This summer has been glorious. After one of the longest and rainiest winters we've ever experienced, it is nice to be able to fully enjoy the summer months outdoors. The weather has been warm and pleasant, not too hot.
Ginger Miso Noodles with Avocado and Cucumber
Smoky BBQ Veggie Burgers from 'Minimalist Baker's Everyday Cooking'
Tahini Citrus Salad with White Beans and Avocado
Blood Orange and Avocado Salad with a Citrus Tahini Dressing and Salty Pistachios
Zucchini and Fennel Salad with a Spicy Honey Dressing
This is recipe #4 in the #TABASCO10 third annual 10 Ingredient Challenge - creating 5 different recipes in 5 days with the following 10 ingredients: TABASCO® Original Red, Green Jalapeño or Chipotle Sauce, Chicken, Eggs, Mozzarella, Fennel Bulb, Zucchini, Rice (Brown, Basmati, Jasmine or Wild), Rigatoni, Ciabatta, and Honey (Salt, pepper, oil are 'free' ingredients).
Sweet Potato, Black Bean, and Corn Salad with a Maple Lime Dressing
Crispy BBQ Tempeh Caesar Salad Wraps
Spring Salad with White Beans, Avocado, and Radishes + Saveur Nomination
In the mean time, I will leave you with my favorite spring salad. It's fresh and colorful and the perfect pop of color for this time of year. I got this crazy awesome mandolin at Christmas, and it slices the radishes into such perfectly beautiful thin strips.
Winter Tabbouleh
This dish falls into the category of a wonderfully satisfying, nutritious and flavorful meal. I have taken some of the traditional tabbouleh flavors and combined them with a few seasonally appropriate ones of my own. I'd be hard-pressed to find a decent tomato this time of year, so it only seemed natural to put the traditional version on the back burner until next summer.
Kale and Quinoa Salad with Delicata Squash and a Maple Orange Dressing
Coconut Cashew Date Bars with Dark Chocolate
Grilled Orange Teriyaki Tofu Skewers with Aromatic Coconut Rice
Tofu Dumplings
makes 60 dumplings
INGREDIENTS
16 oz firm tofu
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 large shallot, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
14 small asparagus spears, thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
60 round wonton wrappers
DIPPING SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp Sriracha Hot Sauce
Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan on low. Remove the tofu from the paper towel and crumble with your hands. Place into a frying pan with the shallots, garlic, asparagus, and carrots. Fry for 5 minutes, or until the carrots have softened. Drain any excess water. Add the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, honey, salt and combine. Remove from heat and set to the side.
Remove the wonton wrappers from their package. Place a wrappers in your hand and then place 1 tbsp of filling inside. Here is a great tutorial demonstrating different dumpling folding techniques. Make sure to moisten the edges with water before folding, this will ensure that the filling does not spill out during steaming.
Place the dumplings onto a cutting board or tray and cover with a cloth to prevent them from drying out while you are making the rest. At this point you can place any extra dumplings into a ziplock bag and freeze them for up to 6 months.
You can use a bamboo steamer to steam the dumplings, or make your own steamer by using a small colander elevated inside a lidded pot or pan, with an inch of water in the bottom. Bring the water to a simmer and then cover.
Place a few dumplings into the steamer at one time, with enough room so that they do not touch. Steam for 6 - 8 minutes. Remove from the steamer and serve immediately.
To make the dipping sauce, combine the tamari sauce, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, honey, and Sriracha.