Vegetarian Dumplings

These vegetarian dumplings are so easy to make! And most dumping wrappers are vegan so this recipe is actually vegan too! Made with tofu and a couple of vegetables, they pack a lot of flavor and are perfect for your next get together with family and friends!

This post is sponsored by Best Food Facts.

I love making dumplings! I even taught a workshop near me recently and had so much fun with it. I taught my students how to make these Chinese potstickers! I have been wanting to make a vegetarian or vegan dumplings recipe for a while for friends…so I'm so excited to share these vegetarian dumplings with you!

I grew up eating soy as a child and as an adult, I do have a lot of soy in my diet. From soy milk to tofu and soy sauce, it's in my regular cooking. I had an awesome opportunity to work with Best Food Facts and…

I flew to Maryland recently and I got to tour Lazy Day Farms and tour the crush facility at Perdue. I learned so much and I'm excited to share some of what I learned with you!

Are soybeans sustainable?

We visited Layton Farms which is a third generation family farm. They have about 1300 acres of land and they grow corn, soybean and wheat. I learned from them that soybeans are sustainable. Why are soybeans sustainable? Because they don't require nitrogen or fertilization. Soybeans are legumes, so they produce their own nitrogen.

Another reason soybeans are sustainable is every part of the soybean is used. Once it leaves the farm, depending on the use for the soybean, it's taken to a crush facility and parts of it become feed for chickens and other livestock. Oil is extracted from the soybean to make vegetable oil too! Every part of the soybean is used in some way.

I loved touring the farm and the Perdue crush facility. You can feel enthusiasm and passion from the farmers to the facility employees. They know their stuff and they care about their job.

If you ever get the opportunity to visit a farm or a processing facility so you can see where your food comes from, I highly recommend it. I have a deep appreciation for farmers in our country!

Is soy good for you?

We actually got to meet with Dr. Julie Garden-Robinson, a food and nutrition specialist and she answered our questions about soy and soy milk.  Guess what? Soy is healthy for you! Soy and soy foods are rich in nutrients and protein. They also provide fiber, calcium and iron. It's considered heart healthy because it doesn't contain trans fats and includes essential fatty acids.

I also learned that soy doesn't cause breast cancer as we have often been told. And both men and women can eat soy as part of a healthy diet. For a long time, we heard about phytoestrogen in soy. They are actually plant estrogens. Plant estrogens are different than human hormones. Interesting, right?

More places you can learn about soy:

Best Food Facts
Soy Connection

Vegetarian Dumplings Ingredients

• 8 ounces firm tofu
• 4 green onions, sliced thin
• 1 cup chopped cabbage (chopped small)
• 1/2 cup grated carrots (peeled first)
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• Dipping sauce
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 green onion, sliced thin
• vegetable or grape seed oil
• 1 package round dumpling or gyoza wrappers

How to Make Vegetarian Dumplings

I love eating and cooking with tofu. I know a lot of people are overwhelmed with the thought of cooking with it and there's no reason to be!

First, you want to remove some of the moisture from the tofu. I don't have a tofu press so I just put the tofu on a plate and I put another plate on top. Put something heavy on the plate, I just use two 15 ounce cans. Set the tofu aside while you're prepping the rest of your vegetarian dumplings.

Slice the green onions thin.

I cut up the cabbage small.

Shred the carrots with a grater. Make sure to peel them first.

I cut up additional green onions for the dipping sauce. As well as mince some ginger.

I mince the garlic and the ginger for the dumpling filling.

Mix them together and add some oil to it. Set it aside.

Crumble the tofu by hand into a mixing bowl.

Then, add the green onions, carrots and green onions.

Mix together and then add soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Mix together thoroughly.

Next, add oil to a nonstick skillet and heat up for 3 minutes. Then add the tofu mixture.

Cook the mixture for 5 to 6 minutes and then move the mixture to the sides of the pan.

Add the garlic and ginger mixture you made earlier.

Use your rubber spatula to press down on the garlic-ginger mixture. Cook for 90 seconds.

Then, mix the garlic and ginger with the rest of the tofu mixture and cook for another 2 minutes.

Once filling is cooked, season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from pan and place on a small baking sheet. Putting the filling in a thin layer on the baking sheet allows it to cool quickly.

Open the dumpling wrappers and place a wet paper towel that has been wrung out on top of it (to keep the wrappers from drying out).

I use vegan dumpling wrappers, they are easy to find at Asian grocery stores. You want to buy the round ones.

Add 1/2 Tablespoon oil to a nonstick skillet (you can use the same pan, just wipe it clean with a clean paper towel). Heat at medium high for 3 minutes.

Add dumplings to the pan, about 10 to 15. Cover the pan and allow to cook for 3 minutes.

Then, add 1/4 cup of water to the pan and recover.

When they are done, they are hot, so let them cool a little bit.

The bottoms are panfried and delicious!

I love love freezing a bunch so I can have them as a snack or for dinner when I please!

Be sure to check out Best Food Facts for tons of resources to answer your questions about soy, any food you enjoy and so much more! You can follow them on instagram and pinterest too!

Recipe

Print Recipe

Yield: Makes 40 to 45 dumplings

Vegetarian Dumplings

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces firm tofu
• 4 green onions, sliced thin
• 1 cup chopped cabbage (chopped small)
• 1/2 cup grated carrots (peeled first)
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

Dipping sauce

• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 green onion, sliced thin
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce

• vegetable or grape seed oil

• 1 package round dumpling or gyoza wrappers

Directions:

1. Remove tofu from packaging and pat dry. Place tofu in a shallow dish. Place a plate on top with a heavy can or two on top. You want to press the moisture out of the tofu. Set aside while prepping the rest of the ingredients.
2. Prep the vegetables. In a medium sized mixing bowl, crumble the tofu. Add the four sliced green onions, grated carrots, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil. Mix together with a rubber spatula. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper and mix again.
3. In a nonstick skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon of oil on medium heat for 3 minutes. Add tofu mixture into the skillet and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, staring continuously.
4. Move the mixture to the sides of the pan. Add the garlic and ginger mixture you made earlier. Use your rubber spatula to press down on the garlic-ginger mixture. Cook for 90 seconds.
5. Then, mix the garlic and ginger with the rest of the tofu mixture and cook for another 2 minutes.
6. Once filling is cooked, season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from pan and place on a small baking sheet. Putting the filling in a thin layer on the baking sheet allows it to cool quickly.
7. Open the dumpling wrappers and place a wet paper towel that has been wrung out on top of it (to keep the wrappers from drying out).
8. Add one teaspoon of filling to the middle of one wrapper. Put water on the top half (edges) of the wrapper and then wipe your fingers dry. Fold in half and pleat.
9. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. You can freeze the dumplings ahead of time!

Cook the vegan potstickers

1. Add 1/2 Tablespoon oil to a nonstick skillet (you can use the same pan, just wipe it clean with a clean paper towel). Heat at medium high for 3 minutes.
2. Add dumplings to the pan, about 10 to 15. Cover the pan and allow to cook for 3 minutes. Then, add 1/4 cup of water to the pan and recover.
3. Serve with soy sauce mixed with 1 teaspoon minced ginger and one sliced green onion.

Cooking instructions for frozen dumplings
Add more minute of cooking time if you’re cooking frozen dumplings. One extra minute after putting oil into the pan and covering. Add 1/3 cup of water instead of 1/4 when you’re ready to steam them covered. And then one more minute of cooking with the water with pan covered.

from The Little Kitchen

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Best Food Facts. I only work with brands that I love and share with you my own opinions.