You’ll never order take out again! These Vegetable Walnut Potstickers are packed with heart healthy walnuts and colorful vegetables all wrapped up in a delicious little package!
Thank you to California Walnuts for sponsoring this post! As always, all opinions expressed are 100% my own.
Many of us associate February with Valentine’s Day but did you know that February is also Heart Health Month? As an Emergency Room physician, I see the devastating effects of heart disease every day at work. But the good news is that heart disease is largely preventable and by making heart-healthy diet and lifestyle choices and having regular check-ups, you can help minimize your risk.
I’m excited to be working with the California Walnut Commission as part of their #TeamGoodFat campaign. Contrary to what we once thought, we now know that not all fats are created equal from a health perspective. Fat actually plays many important roles in our bodies and we need it in our diets. The key is to embrace good fats through a diet of nutrient-dense foods and to replace saturated fats, typically found in meat and dairy products, with unsaturated fats, found in foods like walnut, avocados and salmon.
Walnuts are the only tree nut to provide a rich source of the plant-based omega-3 ALA. Omega-3’s are a type of polyunsaturated fat that have a wide variety of health benefits and are especially important for heart health and brain health. A recent study shows that among persons at high cardiovascular risk a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts, including walnuts, reduced the incidence of major cardiovascular events.
#AD You’ll never order take out again! These Vegetable Walnut Potstickers are packed with heart healthy walnuts and colorful vegetables! @CaWalnuts #TeamGoodFat Click To Tweet
My Vegetable Walnut Potstickers with Walnut Sauce is the perfect recipe for Heart Health Month. These adorable vegetarian dumplings are packed with a savory filling made with colorful vegetables like carrots, cabbage, mushrooms and scallions as well as crunchy walnuts. And because I also serve them with a walnut-based dipping sauce, you’re getting a double dose of heart-healthy fats!
If you’ve never had potstickers before, you must try this recipe! Usually when you order dumplings at a restaurant, they’re either steamed or fried. Potstickers however, are a little bit different- they’re pan fried on one side and then steamed on the other. I always love to learn about the origins of classic dishes and legend has it that like many other great dishes, potstickers were invented by accident. The story goes that many centuries ago, a Chinese chef accidentally burnt a batch of dumplings that had been left on the stove for too long. Without time to make a new batch, he simply served the dumplings that were crisped up just on the bottom and called it his new creation. And thus, potstickers were born!
Whether the legend is true or not, I do love the contrast in textures in a good potsticker. Soft, chewy dough on one side and a nice crispiness on the other side, it’s hard to beat. Classic Chinese postickers are made with homemade dough but if you don’t have the time or inclination to make your own dough, you can take some help from the grocery store and use wonton wrappers. When assembling the dumplings, I use my fingers to make pleats down the length of the potsticker (watch the video at the end of the post to see how I do it). Once you do a few, you’ll be a pro!
To cook the Vegetable Walnut Potstickers, I first pan fry them on one side in a bit of olive oil- another heart-healthy fat. Then, once they’re golden brown on the bottom, I carefully pour in a little water, cover the pan, and steam them until tender.
Instead of a traditional dipping sauce, I serve my potstickers with a delicious Walnut Sauce. Rich, creamy, and packed with flavor, it’s the perfect accompaniment to the dish!
WATCH THE RECIPE VIDEO BELOW!
Vegetable Walnut Potstickers
Ingredients
Walnut Sauce (Makes about ¾ cup):
- 1 cup California walnuts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1½ tablespoons lime juice
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ¼ teaspoon Sriracha or other hot sauce optional
- ¼ cup hot water
Potstickers:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided use
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 cup finely chopped cremini mushrooms
- 1 cup shredded Napa cabbage
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup chopped California walnuts
- ¾ cup sliced scallions
- 1½ tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1½ tablespoons cooking sherry
- 1½ teaspoons sesame oil
- 32 wonton wrappers
Optional garnish: California walnuts and sliced scallions
Instructions
- To make the walnut sauce, blend the walnuts in a food processor until finely ground. Add the 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce, lime juice, honey, and Sriracha and continue to blend until a paste forms. Add the hot water and blend until a smooth sauce forms. Add more water as needed if sauce is too thick. Set sauce aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic; cook and stir 1 minute until fragrant. Add the mushrooms, cabbage, and carrots and cook a few minutes until softened. Stir in the walnuts. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the scallions, soy sauce, sherry and sesame oil.
- Place a heaping teaspoon of the filling mixture in the center of each wonton wrapper. Dip your finger in a bowl of water and wet the edges of the wrapper. Fold in half and pinch together, pleating the dough as you seal it. Repeat with the remaining wrappers.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add a batch of the dumplings to the pan. Cook a few minutes until brown on the bottom. Pour ¼ cup water into the pan and cover it with a lid. Steam 2-3 minutes. Uncover the pan and cook another minute or two until the water is completely evaporated. Remove potstickers from the pan. Cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining potstickers. Serve potstickers with the walnut sauce for dipping. Garnish with walnuts and scallions.
Brendan says
Wow, they look really tasty. I will definitely try this recipe for sure.
Thanks and Kudos.
url says
Why go to a Chinese restaurant, when we can do healthy potstickers at home? Great recipe and the video is awesome, Thank you for the recipe Sonali.