Leftover Creation: Clean out the Crisper Vegetarian Fried Rice and Egg Rolls Recipes

Day 41.



This was a HUGE week for leftovers, not just of the prepared meals, but from overchopping that my neighbor and I did in preparation for our Once a Month Cooking day. Between the two of us, there was almost always a cup or so of extra veggies. So, I made two new recipes out of my crisper leftovers. Leftover coleslaw (cabbage, carrot and red cabbage blend) mix, leftover mushrooms, green onions, carrots, ginger, egg yolk and then rice and beef mixture leftover from the cabbage rolls all made an appearance in these recipes.



Clean out the Crisper Fried Rice

Ingredients

2-3 C chopped veggies (I used mushrooms, green onions and carrots)

2-3 eggs

2 C rice

1/4 C "beef"

1/8 C chopped onion

2-3 Tbsp. sesame oil

pinch of grated ginger

1/2 C water

1/4 C soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

House seasoning blend, to taste





Directions

Put sesame oil and all your chopped veg, garlic and onion into a wok or deep saute pan. Stir fry for 3 minutes. Add beaten eggs, rice, beef and liquids. Stir until rice is coated and eggs are cooked through. Add seasoning to taste.



Egg Rolls/Dumplings

Adapted from about.com

Wrapper Ingredients (you could also just use store-bought)

2 C all-purpose flour

1 large egg

1 tsp. salt

1/2 C ice water

Cornstarch

Filling Ingredients

8 oz. coleslaw mix (cabbage, carrots)

1/2 C soy sauce

1/8 C balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. sugar

water, to taste (if the mix is too strong, thin it out)

Directions

Sift the flour into a large bowl.



Lightly beat the egg with the salt. Stir in 1/4 C of water. Add the egg and the ice water to the flour. Stir in as much of the remaining 1/4 cup of water as needed to form a sticky batter.



Turn the dough out onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.



Cover the dough and let rest for at least 30 minutes.



Knead the dough briefly, then cut in half. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll each half into a cylinder. Lightly score so that you have 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece out into a 3 1/2-inch square.



Stack the wrappers while you are preparing the remainder, covering with a damp cloth so that they don't dry out. If necessary, lightly dust the wrappers with flour or cornstarch to prevent them from sticking together. Use immediately, or refrigerate or freeze in a plastic bag until ready to use.

So, did that mean 12 equal pieces per half or 12 total. I thought it meant per half, which was really super hard to turn into eggrolls (because they were mini). So, I ended up egg-rolling half of them and dumpling/potsticker-izing the other half. 

And, as you know, I HATE to fry. So here's what I did. Mix all filling ingredients in a bowl, place roll/dumpling wrapper in palm of hand and insert 1-2 Tbsp. into center and roll or fold. Reserve remaining filling and liquids. When complete, heat deep pan with oil. Fry bottoms of pot stickers/egg rolls. Add water (enough to steam) and steam dumplings for about 5 minutes (until dough is cooked through). Set dumplings aside. Place egg rolls on sprayed cookie sheet and bake for 15 minute sat 375. Serve with remaining liquid from filling as dip. Place potstickers over any leftover cabbage to make it pretty. Eat.



The Results

I LOVED the egg rolls and our toddler LOVED the dumpling version, so that worked out well (they were both great, but I preferred the rolls, and she found the dumplings easier to chew, I think). The rice was good, especially for having cleaned out my crisper, but it was nothing special. I'd likely add peppers or hot pepper flakes to kick it up if I made it again.



What'd you do with your leftovers this week?



This post is shared with Simple Lives Thursday, Frugal Food Thursday, Recipe Swap Thursday, What's on Your Plate?, Tip Day Thursday, Things I Love Thursday, and It's a Keeper.