Chicken Wontons with Spicy Plum Dipping Sauce

When I was growing up, my mom would make wonton soup and fried wontons... ON THE SAME DAY. Yup, we were spoiled. We would eat so many wontons. Oh, they are worth it. Fried wontons may be one of my personal weaknesses. I have many.

This is my mom's recipe. She was a genius.

This is a simple recipe that you can use for any party or for any appetizer.

Chicken Wontons

  1 package of square wontons (50 per pack)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 TBSP soy sauce
1 c vegetable oil to fry

Cook chicken any way you would like- easy right? Boil, bake, roast... Just cook the chicken through and then shred it. Add the chopped onions and soy sauce. Mix together till all chicken is coated in the soy sauce. Lay out the wonton squares and fill with about 1 tsp of chicken mixture right in  the middle of the wonton. Dipping your finger in a bowl of water, wet the wonton around the chicken mixture. Fold the wonton over to make a triangle, pinching the wonton completely closed.  Heat oil in a deep sauté pan over medium high heat til about 350 degrees. Fry the wontons about 1 minute per side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with dipping sauce.

Don't want to fry? Try baking them at 425 degrees on a baking rack, until golden brown.

Spicy Plum Dipping Sauce

1/2 c plum jam
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp water

Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Serve with wontons. (Can't find plum jam? Substitute apricot jam)

Pasta Primavera

Pasta Primavera likes to mascarade around as a healthy option because it boasts tons of vegetables. But lurking underneath is butter, cream, and tons of cheese.

I created my own version of this classic using eggs as a thickener and adding tons of flavor from garlic and roasted vegetables. Try this slimmed down version for dinner.

Pasta Primavera
serves 8

1 lb whole wheat spaghetti or fettucine
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 yellow squash
2 zucchini
1 red bell pepper
1/2 of large yellow onion
3 cloved garlic, minced
1 can low sodium chicken stock
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
olive oil

Bring 8-10 cups of water to a boil with 1/4 c salt. When water comes to a boil, cook pasta for 8-10 minutes, or until al dente.

While bringing water to a boil, prepare your vegetables.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut zucchini and squash in half lengthwise, they cut into half circles. Remove the seeds from the bell pepper and cut into lond matchsticks. Cut the onion into half moons. Spread onto a cookie sheet and sprinkle with olive oil, and about 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Roast in the oven until fork tender, about 20 minutes.

In a very large saute pan (large enough to hold all the ingredients), heat 2 TBSP olive oil over medium high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and brown on both sides, about 7 minutes per side to cook through. Remove from heat when done and let it rest for 5 minutes. After chicken has rested, cut into bite size pieces.

In the same saute pan you cooked the chicken in, add another 1 TBSP of olive oil. Add the minced garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and reduce it by half, about 5 minutes.

Drain the cooked pasta and add it to the chicken stock. Add the beaten eggs and using tongs, toss together vigorously (the heat from the pasta will cook the eggs immediately and will make a sauce with the chicken stock). Add the roasted vegetables, cooked chicken and Parmesan cheese. Stir together till Parmesan coats all ingredients. Serve immediately.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Growing up, my family LOVED chocolate chip cookies. We didn't get treats very often, but when we did, it was either vanilla ice cream or chocolate chip cookies. I can still remember all of us standing around the mixing bowl grabbing for the chocolate chips in the uncooked dough.

I've tried other chocolate chip recipes, but is never compares to this.

I'm not sure where this recipe came from as my family has used it for probably over 30 yrs. But it always works and it always is delicious.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

yields about 48 cookies

2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 t salt
3/4 t baking soda
3 c flour
2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream together softened butter and sugars until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing in between. Add vanilla, salt, and baking soda and mix. Add flour, one cup at a time, mixing well in between. Once all the flour is mixed in, add the chocolate chips and mix by hand with a spoon.

Spoon 1 TBSP of cookie dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes, or until they start to brown lightly around the edges.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

PF Chang's Lettuce Wraps are amazing; spicy, crunchy appetizers that I can never pass up. But like most things that are delicious, I'm sure there are some not great ingredients.

Now while this recipe is delicious, it is not an exact duplicate of PF Chang's.  This is my rendition of a classic.

Try it and let me know your thoughts.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps
serves 8


3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1- 8 oz can of water chestnuts, cut into very small pieces
8 oz  baby bella mushrooms, cut into very small pieces
4 scallions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch of fresh ginger, grated
2 TBSP sweet red chili sauce
1 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP rice wine vinegar
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 package Maifun Rice noodles
vegetable oil to cook noodles
2 heads of Boston lettuce


Cut chicken into very small pieces (about 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat up 2 TBSP olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and brown on both sides.  Add the diced water chestnuts, mushrooms, scallions, garlic and ginger. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the chili sauce, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, until sauce is absorbed into vegetables and chicken.

