Samurai soup

From "Every Day with Rachael Ray"
March 2009


Oh my God! We had an absolutely magazine family-worthy moment tonight! Sean and I made these dumplings TOGETHER, they didn't fall apart, they tasted amazing and he ended up eating TWO green vegetables with dinner. With no bargaining! Herewith, then, is a recipe lifted in its entirety from Rachael Ray's magazine:

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. baby bok choi, halved lengthwise and crosswise, white and green portions separated.
(or, you can just use the same amount of baby spinach and chop it after you blanch it.)
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 TBSP oyster or fish sauce
1 TBSP grated ginger
2 tsp honey
1 tsp sesame oil
40 wonton wrappers
32oz chicken soup
1/4 lb snow pease, cut crosswise into 1/2" pieces
Scallions, for garnish

Method:

1. In a pot with boiling water, cook bok choi (or spinach, if using that instead) for 1 minute until wilted. Drain, rinse with cold water and squeeze dry. Finely chop and put in medium-sized bowl.
2. Stir in pork, 1 TBSP soy sauce, all the oyster/fish sauce, ginger, honey & 1 tsp sesame oil.
3. Arrange 10 wonton wrappers on work surface, moisten the edges, mound 1 tsp pork mixture in the middle. Fold in half, pressing edges to seal. Then bring two points together to make a fortune cookie shaped dumpling.
4. In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth, 1 cup water and remaining soy sauce to a boil. Add snow peas.
5. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the dumplings until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowls. Ladle broth over the dumplings, top with scallions and a drizzle of sesame oil.

The dumplings freeze very well, too!

Slow Cooker Chili

Slow-Cooker Chili

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
3/4 cup diced onion
3/4 cup diced celery
3/4 cup diced green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (10.75 ounce) cans tomato puree
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans with liquid
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini or black beans with liquid
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Place the beef in a skillet over medium heat, and cook until evenly brown.

Place the beef in a slow cooker, and mix in onion, celery, green bell pepper, garlic, tomato puree, kidney beans, and cannellini beans. Season with chili powder, parsley, salt, basil, oregano, black pepper, and hot pepper sauce.

Cover and cook 8 hours on low.