Basil, Mozzarella and Sausage Skewers

As of today, December 20th 2010 I am officially done with Christmas shopping! I must say that this is a new record for me and I pretty much have Amazon and all the ridiculously creative people on Etsy to thank for this year's efficiency.  If you've never been over to Etsy, I suggest you head there right now.  Yes, leave my post - it's ok.  The site's that good and full of amazing presents  :)  How's your holiday shopping progressing this year?


With all my newly discovered free time, I'm back in the kitchen.  Though that sounds oddly 1940's domestic I'm happy to get back to baking and into the warmest room in our house.  Seriously, folks.  If you ever find your toes getting cold, just head into the kitchen and bake something.  You'll feel much better about life AND your house will smell good.


Today's recipe is easy and perfect for the holidays.  I love this recipe because not only is it Christmas colors, but it also comes together quickly and is an excellent finger food.  All too often, I find myself at a party trying to eat an appetizer and having it fall all over my white clothing.  Who wears white clothing in the winter besides me?  Lesson learned.  Put finger foods on toothpicks to make life easy for klutzes like me!  Unfortunately, not too much "heat cooking" is involved so you'll just need to put some snuggle socks on instead.

1 clove garlic, smashed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 bocconcini (small mozzarella balls)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
12 basil leaves, preferably large
12 toothpicks or short wooden skewers
2 -3 sausage links of your choice

Combine the garlic, salt, pepper flakes, and olive oil in a medium glass bowl. Cover and microwave on high until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Cool. Add the bocconcini and refrigerate for at least 1 and up to 24 hours.

Pan fry sausages and allow to cool slightly.  Slice sausages.

Thread a tomato onto a skewer, wrap a bocconcini in a basil leaf and add to the skewer; finish with a sausage

Repeat with the remaining cheese and tomatoes.

Fried Mozzarella Bites with Homemade Tomato Sauce

ooey gooey deliciousness. I toyed with titling this post those very three words, but thought that just might be weird. But, now that you're here and reading, I'll just go ahead and tell you there is nothing better than any foods that can be described as ooey gooey deliciousness! With a crisp shell and a gooey, melted cheese center, each of these mozzarella bites tasted a little bit like {fried} heaven dunked in tasty, amazing sauce.



I'd like to say these are perfect party foods, but the bites are best eaten straight from the fryer. I'm not sure how elegant of a party you typically host, but nothing about deep frying inside of your house is at all sophisticated in my opinion. First off, the smell lingers in your house for days, and then there's me, the ever put-together chef, freaking out about dropping things in hot oil and periodically yelping like a scared baby.



So, yes. I'm advising you to make these and enjoy them all on your own. The minor heartburn afterwards? SO definitely worth it!

PS. I must thank my mother for giving me this most dreaded Christmas gift, the infamous Fry Daddy. While I looked at it with glee, I knew it would only spell diet disaster. Yes, you can fry anything, especially in our house! After devouring bite after yummy mozzarella bite, hubby decided to use the extra breading and fry a steak. Gross!! Ok...I lie. It was pretty good.

Fried Mozzarella Bites with Homemade Tomato Sauce
slightly adapted from Pink Bites 

1 8 oz container of mozzarella balls (I used the ciliegine, "cherry" sized mozzarella balls)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup of milk
1 cup of plain flour
2 cups of panko
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
salt and pepper
canola oil for frying
 (you'll end up with a lot of excess flour, breading, etc.  Halve the breading if you prefer, but having the excess makes dunking easier! Or, you can double the amount of cheese)

1.  Drain the cheese and dry on paper towels. Prepare your breading station by having 3 bowls ready. Put flour in one, season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix the eggs with the milk and pour into the second bowl. Add the breadcrumbs with the dried oregano and garlic salt to the last bowl and mix well.

2. Dip each piece of cheese in the flour, then in the egg mixture and lastly in the breadcrumbs, shaking off excess after each step. Repeat the breading process again and place cheese balls on a flat plate.

3.  Heat about oil up to minimum line in Fry Daddy or in a medium sauce pan to 350 degrees. Carefully lower cheese balls, a few of a time and cook until they are golden, about a minute or so. Remove and drain in paper towels. Repeat with the remaining cheese making sure oil comes up to temperature before adding more cheese.

Tomato Sauce:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 14.5 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes (try Muir Glen)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

1. Heat the oil over medium-heat and add the onions. cook until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for a minute more and add the diced tomatoes.

