Easy Pizza Gyozas

Easier than pizza, healthier than pizza, and way more fun than pizza, these baked gyozas are a super hit! They make wonderful vegan appetizers; your carnivorous Super Bowl buddies will love them. No cruelty necessary.

Did you all see how I broke my foot playing soccer? A testament to my skill (or intensity) I should think... buuut considering that it was like my 6th game ever, I think it really means that my dribbling is garbage and needs some serious work. Dribbling, wait, that's basketball. Footwork? Is that what it's called? I have no idea, but you can see my x-ray on Instagram or Facebook. It's no wonder I broke myself.

“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.”

— Buddha's Little Instruction Book

Like most my meals, these Easy Pizza Gyozas arose from trying to solve a problem. Namely having half a used jar of pizza sauce that was aging in the fridge, fresh mushrooms that I wanted to stay that way before I used them, and a package of leftover gyoza wrappers. I confess, this is not my typical recipe. I'm not a buffalo wings, casserole, or tater-tot-loving type of lady. I didn't grow up that style of food and never really gained a taste for it. However, my homemade, little handheld pizza pocket type things are pretty darn tasty. Enjoy this outlier in my normal cuisine!

I was thrilled when I thought I had a small stroke of genius in creating these wanna-be miniature pizza rolls. The feeling was subsequently crushed moments later when it dawned on me that I was fairly positive this had to have been done before. To my surprise though, not really. Rejoice! For once; something my weird little brain conjured up had in fact not been straight-up popularized. Though, if you google "pizza gyoza" something regarding the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comes up in the search results... forgive me, but I did not explore it further. I never really got into TMNT. I mean, enough to know the hip acronym, but not enough to know anything about them and their bizarre relationship with pizza gyozas.

These gyozas are really easy to make and I feel like they would be a lot of fun to do with kiddos too. Todd and I don't have any human children, but we do have the four-legged kind. Apparently cooking with dogs (Bailey is my sous chef) is frowned upon by some in our place of residence... I can't imagine why. He's the world's most adorable composter/swiffer sweeper! On that note, I'd actually like to get a couple baby goats. A major bonus would be when random people are always asking if you have kids when they're trying to connect and bond with you, you could finally just say yes and technically it wouldn't be a lie. You know how kids = baby goats but also kids = young humans? *Siri* Add baby goats to my shopping list. 

Easy Pizza Gyozas

Recipe by Kathleen Henry @ Produce On Parade

Easier than pizza, healthier than pizza, and way more fun than pizza, these baked gyozas are a super hit! They make wonderful vegan appetizers; your carnivorous Super Bowl buddies will love them. No cruelty necessary.

Yield: 42 gyoza

Ingredients

• 1/2 tbsp olive oil + more for brushing
• 1/2 red onion, diced small
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 cups diced small cremini mushrooms
• 1 link of Field Roast Mexican Chipotle Sausage, minced
• scant 1 cup pizza sauce + more for dipping if you like
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1 package (42) square gyoza wrappers
• 1.5 cups vegan shredded cheese

Cooking Directions

1. In a large cast iron skillet, heat the 1/2 tbsp oil over medium-low. Add the onion and garlic; sauté about 5 minutes until the onion begins to brown. Meanwhile, chop the mushrooms and sausage.
2. Add the mushrooms and sausage to the pan. Sauté over medium-low for about 8-10 minutes until the mushrooms have shrunk and browned and all the water has evaporated from the pan.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the pizza sauce and oregano. Preheat the oven to 375°F and spray two pans with nonstick cooking spray.
4. To assemble the gyoza, pour ¼ cup of water into a small bowl. Place ½ tbsp of the filling into the middle of one gyoza square and top with a pinch of cheese. Wet two adjoining edges of the square with water using your finger and then fold the other two edges over to make a triangle, pressing firmly to seal. Repeat with remaining gyoza and filling.
5. Arrange all the gyoza on the two baking sheets so they aren’t touching. Brush lightly with olive oil and bake for about 12 minute until they are slightly crispy and the edges are golden brown; be sure to keep your eye on them! Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Eat plain or top with vegan parmesan cheese, green onions, and crushed red pepper if you like and/or dip into pizza sauce.

Below is a video that is obviously the best thing ever and makes me laugh out loud every time I hear it. A must watch. I must meet this genius. LOOK AT THAT GOAT! Omg.

P.P.S. - Thanks for your patience while we figure out the lighting situation in our new place. I promise orange tinted, shadowy photos won't be the norm.

Vegetable Protein Gyoza

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. ”

— Edward Everett Hale

Remember when I reviewed Julia Muller's new cookbook, Let Them Eat Kale, well there will be a giveaway at the bottom of this post! It's such a wonderful book, if you want to read my review of it please see this post and of course, enter the drawing below!

