Category: Appetizers

It’s been awhile since we last made a batch of crispy fried wontons at home. Every time we go out for Chineses food or order takeout I can’t resist ordering the Crab Rangoon. They’re just sooo good and I’m always up for fried cheesy goodness. Are you with me?

Since we moved to Alabama we haven’t found any decent Chinese food. We recently received a few new recommendations for local places to try so there’s hope, but what I’m trying to say is that I almost forgot about the awesomeness of a good wonton. We’ve tried a few fun homemade wonton variations in the past (see Basil Cream Cheese Wontons and Pumpkin Dessert Wontons), but with Tortilla Soup on the menu this week I decided to take a Mexican twist on the good ole’ wonton. Enter these Creamy Avocado Wontons. Dare I say these are my favorite fried wontons yet? Umm…YES!! These are probably my new favs — homemade or from a restaurant.

These were SO yummy! The filling is perfection (I think any fellow avocado-lover would agree) and these homemade wontons took our soup night dinner to another level. Give these a try and leave a comment below to let us know how you like them.

Ingredients:

• Nasoya Wonton Wrappers
• 1/3 brick of cream cheese
• 1 avocado, sliced and mashed
• sprinkle of cumin
• sprinkle of garlic salt
• juice from 1/2 lime
• 1 Egg (for egg wash)
• splash of water
• Oil for Frying

Directions:

1. Mix together cream cheese, avocado, seasonings and twist of lime with a fork. Continue to mash and mix until well incorporated and the mixture has a smooth, creamy consistency. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and a little water to make a basic egg wash.
3. Place a single wonton wrapper on a clean, flat surface. With a small brush, paint all four edges of the wonton wrapper with the egg wash.
4. Place a small dollop of cream cheese filling onto the center of the wonton.
5. Fold wrapper in from corner to corner on both sides of the wonton wrappers (or fold into the desired shape) using the egg wash to seal the wonton wrapper together.
6. Make sure to pinch the edges of the wonton to create a tight seal so that the filling stays inside during the frying process.
7. Heat Oil.  Tip: To see if your oil is hot enough, stick a wood toothpick into the oil. If you see bubbles and the oil starts to fry the toothpick, it’s ready.
8. Lightly drop wontons into oil one at a time, frying for 25-30 seconds each until light golden brown.
9. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel until ready to plate and serve.
10. Enjoy impressing your guests or devour them all yourselves like we did (hence the iPhone snap and forgetting to take a picture of the inside of these tasty treats)

We’ve made it a habit this summer to make a family trip to the Farmers Market in downtown Birmingham on as many Saturday mornings as possible. This weekend we got there a little late but still managed to score some yellow summer squash, green beans, corn, garlic, tomatoes and some gorgeous flowers for our table. We also decided to try something from Birmingham Breadworks for the first time and settled on a baguette.

After picking up the tomatoes and baguette (and remembering that our basil crop at home is booming), I knew that we would have to make this easy bruschetta for lunch. This bruschetta was the perfect light lunch, packed with flavor for a hot summer day. Factor in the minimal oven time and we were sold. You should be too! Seriously, go grab a baguette and give this bruschetta a try today!

Ingredients:

• 1 French or Italian baguette, sliced thin (approx. 3/4 inch thickness)
• fresh mozzarella
• fresh basil, cut or torn into small pieces
• chopped tomatoes
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• garlic salt
• pepper
• chopped onion (If you’re not allergic like I am, by all means throw in a little chopped onion with the tomato for more flavor.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place bread slices on prepared baking sheet or Silpat.
3. Drizzle or brush each slice with a little olive oil. Lightly sprinkle with garlic salt.
4. Top each piece with a thin slice of fresh mozzarella.
5. Bake for about 4-5 minutes until bread is lightly toasted and mozzarella softens.
6. In a small bowl, combine chopped tomato (and onion if you decided to go for it) with a splash or two of balsamic vinegar and a dash of pepper. Let sit while bread is cooking.
7. Take bread out of the oven and top each with a little of the tomato mixture and some fresh basil.
8. Enjoy!