Vegetable Dumplings

Another vegetable finger food to trick my toddler :)

My toddler loves dumplings, especially pan fried dumplings, I think because it is so easy for him to eat as well as it is delicious. I always make wonton using meat and cook in broth or pan fried them. This is my first time trying to use all vegetables to make dumplings and it was a hit! Thank you to my food processor and it helped me to make this meal much faster.  

Ingredients

*3 tablespoons oil

* 1 tablespoon minced ginger

* 1 large onion, chopped

* 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, chopped

* 1 1/2 cups cabbage, finely shredded

* 1 1/2 cups carrot, finely shredded

* 1 cup garlic chives (Chinese chives), finely chopped

* 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

* 2 teaspoons sesame oil

* 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry

* 2 tablespoon soy sauce

* 1 teaspoon sugar

* round dumpling wrapper, 1 pack

Directions:

1.      In a large skillet over medium high heat, add 3 tablespoons oil and add the ginger. Cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.  Add the onions and stir-fry until translucent. Add the chopped mushrooms and stir-fry for another 3-5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and any liquid released by the mushrooms has cooked off.  Add the cabbage and carrots and stir-fry for another 2 minutes, until the veggies are tender and all the liquid released has been cooked off. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool.

2.      After the vegetable mixture is cooled, add the chopped chives, white pepper, sesame oil, shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and sugar.

3.      Put ½ teaspoon of filling on the dumpling wrapper, fold into half, then make little waves on the area without the filling. The easiest way is to just fold to half and press the wrap to close.

4.      To cook the dumplings, steam them or pan-fry them. To steam, put the dumplings in a steamer lined with a bamboo mat, cabbage leaf, or cheese cloth, and steam for 15-20 minutes.

5.      To pan-fry, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Place the dumplings in the pan and allow to fry for 2 minutes. Pour a thin layer of water into the pan, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Allow dumplings to steam until the water has evaporated. Remove the cover, increase heat to medium-high and allow to fry for a few more minutes, until the bottoms of the dumplings are golden brown and crisp.

6.      Serve with soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, chili sauce, or other dipping sauce of your choice!

Lentil Balls

Having a toddler in the house do help me to be creative on my dinner planning.  I always want Little S to eat more fruit and vegetables but of course I have a son that will not eat them. That definitely challenge my cooking skills even more and I am kind of loving this challenge. That way I can create meals that substitute foods loaded with carbohydrate and meat to something high in fruit and vegetables. 

Little S like meatballs, also he eats better with finger foods so I always think of things to make that shape like meatballs to trick him. 

I am new to lentil. I never really liked it until this year, my new year resolution is to eat more lentil. I usually sees recipes using lentil are in curry, which, they are delicious, but I wanted to make something that is toddler friendly and Little S can feed himself. So we have this Lentil Balls!

Ingredients

3 cups lentils, cooked (about 1 cup dry)

½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, plus more for serving

½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ cup bread crumbs

kosher salt and black pepper

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400F.

2)    In a food processor, puree half of the cooked lentils with the cilantro, parsley, garlic, and cumin until nearly smooth. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the bread crumbs, the remaining lentils, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Form into sixteen ½-inch-thick patties.

3).    Bake lentil balls in the oven for 15 minutes, flip to the other side and bake for 10-15 more minutes until the balls are firm.

4)    Enjoy the lentil balls on salad or have them in pita bread adding yogurt and cabbage slaw.

Peanut Lentil Stew

A success of tonight, Vegetarian Monday and this meal is totally vegan. My toddler has been very picky with vegetables, and this stew has all the vegetables I want him to have.  You are free to put any vegetables in the stew, I have picked broccoli, since I have some in the house.  After mixing the stew with rice, the rice becomes very sticky so it is perfect to teach your little ones to use a spoon to feed themselves. 

If you want to speed up the cooking time, soak the lentil over night. 

Of course, if you are allergic to peanut, you can use other nut butter or seed butter. You might want to skip the peanut for garnish if you are feeding your young toddlers, it might be a choking hazard. 





Ingredients: 
* 1 medium onion, sliced
* 2 tomatoes, quartered
* 5 garlic cloves
* 5 ginger slices
* 1 tbsp hot chili sauce
* 1 tbsp tomato paste
* 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
* 2 tsp ground coriander
* 1 tsp paprika
* ¼ tsp black pepper
* ¼ cup nut butter like peanut butter
* 2 tbsp peanuts
* 1 cup green lentils 
* 2 cups broccoli, roughly chopped
* 3 cups vegetable broth
* Salt to taste
* 1 tbsp lime juice
* cilantro, peanut and lime slices for garnish


Directions: 
1) In a soup pot over medium heat, put all the ingredients except garnish into the pot, covered and bring it to a boil. Turn heat to medium low and let to simmer for about 15 - 20 mins, until the lentils are soft and all the vegetables are soft and tender. Use a hand held blender, blend everything into puree. 

2) Serve immediately over rice. Garnish with cilantro, peanuts and lime slices.