2. Fill half of the tomato can with water and add to the pot. Add spices and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until sauce is thickened (this process took awhile for me.  I let simmer until very thick b/c I like thick sauce). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Sweet Chili Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I tend to be quite a busy body so I continually struggle with sitting around doing nothing. On the plus side, I tend to be fairly productive, spending my weekend days running around from one errand to the next, but it's certainly a negative when I can't just relax and the weekend leaves me exhausted! Well, lucky for me, college football season is in gear so that means lots of Saturday lazy days couch time is in store.


While I truly love college football, it's quite possible I love the snacks & munchies we make for football couch time even more. On Saturday, I decided to make something refreshing and an old-standby for Amer-asian food fans everywhere - Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Google Chicken lettuce wrap recipes, and you'll find quite a plethora of PF Chang's Copy Cat recipes. I decided to mix a few ingredients from several recipes, add a few touches of my own and see how things turned out.

These were delicious, but its hard to mimic the absolutely perfectly round lettuce cups served at restaurants. Do they hire someone just to pick out perfect heads of lettuce?! If you know the secret, please share.

Have a great week and stay tuned for a**shopping** giveaway this week!

Sweet Chili Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Adapted from various internet sources

1 pound ground chicken or turkey
Montreal Grill Seasoning (by McCormick) & salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoons lite soy sauce
1 -2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
dash of black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 large red bell pepper, diced
2 cups Cole Slaw (cabbage & carrot) mix
3 scallions, chopped on an angle
1 can sliced water chestnuts, diced into small pieces
1 head of romaine or iceberg lettuce

In a medium bowl, sprinkle chicken with grill seasoning, salt and peper. Stir to combine.

In a separate smaller bowl, combine sesame oil,hoisin, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, sweet chili sauce, pepper, and garlic in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk.

Heat a large skillet to hot. Add olive oil, then chicken. Cook chicken 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the red peppers, cabbage and carrot mix, scallions and water chestnuts and stir-fry another 2 minutes. Add sauce mixture and saute until all is warm, about another 2 minutes.

Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken salad in the center of each lettuce leaf

Feta Avocado Tomato Dip

When the sun is blazing and our non-air conditioned house heats up, spending time sweating in the kitchen seems like a dangerous proposition. While I may be a bit of a baby when it comes to cold temperatures, I get equally cranky when the temps rise. I suppose its a good thing we're in San Diego now, huh?


Luckily I have an arsenal of light, no-heat recipes that save hubby and me from eating out every night...or having cranky me heat up our kitchen and house. This dip is one of my all-time favorites that I like to make after a trip to the farmer's market. Best paired with crackers, pita, or baguettes, I particularly love this dip because it gives me a reason to indulge in my most absurd obsession: Wheat Thins. Mmm...of all the good things on the earth, I would pick Wheat Thins over almost any snack as my last on earth :) Enjoy this cool & fresh snack!


Feta Avocado Tomato Dip
courtesy of Ralph's recipes

2 avocados, chopped
4 tomatoes, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup olive oil (I used a little less)
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. kosher salt

Combine avocados, tomatoes, and onion in a bowl. Mix gently & stir in the cilantro. Add feta, olive oil, vinegar, cumin and salt. Mix until combined. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Chipotle Chicken Tostada Cups

Hi World! It's me, the blog deserter. Y'all still there? :)


Shortly after catching my breath following hubby's graduation bash, I realized that doom and gloom was lurking on my doorstep. In all my excitement to come up with a fancy schmancy menu for the party, I had forgotten about an (expensive) certification test I was taking in just a few short days. Luckily, I can tell you all that I passed! ...And now back to my normal life.

While still coaching my parents on the wonders of uploading digital photography, I have just a few photos to share with you from the party. A coworker brought these yummy apps to a potluck and I immediately knew I wanted to make them for the party.



In true Sharon style, I kept meticulous grocery list spreadsheets and a timed cooking schedule, but somehow forgot to buy the main ingredients for the base of these tostada cups - a guacamole-esque mixture. After at least 6 separate grocery trips in one week, I am not sure how this happened! Needless to say, I powered on and just made the chicken filling for the tortilla cups and topped them with a sprig of cilantro so they wouldn't look too plain. Since the party was an all-day affair, I also skipped the sour cream topping.

I heard these were yummy, but I never got a chance to try them! It's quite an easy, fancy looking recipe that everyone loved. The cups are made by baking flour tortillas in muffin cups for a few minutes in the oven and topped with a chipotle chicken filling. I found that these browned up very quickly so watch them!

Now that I have my life back, I hope to be posting much more often. I also owe you the winner of the reader recipe contest so stay tuned!!

