In an attempt to be more festive because I haven’t had the time to make Thanksgiving themed recipes, I’m sharing with y’all recipes I’ve written in the past–all which make great Thanksgiving dishes–& recipes from others. I’m partial to these food bloggers because they interact with their readers, so please give their recipes & websites a visit. Such beautiful scrumptious pictures & recipes, what’s not to love? Shameless plugs + friendly plugs, simple, short, & sweet. Hopefully these recipes get you inspired to get cookin’ this holiday season.
Appetizers
Crab Rangoon are one of my favorite guilty Americanized Chinese appetizers. Anything with cheese wrapped in wonton paper & deep fried is bound to be good, in my opinion. However, my spin on this old-timey-take-out-classic is subtle & healthier. While it is healthier, it is in no way a health food, so save these for special occasions or for those treat yoself moments. I used Neufchatel instead of cream cheese, but you can use cream cheese or any semi-soft cheese paired with any grated firm cheese of your choice. I trust that you like cheese enough to know what won’t make good combinations & what you’d like. This baked treat is easy to make, but time consuming. Make a large batch of this & freeze it so you can enjoy it later.
PrintBaked Crab Rangoon
- Total Time: 80
- Yield: 50 1x
Ingredients
Crab Rangoon
- 10 sticks imitation crabmeat, roughly chopped in quarters
- 1/4 white onion, roughly chopped
- 3 sprigs green onion, roughly chopped
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp yuzu ponzu (any ponzu you can find works too)
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup Neufchatel
- 1/4 cup Gouda, grated
- square wonton wrappers
- coconut oil spray
Sriracha Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Sriracha (the only Sriracha I accept is the rooster sauce)
- 1.5 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp white distilled vinegar
- 1 Tbsp yuzu ponzu
- 1 tsp potato starch, corn starch, or whole wheat flour
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into a food processor & pulse until blended to a consistency of your liking.
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Lay down foil on a large cookie sheet & spray with coconut or canola oil.
- Scoop about a teaspoon & a half of the crab mixture in the middle of a wonton wrapper. Fill a small dish with water or oil. Use this liquid to wet the outline of the sides of the wonton wrapper. This should only be on the side where you’ve scooped filling onto.
- Lift one corner of the wonton wrapper toward the middle with your index & thumb. Join the opposite corner of the wonton wrapper toward the middle & press firmly, pinching the two corners together. Do the same with the remaining 2 flaps. You should get a nice pyramid like shape. Press firmly down the outline of wonton wrapper to keep them in place. Try not to trap in too much air in the rangoon. If all fails, fold them into triangles.
- Place your crab rangoon on the cookie sheet & spray with oil very liberally. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until desired crispiness.
- To make the dipping sauce, stir together all ingredients in a small bowl. Microwave for about 15 seconds to warm the liquid up, thus enabling the starch to create a more viscous sauce.
- Prep Time: 60
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Thai American
A few months ago during work, I couldn’t stop thinking about how my next meal would consist of crab rangoon & some other noodle-y dish. When I walked across the street to a Thai restaurant that I knew served crab rangoon, I was so excited to dip these deep fried stuffed wonton apps in some delicious sweet & sour sauce. As I walked out of the restaurant, I opened the take-out bag to pop one of these pyramidal pockets of goodness in my mouth, but to my great disappointment, they were more melted cream cheese than imitation crab. I continued to crave these for weeks until I decided I would just make them myself after my second disappointment, which was from my new go-to Thai delivery joint. What is with Boston’s inability to make some half-way decent crab rangoon?! Well, I take that back, there is one restaurant that is mediocre Asian food at its finest *cough* Teriyaki House *cough* & they make a pretty solid serving of crab rangoon.
» Continue Reading «
This January, I dedicated a post to a fallen foodie friend in which I mentioned I still dream about her. Last weekend while I sat reclined in my bed against my fluffy pillows, I found satisfaction in knowing I finally finished posting a new recipe for Shrimp Wontons with Coconut Tom Yum Sauce. My former LA roommate, fellow Bruin, & friend Gabriela sat next to me in her pajamas, looking through New York’s live SnapChats. It was Gaby’s first time in Boston & we were planning our next foodie destinations. Without a story to write, I decided to put off writing a blog to accompany the recipe, hit the lights, & went to bed. I dreamt that Gaby & I were riding the MBTA throughout Boston except the T was an outdoors roller coaster. When we got off at our destination, we were greeted by Kim, my friend who passed away more than a year ago. It took me a moment to register that she’s no longer with us, which meant I was dreaming so I quickly hugged her & we were off on some adventures at what seemed like a strange amusement park. I awoke to a foggy recollection of the warmth of her embrace, the smoothness of her skin, & the echo of her laughter in my head.
These shrimp wontons are special because they were inspired by 7 Seas Restaurant, which hosted one of Kim’s memorials. I ate a lot of things that day I can’t remember, but those wontons were unforgettable & it made me wish Kim could still be around to taste it. Josh, Vy, & I inhaled this place of delicious shrimp wontons, but I was determined to remake the recipe. 7 Seas is now closed, but if I can revive one thing about that place, it’s those wontons. This recipe is also dedicated to Annie Kim Pham, who loved her shellfish, wontons, & cheese. It’s funny that even after her passing, we still find ourselves meeting at places with good food. Although she couldn’t be there physically with us, we were there because of her. I wish the circumstances of trying these wontons for the first time were different though.
» Continue Reading «
Spring is just around the corner & that means a truckload full of seasonal spring vegetables are coming to grocery store near you! What can you expect in the spring? Apricots, asparagus, artichokes, endive, honeydew, lychee, mango, & so much more! I’m really excited for the new season–not only will there be less snow walls to climb, but more delicious recipes to be made! But, let’s not get carried away because it’s still winter in Boston, so let’s embrace a winter salad. Why would you eat a salad during the winter? Well, I guess you’d have to be craving it, eating healthy, have a really heated house, or because your salad is no ordinary salad, it’s a couscous salad. Yeah, it’s cold still, but it’s not just a bowl of leafy greens (that’s not a bad thing either).
See more photos & a link to the recipe after the jump!