Category Archives: Appetizing Apps

Wonton Soup

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So one of our blog readers brought to our attention that we have a good variety of cuisines (Latin empanadas, Indian curries, Persian koftas, Italian rollatini) on the blog, but we’re seriously lacking the Asian food representation. So I thought to myself about what I usually order when getting take out. And although my number one item on Chinese menus is an egg roll, I don’t own a deep fryer and I am coming down with a bit of a cold, so I thought of my second favorite appetizer: wonton soup would be best! I love it so much, I usually order soup dumplings, wontons, or some variation at dim sum restaurants too. I figured its a light and refreshing broth (read: also extremely easy to make) so why not give it a whirl? Luckily, I found out I don’t need to be an origami expert to pull together these yummy packets (wontons) from scratch either. Although in a pinch I heard (you know word on the street) if you make your own broth and just boil the frozen dumplings you get at Trader Joe’s you can shave off a ton of time, not that I would dare take such a blatant shortcut. #justsaying.

  • 7  oz. shrimp, peeled and finely chopped
  • 10 oz. ground pork
  • 1/2 egg white
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 3 tablespoon rice vinegar (1 tbsp. for wonton and 2 for soup)
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 splash of soy sauce
  • 1 splash of sambal sauce or chili oil
  • 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 package wonton wrappers
  • 6 cups chicken broth – low sodium
  • 1/2 pound baby bok choy (I like some leafy greens in my soup, the original recipe doesn’t call for it so I will just leave it as optional)
  • Green Onion/Scallions, thinly sliced

In a large mixing bowl combine shrimp, pork, egg white, corn starch, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, sugar, and salt. Allow the mixture to “marinate” for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and lightly dust with cornstarch. To assemble wontons, fill each skin with about a teaspoon of filling, and fold either in half, into flower blossoms, or into nurse’s caps (don’t know what either mean, but basically you are wetting the sides and pinching to create seams, photo). Place each finished wonton on the baking sheet. Then, drop the wontons in a large pot of boiling water and cook until they float, 5-6 minutes. Slowly, over low heat, warm the chicken broth, vinegar, chili oil, and scallions. Place a few boiled wontons into each bowl, and ladle with the warm chicken broth. Top with thinly sliced scallions & drizzle of soy sauce.

Happy Eating, XO.

So Easy a Caveman Can Do It: Lemon Basil Hummus

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Get the last of the fresh herbs in while you can with this fresh and super simple recipe! It’s honestly so easy a cave man can do it. And I think this may even qualify for the paleo diet?!

I had friends coming over and literally had no finger food ready, so I went pantry-diving. Chic peas? Check. Basil about to go bad? Check. So many lemons I couldn’t possibly use them all myself? Check. All of my friends like hummus, so why not give it a whirl? Like literally, whirl it in a food processor. (I crack myself up…)

  • 1 can of chic peas
  • 1 cup of fresh basil leaves
  • 2 lemons (1 tsp of lemon juice and 1 tsp of zest)
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil

Break out the food processor (or mortar and pestle) and pour in all of the ingredients. Puree until smooth. That’s it! Seriously. But I mean, don’t forget to service it with pita chips (I’m addicted to Stacy’s sea salt pita chips). Or you can stuff it in to a cucumber for a healthier snack like we did here.

Chic peas/hummus is such a versatile ingredient, get creative! Mix your own flavors (red pepper and lemon, anyone?) and let us know what you come up with! Tweet it to us @damn_delish.

Lemon Basil Hummus

Happy Eating, XO!

Lettuce wraps

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Now that the nights are getting cooler, we can start turning to some cozy, spicy, comfort food. I’m not saying jump straight to the heavy chili, but you can definitely ease in to it with these lettuce wraps! They’ll make you sweat and cool you down all at once. Warning: Do not eat these in front of potential significant others! After seeing how messy these can get, they may not come back for seconds, if you know what I’m sayin’.

Pickled cucumbers

  • 1 sliced cucumber
  • 1/4 cup scallions
  • 1 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
  • 2 tbsp chopped basil

Lettuce wraps

  • 1 tbsp peanut oil
  • 1/2 sweet onion, diced
  • 2 minced garlic cloves
  • 1/4 cup scallions (don’t worry, the pickles will take care of any rank breath from the garlic and scallions!)
  • 1 tbsp Sriracha (in a pinch, you can use Franks red hot sauce. It won’t be nearly as spicy, but still gets the job done.)
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 lb ground beef (feel free to use ground chicken or turkey)
  • 1 head boston lettuce

Throw all of the ingredients for the pickles in to a jar or bowl and store in the fridge while you prep the wraps.

For the wraps, heat the peanut oil over medium heat. Add in the onions, garlic, scallions, and meat and cook until brown. Slowly stir in all of the sauces – Sriracha, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Cook until they’ve been absorbed by the meat, and serve immediately.

Scoop the meat in to a lettuce leaf and top with the pickled cucumbers. The heat from the meat and spices, paired with the chilled pickled cucumbers will be like a party in your mouth!

Lettuce wraps

 

Happy Eating, XO.

Home-made EASY Tapa

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So apparently the Italians aren’t the only ones that do cheese sticks. One night when I was in Madrid last month, the kitchen was closed at this local bar and the owner said he would whip us up yummy Venezuelan tapas. (Tapas literally just mean small plates). So much to our surprise these tapas were pretty much the Latin version of a cheese stick that they served with this slap your mama good aioli. I swear we crushed them in under 5 minutes so ofcourse I had to come home and try & replicate them immediately.

  • Store bought string cheese (4 sticks since you will be cutting them in half for 8 servings. I say use a mozz and don’t get fancy with any Colby Jack)
  • Store bought garlic flavored crescent rolls (don’t do the regular, these are more buttery & flavorful)

photo 2

Literally use the same method from the pizza roll ups, but just with the cheese and dough. Also make sure that the cheese is sealed in by the dough and nothing can ooze out when baking. The pizza roll ups were more free to form whereas in this recipe you want the cheese locked inside the dough. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 min. (until golden not brown). Let them cool for 3-5 min before serving.

Aioli (I think this is how its made, no clue since the guy barely spoke English, but it tasted like this so I cant be that far off)

photo 1

  • 1/4 cup of plain yogurt (don’t do greek, its too thick & tangy)
  • 1 tbsp. of mayo
  • 1 tbsp. of crushed garlic
  • 1 shallot (dice it a bit so it breaks down easier in the processor or blender)
  • pinch of salt, black pepper, and dried parsley

Blend in food processor & serve chilled.

photo 3

Happy Eating, XO.

Roasted Chick Peas

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The other day I was cleaning out my cabinets and I found a can of chick peas in the back. (Calm down, it was still well within the expiration date when I used it.) Anyway, I figured I should prob use it before I forgot about it again.

I used half of the can to make our chic pea salad. And the other half I decided to roast as a yummy “pop-in-your-mouth” treat.

1 can of chick peas
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp dried rosemary

Preheat the oven to 350. Drain and pat dry the chic peas, then toss in the olive oil. (Don’t try to use the liquid that’s in the chic pea can in lieu of the oil. They’ll dry out in the oven if you do.) Spread the chic peas on a baking sheet and sprinkle with the salt and rosemary. Bake for 30 minutes or until they look crispy and brown.

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Happy Eating, XO.