You guys are going to really want to make these. Homemade gyoza are astronomically tastier and healthier than their store-bought brethren. Plus, if you're vegan like me it can be difficult to find cruelty-free ones in the grocery store. 

My gyoza (aka pot sticker or wonton) might look a bit odd, and that's because I like to use red cabbage instead of green. However, green cabbage will work just fine too. These little guys pack a big protein punch thanks to TVP, which works beautifully because it soaks up all the saucy goodness and creates a perfect "meat-like" texture for the gyoza filling.

If you use a food processor to prepare the vegetables, this recipe will come together in a snap. I've included directions on how to steam or pan fry the little buggers (I like mine steamed) and also two different folding methods.

Yep, they're pretty darn foolproof. If you've never made them before, now's the perfect opportunity! Don't worry, I'll be your copilot. 

The best part about my recipe is that you'll have some filling leftover that can be frozen for quick gyoza prep when you get a mad hankering for them, like I often do. Also, the wrappers can be frozen too in case you only want to use half a package. 

Just look how awesome they are! I swear they're super duper easy to fold up. Here, I'll show you how to make a "nun's hat" gyoza. 

In case you a weird bias with regards to nuns, here's how to fold a simple, delicious little gyoza package.

See? I told you it was easy. Now go make some gyoza and impress your friends, family, and your tastebuds!

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Vegetable Protein Gyoza

by Katie @ Produce on Parade August-13-2014

A veggie filled gyoza that's also packed with protein, but vegan! Quick and easy with the help of a food processor. Steamed or pan-fried and two instructions on how to fold. Inspired by Half Baked Harvest.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• ½ brown onion, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 1 lb. Crimini mushrooms, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, minced
• ½ head (10 oz.) red or green cabbage, minced
• ¼ cup liquid amino acids or soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. agave nectar or brown sugar
• 1 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein)
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
• 1 package of 40 wonton/gyoza/pot sticker wrappers
• ¼ cup mirin or rice wine vinegar
• ¼ cup liquid amino acids or soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. agave nectar or brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce
• 1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
• dash of sesame seeds

Instructions

I use a food processor to mince the vegetables. If you don’t have one, it’s a good idea to prep all the vegetables ahead of time. In a large frying pan, heat the sesame oil over medium. Add the onion and garlic. Sauté until the onions begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ginger and mushrooms and continue to sauté until the mushrooms lose most their moisture, about 8-10 minutes. Then, add the bell pepper and cabbage. Continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes, until most of the water from the vegetables has evaporated. This will allow for concentrated flavors.Now add the soy sauce, agave nectar, and TVP. Stir well to combine and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, until the TVP has soaked up all the liquid and is tender. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. Set aside. In a small bowl add about ½ cup of cold water. To assemble the gyoza, lay a wrapper flat and with a finger, wet the bottom edge closest to you and up half the sides with the water. Place one heaping teaspoon of the filling into the lower middle portion of the wrapper and fold in half lengthwise, pressing all the sides together. Careful not to overfill. Fold in half lengthwise again and then wet the lower right corner and the left top corner. Bring the two together and press to connect. Set aside and repeat with remaining wrappers. Any leftover filling can be frozen for quick gyoza making later. Also, the wrappers can be frozen too. The assembled gyoza can be steamed or pan fried. I prefer mine steamed only, but if you want them pan fried there are instructions below as well.To steam: Prepare your steamer with a few inches of water. Line the steamer basket with parchment paper to fit and spray with a nonstick cooking spray for good measure. Once the water is ready, add as many gyozas as possible without them touching. Steam for about 5 minutes, remove from the steamer basket and repeat with remaining gyoza. To pan fry: Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over medium. Add as many gyoza as possible without them touching. Allow to brown for a minute or two, then add about ¼ cup of water and cover with a lid. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, until most of the water is evaporated. Gently remove from the pan and repeat with reaming gyoza.For the Sauce: Combine all the ingredients below the gyoza wrappers in a small bowl and whisk well.Serve hot with the dipping sauce. Enjoy!

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 50 mins Yield: 40 potstickers

German Word of The Day

Wonton --> Wan-Tan (vahn-tahn)

Good Deed of The Day

Do you know what a pangolin is? I didn't! Well, they are one of the cutest little creatures you've ever seen and are nearly extinct in the wild. However, in Vietnam and China, the animals are still considered a delicacy. Please help take pangolins off the menu by urging the Chinese and Vietnamese policymakers to stop standing by idly while the pangolin is hunted to extinction! 

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