Chicken Tostada Cups sans avocado
Adapted from Cuisine at Home

3 flour tortillas (8")
3/4 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons chipotles in adobo sauce, chopped (remove some of the seeds if you're a wuss like me!)
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (used combo of breast and thighs)
cilantro for topping
sour cream, if desired
nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Coat both sides of tortillas with nonstick cooking spray. Stack the tortillas and cut into 8 wedges. Push the tortillas into muffin cups. Bake for about 5-6 minutes or until golden. Watch the tortillas carefully. Remove tortillas from oven and allow to cool slightly.

In a small saucepan, simmer ketchup, sugar, chipotles & adobo sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, chili powder, and chicken over medium heat. Cook until chicken mixture is syrupy.

Top each tortilla cup with chicken mixture. Top with a cilantro sprig and a touch of sour cream, if desired.

No Steak Today, just Feta and Herb Stuffed Shrimp

Are there any foods in this world that you wished you loved? For me, it has to be steak. I've seen enough people enjoy steak to know it should be a good thing. For someone who's an ardent lover of food, it seems almost a shame not to be able to enjoy a nice, juicy filet. Honestly, if you gave me the choice between a Ruth's Chris steak and a greasy cheeseburger from McDonald's, I think I'd pick the burger. There's just something about the texture....

Hmm, well I hope you haven't left in disgust.

I tell you this sad steak tale because I have yet another seafood centric treat today. I know, shrimp...again?! :)


Well, these are special shrimp because not only do they include my favorite cheeses (does cream cheese count as a real cheese?), but they're also a trial run for hubby's upcoming graduation party.

Jumbo shrimp are stuffed with a yummy mixture of garlic, green onions, cream cheese and feta cheese. Pop them in the oven and they're ready to go in a few short minutes. Fancy, but fast & easy? I like it.

Thanks to those of you who've forwarded me your favorite party foods. There are so many yummy ideas! If you haven't sent them in, forward me your recipes and photos to newlywedcook at gmail dot com. There's something exciting in store for you if I make your dish!

Feta and Herb Stuffed Shrimp
Adapted from Small Plates: Appetizers As Meals

4 oz crumbled feta cheese (I used reduced fat)
4oz cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat parsley
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
dash of Worcestershire sauce
dash of paprika
20 -24 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

In a small bowl, combine the feta cheese, cream cheese, parsley, green onion, garlic, spices. Add a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce. Combine thoroughly.

Cut shrimp along the back to butterfly the shrimp. Spread shrimp open and place a dollop of the cream cheese mixture in the shrimp. Place shrimp on baking sheet , cheese side up. This gets tricky so try and flatten the shrimp down as much as possible to prevent the cheese from falling out.

Preheat the oven broiler and broil the shrimp 6 inches from the heat, until cheese is bubbly and shrimp is pink, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle lightly with paprika.

Shrimp and Spinach Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's and President's Day(s). We had a lot of quality relaxing time together as a result of some very uncharacteristic Southern California rain and our desire to veg in pj's all weekend. Of course, hubby planned a blissfully romantic Valentine's Day for us, beginning with a candlelit breakfast complete with orchids...my favorite!

I was lucky enough to have today off of work so we spent the rest of our long weekend eating a lot of Mexican food and drinking plenty of beer. If you've never been to San Diego, you must visit & try the finest local fare: fish tacos and/or shrimp burritos. I'm officially addicted.

Unfortunately, I have neither to show you today, but I can offer you these delicious Portobello (...or is it Portabella?) mushrooms stuffed with shrimp, and topped with creamy spinach and a crisp Parmesan breadcrumb topping. Sounds decadent, eh?

{yummy shrooms ready to pop in the oven...}
I first spotted these tasty delights on one of my very favorite blogs, Noble Pig. I've made several variations since and like the portobello mushrooms best since they're a little larger and thus give you more bang for your buck (i.e. maximum amount of shrimps per mushroom). I also have a short attention span and can only stuff so many little shrooms, so these big guys cut down on my workload!

These make for a perfect party appetizer or even a light meal if served with a side salad and a nice hunk of crusty bread. If you find yourself with more toppings than mushrooms to fill, we used the leftover shrimp & spinach topping to make an excellent panini sandwich with a little swiss cheese. I'm getting excited just thinking about it.

