Fridgg: What's For Dinner?

Weekly Wanderings {2016 week 41}

This week in my world…

A pop of red on a grey afternoon; the kind of weather that teases with sprinkles here and there, but never quite commits to a full downpour.

Even the teeny-tinyest faerie houses have gotten into the Halloween spirit! 👻🎃

Every other year or so, my mom and I get a craving for Big Macs and go on a McDonalds date.

NO SHAME.

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Weekly Wanderings {2016 week 40}

This week in my world…

Rain! 😊

Reason #86 why I’m marrying Son: he knows that the way to this girl’s heart is neither diamond rings nor fancy things… nope, it’s FLUFFY SOCKS. 😍

My mommy made me snickerdoodles for my birthday.

Coffee on milk.

My birthday present(s) to myself. If you don’t hear from me for a few days… this is why.

Fresh-baked bread, garlic dipping sauce. Addictively good.

Mushrooms. Meh.

Calimari is always tasty.

Pasta carbonara.

Yum.

Son and his OMG SO DELICIOUS squid ink seafood pasta. Holy cow, it was so good. We almost ordered another one to go.

So freaking good.

Birthday bundt cake! (With fluffy socks and a programming book!)

Light and dark.

Somewhere…

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Links I’ve loved lately:

It’s true, book fairs were everything, and I still have our entire set of Boxcar Children books!

There are still good people in the world.

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Weekly Wanderings {2016 week 39}

This week in my world…

I know it’s like, the most American thing ever, but I’m a sucker for moo shu pork.

A flower fell off one of our champaca trees, so Son put it in a bowl of water for me. MY OFFICE SMELLS SO GOOD.

Ham. Frico egg. Curry mayo. English muffin. Yum.

In this week episode of Son’s garden adventures… we somehow managed to wrangle an 8-foot trellis into our little Accord. 😂

The Big Mo’s Favorite Po-Boy for me…

…and the Gumbo Mumbo Platter for Son.

So delicious. And so much food… we ended up taking more than half of it home for dinner!

I’m ready to eat.

It appears our house has a very large spider problem… 😱

Delicate delicata.

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Clear Soup with Pumpkin Dumplings

Today’s a special day. It’s my little brother’s birthday (happy birthday, Patrick!), it’s the first actual chilly day we’ve had all fall (up until now, temps have been in the 80s, and even above 100F which is crazy for where I live!), and… it’s the release day of Marisa Baggett’s new cookbook, Vegetarian Sushi Secrets!

While I’m always excited about sushi cookbooks (that’s what happens when your original food blog is all about sushi), this one’s especially exciting for me for several reasons. First, we ladies of sushi stick together, and I love Marisa’s cookbooks. Secondly, you may have noticed I’ve been cooking more vegetarian and vegan food – although I still eat meat, I love trying out new recipes for my brother’s girlfriend, who is vegan. And thirdly… I had the huge honor of writing a foreword for Marisa’s new cookbook!

Of course, in addition to writing a foreword for her cookbook, I just had to try out some of her recipes as soon as she sent me a copy. I’m completely obsessed with her spicy tofu rolls. Her Faux Roe “Boats” are a fun vegetarian take on fish roe gunkan maki. And then, because I wanted to try one non-sushi recipe as well, I made this clear soup with pumpkin dumplings.

This soup is perfect for a chilly autumn day like today. Obviously, it’s totally appropriate for the pumpkin-mania that happens as soon as the clock strikes September. And I love the addition of Japanese curry to the dumpling fillings – it’s warming, makes the flavor ever so Japanese, and I pretty much always love anything curry. Delicious!

Recipe from Vegetarian Sushi Secrets by Marisa Baggett, out today!

Ingredients

Dumplings

• 1 cup (220 g) pumpkin puree
• 1 square Japanese curry base
• 3 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 bunch fresh coriander leaves (cilantro), roughly chopped
• 4 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1/2 cup (30 g) panko breadcrumbs
• 18 square wonton wrappers
• 2 teaspoons potato starch, dissolved in 4 teaspoons water

Clear Soup

• 3 teaspoons toasted pumpkin seed oil
• 3 teaspoons roasted pumpkin seeds
• 12 oz (350 g) extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/2-in (1.25-cm) cubes
• 6 cups (1.5 liters) Vegetarian Dashi (2 batches), heated
• 3 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced, if desired

Cooking Directions

1. Place a large pot of water over high heat. Bring to a boil.
2. To prepare the dumplings, combine the pumpkin puree, Japanese curry base, green onions, garlic, coriander leaves, soy sauce, and panko breadcrumbs in a food processor. Pulse a few times, then process until well blended.
3. Place two wonton wrappers on your work surface. (Keep the remaining wrappers covered with a damp towel.) Spoon 1 tablespoon of the pumpkin mixture in the center of each wrapper. Dip a fingertip in the potato starch mixture and wet the edges of the wonton wrapper. Pull the edges of the wrapper around the mixture and pinch closed. Fold the dumpling so the ends meet and crimp to close. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
4. Gently drop the dumplings in the boiling water and then turn off the heat. Stir with a spoon to make sure none of the dumplings stick to the bottom of the pot. Let the dumplings cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon.
5. To assemble the soup, lay out 6 medium-sized soup bowls. Place 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin seed oil and 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin seeds in each bowl. Divide the tofu evenly among the bowls. Add 3 warm dumplings to each bowl. Ladle 1 cup (250 ml) of hot dashi into each bowl. Sprinkle with green onions, if desired. Serve immediately.

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I received a copy of this cookbook for free, as well as provided a foreword for the cookbook. Links in this post may be affiliate links.

Weekly Wanderings {2016 week 38}

This week in my world…

Livin’ that wonton life.

This is now my go-to breakfast.

LA, you’re not too bad.

Tofu soup. No spice, thankyouverymuch.

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Links I’ve loved lately:

Mario-themed Airbnb??? YES LET’S DO IT.

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