Vegetarian Potstickers

I have two friends, who are sisters, that have been a huge influence in my life.  They’re some of the kindest, nonjudgmental, and caring individuals I have encountered. They also happen to be crazy smart, and I love engaging in conversations with them, because I always learn something new.  I think it’s incredibly important to surround yourself with people who motivate you to be better, and these two sisters, Katie and Lisa, do that for me.  

I remember a conversation I had with Lisa, almost 6 years ago.  She told me she was becoming a vegetarian.  I looked at her quizzically, not understanding why on earth she would choose to give up eating meat (I mean, come on… bacon is delicious!). I have always been a big meat eater myself, so the thought never crossed my mind.  But Lisa did become a vegetarian, and her sister, Katie, is following in her footsteps.  

Katie and I went to Santa Fe about a month ago (check out this non-vegetarian recipe for Huevos Divorciados, and read about our trip), and we talked about why she was nixing meat.  Now, I am not going to go into any preaching here, but I will just say I have been giving it some serious thought.  And maybe it’s the season, where vegetables are abundant and fresh, but I have been wanting to eat less meat and more vegetables, whole grains, and fresh fruit.  And, to be completely honest, quite a few tortillas. 

Now I have not labeled myself a vegetarian, but I will say that I only ate meat at two meals last week, and I didn’t feel deprived at all.  Incidentally, I also lost 3 pounds, which is a nice little bonus.  So, on this lazy Sunday, I found myself with a bounty of vegetables I need to cook, and decided to make some vegetarian potstickers.  

Disclaimer: These are sooo tasty, you’re not only going to not miss the meat, but you’re going to eat so many that you may feel miserable afterwards.  They’re highly addicting and have such great texture, you won’t even be able to tell you’re eating a vegetarian dish, full of vitamins and minerals. 

(But if you really must have your meat, here is a recipe for homemade potstickers with turkey)

Vegetarian Potstickers

• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup shredded cabbage 
• 1 cup diced mushrooms
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped 
• 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped 
• 1 jalapeno, stem removed and diced (optional) 
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, diced 
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 
• 1 tbsp sugar cane
• 1 squirt sriracha (optional) 
• 1 tsp sesame oil 
• 24 wonton wrappers 

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat.  Add in cabbage, mushrooms, onion, carrots and jalapenos, and saute until starting to soften, about 5-10 minutes.  Add in ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar and sriracha, mix well, and cook an additional 3-5 minutes.  Add in sesame oil and remove from heat.  Transfer to a food processor, and blend until finely chopped.  

I recommend filling a small bowl of water for this next part, and will assume you have washed your hands by now, but if you haven’t… do that now.  Place a wonton wrapper on a clean surface and place 1 tsp of the potsticker mixture in the center.  Dip a finger in the water, and trace along the outside of the wrapper on all four sides.  The water is what helps make the potsticker seal.  Grab two opposite ends and pull them together, then grab the other two ends and pull them to where all four corners are touching. See the picture below for a guide. 

In a clean pan, warm a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.  Add in potstickers, making sure not to crowd, and lightly fry the bottoms until golden brown, just a minute or two.  Add in 1/4 cup of water, reduce heat to low and place a cover on the pan to steam the potstickers. Allow them to cook/steam for about 10 minutes, then remove from heat.  Repeat until all potstickers are cooked.

That’s it folks! I hope you enjoy these beauties as much as I did.  I almost convinced my vegetable-hating daughter to eat them, but when a sliver of cabbage appeared, she bailed.  We’ll try again in a few years.