Broccoli Pot Sticker Wrappers

Kip — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:41:13 +0000

For years I had no idea what a pot sticker dumpling was, assuming it was some sort of hip kids’ terminology for the reefer. Hell, it wasn’t until I found myself in Beijing one autumn day that I was made aware of the existence of a non British style dumpling or gyoza. In fact, I’d go as far as saying those few days in China’s capital city were the basis of what blossomed into a love affair with my disaster area laboratory kitchen.

This vegan potsticker filling is both simple and delicious, meat free and an ideal party food. The ingredients can be easily juggled to suit your own tastes (don’t like broccoli? Try celery and carrot).

Broccoli Potsticker Dumplings

Makes about 10 pot stickers

Ingredients
- 10 gyoza dumpling wrappers
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sri racha
- 1/2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 80g (1 cup) finely chopped broccoli
- 1/2 tbsp groundnut (peanut) oil plus 1 tbsp extra
- 1.5-2 tsp minced ginger
- 1 cloved minced garlic
- 3 finely diced spring onions (white and light green parts only). About 1/4 cup.
- 2 tbsp (25g) okara (use firm tofu, crumbled, if you don’t have okara)
- About 1/3 C water (80ml)
- salt, to taste

Directions/Method
1. Mix the soy sauce, sri racha, brown sugar, corn starch, and salt together and set aside.
2. Heat 1/2 tbsp of oil over medium high heat and fry the broccoli for a few minutes, until it begins to brown. Turn the heat down and add the ginger, garlic and spring onions. Fry 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the okara/tofu, along with the soy sauce mixture (stir it up first). The mixture will thicken at this point. Remove and set aside to cool a bit.
3. Once the potsticker filling is cooled, fill each dumpling wrapper with 1.5-2 tsp of filling, placing the filling in the centre and folding the pastry over into a half moon shape. Gently but firmly pleat the edges (if they aren’t sticking, simply brush some water around them).
4. Heat the other 1 tbsp of oil in a 9 or 10 inch skillet to a medium-high heat, swirling the oil to coat the pan. Place the dumplings, pleated side up, in the hot oil for about a minute or until the bottoms brown. Add the water and quickly cover the pan, leaving the dumplings to steam until all of the water is gone (about 3-5 minutes).
5. Serve hot, with soy sauce or your favourite Asian condiment.

Broccoli Macaroni Cheese

Kip — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:00:46 +0000

Half of my recent batch of this vegan macaroni dish got packaged up and sent to a friend who’s recently moved on campus to do her PhD. The other half was devoured by my hubs and I for lunch one afternoon. Thumbs up all around and it catered to my craving for broccoli cheese sauce, so next time this sauce is going on some jacket spuds. Nom nom nom.

Recipe Notes

I’m of the opinion that the best milk to use in a vegan cheese recipe that calls for a creamy sauce is a very thick soy milk (none of this watery vanilla flavoured nonsense), but I’ve used oat milk successfully too.

If you like your broccoli to be soft, I suggest steaming it for a few minutes first. I like it to be a bit crunchy though, so I just chop it up and bung it in as it is.

Broccoli Mac and “Cheese”

Serves four

Ingredients
- 250g (2 cups) macaroni pasta
- 200g broccoli, chopped
- 40g (1/4 cup) cashews
- 60ml (1/4 cup) non-dairy milk
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp tahini
- 120ml measure (1/2 cup) nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp arrowroot powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp prepared mustard or dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- Grated vegan cheese, for topping (optional)

Directions/Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F). Boil some water and pour over the cashews. Leave to sit for about twenty minutes to soften the nuts so they blend more easily to a smooth consistency. Omit this step if you are cool enough to own a super blender like a Vitamix.
2. Cook the macaroni until al dente based on the packet’s instructions. Rinse with cold water and drain.
3. Liquidise the cashews (drain them first) and garlic with the non-dairy milk. Add the shallots and continue to blend until mostly mixed (a few chunks are okay). Add the rest of the ingredients (except optional extra cheese for sprinkling) and pulse until fully blended together.
4. In a large oven proof dish, mix the sauce with the macaroni and broccoli pieces. Cook covered with foil for about 20 minutes and uncovered for a further ten minutes. If you’re planning on adding extra cheese on top, add after you remove the foil.
5. Serve hot with salad on on its own for a delicious and healthy alternative to mac and cheese.

The Messy Vegetarian Cook » broccoli

Broccoli Pot Sticker Wrappers

Broccoli Potsticker Dumplings

Broccoli Macaroni Cheese

Recipe Notes

Broccoli Mac and “Cheese”