Asian Inspired Wontons

On the weekend Steve gets to pick the main themes for our dinners.  He decided to make wontons. We made some with pork and cream cheese and others with carrot, bok choy, and green onions.  It was so nice to have a variety.

At most asian restaurants the wontons are fried but we wanted to go the healthier route of baking them and they turned out just as crispy.  You can put really whatever you want in wanton wrappers and we came up with a meat version and a veggie version.

The trick to having the wantons come out perfectly is to make sure the ingredients going inside are all the way cooked before preparation. Another trick is to keep an eye on them when they are in the oven so they don't get darker than you want.  

Wonton wrappers are easy to find in a regular grocery store.  In our store they are in the produce section near the tofu and vegetarian "meat" products.

Asian Inspired Wontons (pork and vegetarian)

1 package of wonton wrappers

1/2 pound ground pork 

3 green onions, chopped

sesame oil

1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded

1 1/2 cups bok choy, chopped

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3 oz low fat cream cheese

1 tablespoon soy sauce

lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brown the pork with the sesame oil until the meat is cooked all the way.  In one bowl place half of the green onions, cream cheese, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/8 teaspoon ginger, a dash of soy sauce, a pinch of lemon zest, salt, and pepper. In another bowl place half the green onions, bok choy, carrot, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/8 teaspoon ginger, a dash of soy sauce, a pinch of lemon zest, salt and pepper.  Heat some sesame oil in a sauce pan and saute the vegetable mixture for a few minutes until the vegetables are starting to wilt.  

On a baking sheet covered with tin foil lay down one wonton wrapper.  With a pastry brush spread a little bit of water along two sides. Make sure it's just enough water to moisten the wrapper and not make it soggy.  Place a tablespoon of the mixture in the corner between the sides with water.  Fold the dry corner to the wet one and press the edges to form a triangle.  Then put a spot of water in the center of the long edge. Fold one corner into the center, put another spot of water in the same spot and fold in the other corner.  Prepare all the wontons and bake for about 10 minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy to your liking.  

You can enjoy this with a sauce of your choice!  There are so many other options for the filling such as shrimp, chicken, a variety of vegetables or even desserts like apples or pears!  Enjoy!