TURKEY WONTON DUMPLINGS

Have you ever seen that segment on the Rachael Ray Show where one grocery trip or one bag of groceries provides ingredients for a week's worth of dinners?  It never fails to blow my mind.  You can use the kale for a salad AND for a chicken dinner?  Some of the potatoes can be mashed one day and then used for soup on a DIFFERENT DAY?!  If I have to purchase a unique (or even standard) ingredient for just one recipe, I'll probably end up wasting whatever is left of it.  HOWEVER, I did get super crafty this week.  Not as cool and prepared as a TV show host, but close.  Remember these?  Whenever I buy wonton wrappers, I use them for one meal then throw them out once they've expired.  Remember these?  I used way too much ground turkey and had tons of leftover meatball mixture. Raw meat doesn't stay safe for long.  I decided to jazz up the filling and make wontons!

I added some soy sauce and sliced green onions to the meatball mix.  It was already pretty flavorful, the direction of the flavor just needed to shift a bit.  Note: I also tried out a few with already cooked meatball chunks.  Not so great.  The meat really needs to be raw, otherwise it tastes crumbly, dry and overcooked.  Go fresh, for sure.

Whenever we order takeout, I NEED pan fried dumplings.  Sure, the steamed variety are healthier, but they are slimy and gross.  These dumplings are made with NO oil, so they are a lot healthier for sure.

Start with these fabulous little things.

Add a teaspoon of filling to center of wonton, then spread water around the edges with your finger.

Lift a corner and pull it over to the opposite corner.  Pinch HARD to seal all around, eliminating any gaps.  Keep package of wontons and constructed dumplings covered with a damp towel while assembling.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Spray generously with nonstick spray once it's hot.  Add dumplings in a single layer, flat side down.  Let cook for 2 or 3 minutes without touching.  Spray tops with cooking spray, then flip.  Once browned, flip back.

Add 1/4 cup water and a few splashes of soy sauce to pan and cover.  Reduce heat to low and let simmer and steam until most of the water has evaporated, less than 5 minutes. 

So, so good.  Try not to eat 10 of these in one sitting. 

Pack leftovers in the container your usual Chinese food is delivered in.  Your coworkers will assume it's leftover delivery.  You can then blow their minds by bragging that you not only made dumplings, but also fried rice!  Stay tuned for that recipe.

To cook the dumplings, I used this recipe as a guide.

CHICKEN VERDE WONTON TACOS

I spotted this recipe on one of my all-time favorite blogs over a year ago, and for some insane reason it took me until now to finally make it.  I am so glad I did though!  These little tacos are perfection.  Wonton wrappers enveloping a creamy, cheesy, slightly spicy chicken filling.  So simple.  You can find the recipe here.  I pretty much followed the recipe exactly as written, except I didn't use light cheese or sour cream.  Full fat dairy is my weakness.  Oh, and I doubled it since this was going to be a main course for us, not an appetizer.  Although these would be perfect little snacks to contribute to your next gathering!

First, you must find wonton wrappers at your grocery store!  They're usually in the produce section.

Then, you have to acquire some cooked chicken.  The most delicious way is to use a rotisserie chicken.  Or you could cook your own.  OR, you could reach into the freezer for your favorite shortcut: fully cooked chicken!  I keep this on hand for quick meals like wraps, quesadillas and buffalo chicken topped salad. 

Finally, you'll need some authentic salsa verde.  Found this amazingness at World Market.

Now it's time to mix everything together in a bowl.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then scoop the filling onto each wonton wrapper.  Top with cheese.

Bring two opposite corners up, pinch together with water, then bake!

 Ingredients

4 ounces cooked and shredded chicken
1/4 cup salsa verde
1 tablespoon sour cream
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used white cheddar)
8 wonton wrappers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.  In small bowl mix the chicken, salsa, sour cream, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and green onions.  Place the wonton wrappers on baking sheet and scoop about one tablespoon of filling into center of each wonton.  Sprinkle cheese evenly over each wonton.  Bring two of the opposing corners together using a little water to stick them together.  Bake for about 5 minutes, until wontons get crispy.  Keep a close eye on them the entire time so they don't burn.  (I was able to bake mine for almost 10 minutes and they got perfectly crisp)