In a 2 qt sauce pan, heat up 2 cups of vegetable oil over medium high heat. Heat oil to 375 degrees F and then add the Maifun Rice Noodles and they will immediately puff up. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

Dipping Sauce

1/4 c sweet red chili sauce
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp Chinese hot mustard (optional for heat)

Whisk together all ingredients and set aside.

Assembly

Take a full lettuce leaf and spoon 2-3 TBSP of chicken mixture into the center, topping with crunchy Maifun rice noodles and a touch of dipping sauce. Fold over the lettuce leaf and enjoy.

Creme Brulee French Toast

I've had this idea bouncing around my head for awhile. Crème Brulee. French Toast. Marriage made in heaven? I wouldn't find out until tonight, but let me tell you, it was worth the wait. This may be my favorite recipe I've created to date.

Bruleed French toast, crème fraiche filling and a blueberry compote. So happy together.

Crème Brulee French Toast
serves 6-8 people

1 loaf brioche bread, sliced (stale bread works better)
1 1/2 cups milk
4 eggs
1 TBSP vanilla
1 TBSP ground cinnamon
1/4 c sugar, plus more for brulee
Butter for cooking

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Allow the sliced bread to soak in the mixture for about 10 minutes. Heat griddle or non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add about 1 TBSP of butter to griddle and cover entire pan. Place soaked bread on the griddle and cook about 5-7 minutes per side, until golden brown.

Crème Fraiche Filling

6 oz crème fraiche
seeds from one vanilla bean
2 TBSP powdered sugar

Split the vanilla bean and scrape out all the seeds and place them in the crème fraiche. Add powdered sugar and mix together until smooth. Set aside for assembly.

Blueberry Compote

2 c fresh blueberries
juice of one lemon
1/4 c water
1/4 sugar

In a 2 qt sauce pan, bring all ingredients to a boil and allow berries to pop. Once they've popped, take off heat and sauce will thicken slightly.

Assembly:

Place one piece of French toast on plate, spoon crème fraiche filling over the top, top with another piece of French toast. Sprinkle the top piece with 1 tsp of sugar. Using a kitchen torch, burn the sugar on the toast. Once you've bruleed the sugar, top with blueberries and serve.

TIP: Don't have a brulee torch? Before you stack the toast, sprinkle with sugar and place it in oven set to "broil", being careful not to burn the toast. Watch the entire time!

Berry Almond Salad

There is a restaurant here in Utah where I love eating. One dish in particular is my go-to salad.

It's a mix of romaine, berries, candied nuts and a sweet dressing. I loved it..until I read the sugar content. YOWZA.

So, I decided to recreate it at home, sans the sugar. No candied nuts and a lighter, scratch-made dressing.

Berry Almond Salad
serves 6 people

4 cups fresh, baby spinach
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1 cup blackberries
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup sliced almonds

In a large bowl, mix all the salad ingredients together and set aside.

Poppy Seed Dressing

1/4 c red wine vinegar
2 strawberries, hulled
1 TBSP poppy seeds
2 TBSP honey
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a blender or food processor, blend together the vinegar, strawberries, poppy seeds and honey until smooth. With lid on but center lid off, turn blender to low and slowly stream in olive oil til emulsified. Serve along side the berry salad.

Samosas

Oh, Indian food, how I love thee. Let me count the ways....

Samosas. Lovely fried little finger foods filled with potatoes, peas and spices. I could eat them ALL. DAY. LONG. Every day of my life. There is nothing in life I love more than samosas.

No joke.

Try them today.

Samosas

1 tsp mustard seed
1 t Madras curry powder
1 t red pepper flakes
1/3 t paprika
1/2 t cumin
1 t sugar
juice of one lemon
1/2 onion, diced
5 potatoes, peeled and diced small
1 c frozen peas

Peel and dice the potatoes into small cubes. Place diced potatoes in a 2 qt sauce pan and rinse them in cool water until water coming off potatoes is clear. Cover potatoes with cold water and 1 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes and then drain and set aside.

In a sauce pan with a lid (this is very important), heat 2 tsp vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the mustard seed and place the lid on. The mustard seeds will pop. Cook seeds for 2 minutes and the diced onion and the rest of the spices; curry, red pepper flakes, paprika, and sugar. Let spices cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the sugar and the lemon juice and stir.

After spices are cooked, add the drained, cooked potatoes and the frozen peas. Mix until the spices cover everything.

Dough:

2 c all purpose flour
2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 tsp turmeric
APPROX 1 c water

Mix flour, salt, turmeric and oil together with a fork. Slowly add the water while stirring it. Once it looks slightly wet, start mixing with your hands and knead the dough for 5 minutes. Let the dough rest 15 minutes before rolling out.

After the dough has rested, turn it out onto a floured surface and roll it out very thin. Using a circle cookie cutter, about 2 inches in diameter, cut circles out the dough.

Spoon about 1 TBSP potato mixture into the center of the dough, fold it over to make a half moon shape and pinch the edges closed.

Heat 2 cups of vegetable oil up over medium high heat to 350 degrees in a large sauce pan. Fry the samosas until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.