::. On the Edge of Veg .::

Sorry it’s been a few days since I’ve blogged. I’ve had a lot going on with school and life. I’m in the process of applying for my passport and doing some wedding stuff and that’s kept my pretty busy. But to make up for it, I’ve found an amazing-looking recipe for a personal favorite (although I’ve only ever had the meat edition): potstickers! Yum!

I actually don’t know that I’ve ever had Korean-style potstickers, but I think the only difference is in the seasoning. This recipe, courtesy of Herbivoracious, a vegetarian recipe blog, uses a special Korean sauce that you can make yourself!

You’ll Need:

For the sauce:

• 1/4 cup kochujang (find at global foods store)
• 1/3 cup ssamjang (find at global foods store)
• 1/3 cup black vinegar

(Whisk together all ingredients. Add water as needed to reach a dipping sauce consistency. Taste and add more vinegar if desired.)

For the potstickers:

• 1 cup mung bean sprouts
• 1 cup extra firm tofu
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, divided
• 8 ounce tempeh
• 4 green onions, white and light green parts, sliced thin
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup tamari (soy sauce)
• 4 teaspoons Asian (toasted) sesame oil
• 2 egg, beaten
• 1 package (around 40) potsticker wrappers – ideally, the kind labeled “thick”

To Make:

1. Blanch the mung bean sprouts in a small pot of boiling, salted water for 1 minute. Drain, chop roughly, and squeeze out as much moisture as possible using a clean kitchen towel. Crumble the tofu and squeeze the water out of it as well.
2. Slice the tempeh into thin slabs and pan fry in 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil until golden brown on both sides. Crumble.
3. Thoroughly combine the bean sprouts, tofu, tempeh, green onions, garlic, tamari and sesame oil. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Then mix in the beaten eggs.
4. To form the dumplings, take a wrapper and put about 2 teaspoons of filling in the center. Moisten the edge, fold, and seal firmly. Optionally, you can pinch to form pleats. Or you can use a dumpling press. Do not overfill, it will make it impossible to get a tight seal.
5. To fry the dumplings, heat a large skillet over a medium high flame. Add 2 tablepoons of oil, then put in about 1/3 of the dumplings, pleats pointing up. Press down a little to create a flat spot. Be sure the dumplings aren’t touching. Fry for about 60-90 seconds until golden brown on the bottom. Carefully add in about 3 tablespoons of water, lower the heat, and put on the lid. Cook about 3 minutes. Remove the lid, cook off any excess water, and then remove the dumplings with a spatula. Repeat with the remaining dumplings.
6. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce on the side.

Continuing our roll with recipies, here’s a protein-packed dish that promises plenty of flavor, texture, and nutrition: pepita-sunflower sesame burgers.

You’ll Need:

• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Pinch cayenne
• 1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
• 2 Tbs. olive oil, or more as needed
• 2 tsp. tahini
• 1/2 cup hulled sunflower seeds
• 1/3 cup pepitas (found at natural foods stores or Hispanic markets)
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 3/4 cup cooked lentils
• 4 scallions (white and light green parts) finely chopped ( 1/4 cup)
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

(makes 4 servings)

To Make:

1. In food processor, combine sunflower seeds, pepitas and sesame seeds and process until coarsely chopped. Add lentils, scallions, parsley, tahini, salt, cayenne and bread crumbs; process until mixture is blended.
2. Shape mixture into 4 patties and place on platter. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
3. In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook burgers until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.

What’s a pepita, you ask? Pepitas are hulled green pumpkin seeds that give your dish a little extra flavor. Find them at your local natural foods store or a Hispanic market.

My fiance and I both love Asian food. And the great thing is, there are so many ways to go Asian vegetarian that aren’t ordering the vegetable lo mein. So, this recipe is a dinner entree from East Asia that I can’t wait to try out myself: Teriyaki Tofu Steaks with Soba Noodles.

You’ll Need:

• 1  pound  water-packed extra-firm tofu, drained
• 1/4  cup  mirin (sweet rice wine)
• 1/4  cup  low-sodium soy sauce
• 1  tablespoon  finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 2  tablespoons  sake (rice wine)
• 2  tablespoons  rice vinegar
• 1  tablespoon  dark sesame oil
• 2  tablespoons  honey
• 1/2  teaspoon  crushed red pepper
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1/2  cup  vegetable broth
• 4  heads baby bok choy (about 1 1/2 pounds), each cut in half lengthwise
• 4  cups  cooked soba noodles (about 1 pound uncooked buckwheat noodles)
• 1/4  cup  thinly sliced green onions
• 2  teaspoons  sesame seeds, toasted

To Make:

1. Place tofu between several layers of paper towels. Place a heavy plate on top of tofu, and let stand 20 minutes. Cut tofu crosswise into 4 pieces.
2. Combine mirin and next 8 ingredients (mirin through garlic) in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu pieces; pour mirin mixture over tofu. Bring to a boil; cook 4 minutes. Turn tofu pieces over; cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and keep warm.
4. Bring broth to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add bok choy; cover and cook 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain.
5. Place 1 cup soba noodles on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 tofu piece. Spoon about 1 tablespoon sauce over each tofu piece; sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon green onions and 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds. Arrange 2 bok choy halves on each plate.

Looks delicious doesn’t it? For those of you are thinking: “Tofu? Gross!” I was in your position once. I had never tried tofu before and really had no idea what it actually was. But after I tried it once, I found myself wanting to incorporate tofu in all my dishes. The great thing about tofu is that absorbs the taste of whatever you cook it in. So in this, it tastes like teriyaki! If you’re still really freaked out about the spongy texture of the tofu, you can substitute it with a more meat-texturey ingredient like Seitan.

Alright, as promised, I’ve been storing up some tasty recipes that are guaranteed to make any culinary connoisseur’s mouth water – be them vegetarian or not. I’ll admit, maybe I’m cheating a little by throwing out a dessert item right at the start, but these Apple Cider Doughnuts are too amazing to pass up. And they’re perfect for this chilly October atmosphere.

You’ll Need:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 1/2 tsp. egg replacer, such as Ener-G
• 1/3 cup soymilk
• 5 Tbs. apple butter or applesauce
• 4 Tbs. nonhydrogenated vegan margarine
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar

(makes 18 doughnuts)

To Make:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat doughnut pan with cooking spray.

2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves in large bowl.

3. Bring cider to a boil in small saucepan. Boil 10 minutes, or until liquid is reduced to 1/3 cup; remove from heat. Whisk egg replacer with 2 Tbs. water in small bowl; stir this mixture into cider reduction. Add soymilk, apple butter, and margarine, stirring until margarine is melted. Cool.

4. Stir cider mixture into flour mixture.

5. Fill each doughnut mold half full with batter. Bake 12 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Roll hot doughnuts in superfine sugar.

Sure, they’re no real challenge for a meat-eater, but not everything that’s veggie-friendly has to be! Start with this simple recipe as a way for you and your vegetarian cohorts to get into the fall spirit.