Shrimp Rockefeller Stuffed Mushrooms with Parmesan Crumbs
adapted from Noble Pig & Cuisine at Home

about 10 medium sized Portobello mushrooms
Shrimp topping:
1 T. Olive Oil
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled, deveined, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste.
Spinach Filling:
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 T. mayonnaise
1 T. milk
1 small clove garlic, minced
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
3 T. Parmesan, grated
1 t. fresh lemon juice
1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce
2 T. scallions, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
breadcrumb topping:
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (I used a crusty sourdough roll and put in the food processor)
3 T. Olive oil
3 T. Parmesan, grated
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Prepare mushrooms by removing and discarding stems. Arrange caps on a baking sheet, stemmed side up, sprinkle insides with salt, and roast 10 minutes. The mushrooms produce quite a lot of juice, so drain if needed. Flip caps over and roast 5 minutes more. Remove mushrooms from oven; leave oven on.

Season shrimp with Old Bay seasoning, salt & pepper to taste. Saute shrimp in 1 T. olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat just until pink, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

For spinach filling, in a large bowl combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, milk, garlic, spinach, 3 T, Parmesan, lemon juice, Worcestershire, scallions and salt and pepper to taste.

Toss crumbs with 3 T. oil, 3 T. Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl.

Stuff mushrooms, placing a few shrimp pieces in each cap. Top with a generous dollop of spinach cream cheese mixture, sprinkle with crumbs, and spray tops lightly with cooking spray. Bake until heated through and topping is golden, about 8-9 minutes. Serve immediately

Healthy Chile Con Queso with Baked Lime Tortilla Chips

Though I distinctly remember one or two occasions where I nearly chucked a shoe at ESPN, or Fox Sports, or ESPN2 for constantly hogging up our TV, I must admit I'm a little sad that football is nearly over. I'm much more of a college football fan, so I'm just hanging on till the Super Bowl. Since no team I have a vested interest in made it to the big game, I've already picked my new favorite to win.


Not only will I miss football, but I'll dearly miss having a great excuse to eat junk food in the middle of the day, having friends over just to eat said junk food, and of course, spending a Saturday or Sunday with a beer in hand and dedicating myself to nothing but drinking, eating and watching the TV. I promise I'm not really lazy at heart :)

In honor of the near end of the football season (really, one of the only regularly televised sports that can keep my attention) here's a tasty and healthy treat that doesn't actually taste healthy!


I grew up eating Chile Con Queso in the Velveeta form. No mockery of this quintessential snack,but here's a real deal dip that's heart healthy. Baked tortilla chips are never as crispy and delightful as their fried cousins, but at least you're not consuming a mountain of fat, right?

The dip is a little bit thinner than what I'm used to, but if you let this sit in a crock pot or even on your stove (on low heat) while you're watching the game, it will thicken up!

The Recipe Girl is having a Super Bowl Party Recipe Smackdown contest. Send Lori your best football fare, and you could win $250! Woohoo! Check it out here.

Chile Con Queso with Baked Lime Tortilla Chips
Eating Well, Feb '09

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup light colored beer
1 1/2 cups milk, divided
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar
1 10 oz can Rotel (drained)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
cayenne pepper to taste
1/4 cup scallions
2 tbsp fresh cilantro

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion & garlic, and saute until beginning to soften and brown. Add beer and cook until reduced slightly, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup milk and bring to a simmer.

2. Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup milk and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until bubbling and thick, about 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add cheese and cook, stirring until melted. Add tomatoes, lime juice, salt, chili powder and cayenne (if using). Serve warm, garnished with cilantro & scallions.

Chile-Lime Tortilla Chips
12 6 inch corn tortillas
cooking spray
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. Coat both sides of tortillas with cooking spray and cut into quarters. Place wedges in an even layer on 1-2 cookie sheets. Combine lime juice & chili powder in a bowl. Brush the mixture on the tortillas and sprinkle with salt.

2. Bake tortillas until golden & crisp, about 15-20 minutes. Try flipping them mid-bake to get an even crispiness.

Mango Crab Salad Wonton Cups (baked & healthy!)

Wife's day off!

I was treated to an absolutely wonderful lunch, courtesy of hubby. It's not often that he gets down and dirty in the kitchen, but when he does, I'm not disappointed. These delightful & crunchy cups pack a flavorful punch: wonton skins are baked in mini muffin tins and filled with a delicious salad of crab, mango, celery, wonton and scallions.

Though the original recipe calls for jumbo lump crabmeat, we did a few quick calculations at the grocery. Splurge on yummy looking crab OR fill our empty gas tank with oh, about 3.5 gallons of gas? Next time, we'll make sure not to drive on empty and go with the lump crab meat as we imagine they'd make this already yummy recipe that much better.

