mixture. While I was mixing it up, I had to dip a pinky in to test the sauce. Perfection! I needed to make it again. I knew that this sauce would be perfect for baked tofu – something I often make for myself and I’m always looking for new ways to flavor simple tofu.

So, I set out to do just that on Friday. As I took the tofu out of the oven, I had a little nibble, and was so thrilled that I chose to adapt the sauce mixture for tofu. It is a perfect lunch or dinner treat and fantastic when served over rice.


Honey Sriracha Glazed Tofu
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 block of extra firm tofu, drained well
  • 3 tbsp. sriracha
  • 3 tbsp. honey or agave for a vegan substitute
  • 1 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 tbsp. vegetarian oyster sauce (omit if you can't find it)
  • 2 tsp. crushed garlic
  • 2 tsp. ginger paste
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • ½ tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp. chopped scallions
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 385.
  2. Drain the block of tofu. Cut the tofu in to around 6-8 pieces. I sliced the tofu block in thirds crosswise and then sliced each of those pieces in thirds.
  3. Lay the pieces on a baking sheet.
  4. Mix up the rest of the ingredients, except for the scallions and sesame seeds, in a small bowl.
  5. Brush the sauce mixture over the tofu, distributing it evenly.
  6. Let the tofu marinate for around 20-30 minutes.
  7. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
  8. Flip the pieces over and bake for another 10 minutes.
  9. Garnish with chopped scallions and sesame seeds.
  10. Enjoy!

Honey Sriracha Glazed Tofu

Filed Under: baked, Dinner, glazed, Gluten Free, Main Course, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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