So Many Dishes

As a master gardener, even though I’m no longer active in the program, I often heard the mantra, “right plant, right place.” Saturday’s dinner was the culinary equivalent.

We participated in a No Kings demonstration in Palm Beach Gardens. It was a great morning. We ran into one of my former colleagues, and hung out with a group of friends from our church. We couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather, either. But I was tired by the time we got home, so I was glad that we had planned an easy dinner

I’ve had a package of frozen Chinese dumplings in the freezer for a couple months. I bought them thinking that they would be a nice alternative for lunch, but never really needed them. I had thought about improvising a soup, and then a recipe for potsticker soup showed up in the weekly Skinnytaste email. I figured the dumplings would work just as well.

This soup was quick and easy, and we were happy with the results. There are plenty of veggies in the broth, and very little oil, so it feels pretty healthy. It’s pretty versatile; the notes to the original recipe say that you can swap in whatever vegetables you choose. I had pork and vegetable dumplings, but you can make this vegetarian by using vegetable potstickers and veggie broth. You could even spice it up with a drizzle of sriracha. Because the dumplings are larger than the frozen potstickers, I didn’t add as many as the recipe called for, but that’s the only change I made. Bonus, it looks pretty, too. And the leftovers were delicious for my lunch today.

Potsticker Soup

• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 6 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup scallions (white and light green parts), diced, plus sliced greens for garnish
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce (I may have been generous here)
• 20 frozen potstickers or 12 frozen Chinese dumplings
• 2 cups baby spinach

Heat a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat and add the sesame oil. Add the mushrooms, scallions, carrot, and salt and stir to combine. Cook until the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and stir to combine. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the broth and soy sauce, stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, cover and simmer, and simmer for 5 minutes, until the carrots are tender. Turn the heat up to medium heat and add the dumplings. Cook until the dumplings are cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes, adding the spinach at the last minute.

To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with green onions. Makes 4 servings.

Happy eating!