The baked Mango Crab Salad Wontons are courtesy of an Ellie Krieger recipe from her new book, The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life. While I'd sometimes like to give Ellie a swift slap to wake her out of her monotone voice coma, I really do enjoy her recipes. We've had great success with all the ones we have tried so far, and I hope to post more soon. In the meantime, enjoy & have a wonderful weekend. Thanks, hubby for a delicious lunch

Oh, I suppose I should provide an update as well. Our little vegetarian experiment is over. It all ended with a tofu curry dish that may have sent hubby over the edge (a little tofu overload). It was fun while it lasted! :)

Because this dish relies on mango for a sweet contrast to the crab salad, I'm entering it into Meeta's Monthly Mingle which is Mango Mania this month. Visit What's For Lunch, Honey? for more details.

Mango Crab Salad Wonton Cups
Courtesy of Ellie Krieger

For the Wonton Cups:
Cooking spray
18 wonton wrappers, thawed if frozen (we used potsticker wrappers)
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the dressing:
1 teaspoon lime zest
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
For the salad:
1/2 pound lump crabmeat, picked over (we used flaked crab but I suggest trying with lump)
1 stalk celery, finely diced (we omitted the celery)
1/2 cup finely diced mango
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Sweet Chili Sauce (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 2 mini-muffin tins with cooking spray.
Brush the wonton wrappers with oil, and place each wrapper into a section of a mini-muffin tin. Gently press each wrapper into the tin and arrange so that it forms a cup shape. The wrapper will overlap itself and stick up out of the cup. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned and crisp. Remove from the tin and allow wrappers to cool.

Meanwhile whisk together the zest, lime juice, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes. Add the oil and whisk until well combined.

In a medium bowl, toss together the crabmeat, celery, mango, scallion and cilantro. Add dressing and toss to combine. Fill each cup with the crab salad. Top with a dollop of sweet chili sauce if you like!

Roasted Red Pepper and Edamame Postickers

Since the demise of Tastespotting, many sites have popped up in its place. While I do miss Tastespotting, this game of chasing around new websites has been pleasurable indeed. I must say, I’m in awe of all the talent out there. Besides good photography skills, are these bloggers blessed with both patience and patient food gobblers?

Most of my cooking adventures involve a little spilling of liquids, a splash of flour in my hair (if I’m baking), a little chaos in the kitchen and a lot of heat. Martha Stewart, I am not. Once all the disorder dies down, I’m usually hungry and hubby is ready to get at whatever’s been causing all of the kitchen madness. I like my food HOT and I like it now. Hence, no time for photos unless we have leftovers!

Take for example, today’s vegetarian treat: Roasted Red Pepper and Edamame postickers. Here are the only photos I managed to take-

Edamame Filling: Ready to pop into the steamer/skillet:I decided to do a little taste test comparison and pan fry some as postickers and steam others to make dumplings. Both versions were good, but we (mostly he) gobbled these up so fast, I didn’t have time to snap any 'after' photos. Good thing Tastespotting is gone…the pressure is off! :)

These dumplings were simple & delicious. If you're hankering for some photos of the finished product, Recipe Girl made some similar edamame dumplings you can enjoy.

Roasted Red Pepper & Edamame Dumplings
Adapted from Cooking Light and spotted on Recipe Girl

1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans)
¼ cup chopped roasted red pepper
¼ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
15-20 round posticker wrappers (depending on how much filling you use)
cooking spray
½ cup water, divided

Cook edamame according to package directions; drain. Rinse edamame with cold water; drain well. In a food processor, chop garlic until minced. Add edamame, roasted red pepper, cilantro, lemon juice, sesame oil, soy sauce pepper, red pepper flakes and salt in a food processor; process until smooth.

To make postickers, spoon about 1 heaping tsp. edamame mixture in center of each wrapper. Moisten edges of dough with water; bring opposite ends together and pleat edges to seal.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Arrange half of dumplings in a single layer in pan; allow bottoms of postickers to brown; Add ¼ cup water to pan; cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook 30 seconds; uncover. Cook 1 minute or until liquid evaporates. Repeat procedure with remaining dumplings and water.

To make steamed dumplings, place mixture in center of wrapper and bring sides of wrappers up around filling.

Heat water in a large steamer and spray steamer basket with nonstick cooking spray. If using bamboo steamer, line with lettuce leaves. Place dumplings on steamer rack and steam for approximately 8-10 minutes.

**Both versions are delicious served with a soy dipping sauce. I usually combine soy sauce with a dash of rice vinegar and a dash of sesame oil. Tasty!