Caramelized Onion Dip for the Swap!

It's blog swap time!  I was paired up with Oishii Food again this round, and I couldn't have been happier.  (After all, her crispy chicken wontons, sizzling hot shrimp, and crispy oven-fried onion poblano rings have been huge hits around here!)

I was pretty dead set on making her blueberry cupcakes, but then I came across this caramelized onion dip at the 9th hour and just had to have it.  I've always been a fan of french onion dip mix but never cared for the eight million and two grams of sodium that came along with it.  This homemade version was so packed with sweet oniony goodness that I'll never go back to the packets.

I took some liberties with the original recipe, namely upping the onion-to-dip ratio and substituting Greek yogurt for the sour cream.  It's teacher appreciation week and our awesome PTO has been graciously supplying us with a full meal plus a dessert spread everyday- I needed to save some calories.  :-)

Adapted from Oishii Food, originally by Alton Brown

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, diced or thinly sliced (I couldn't decide, so I diced one and sliced the other)
2 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups Greek yogurt or sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
1.  Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat.  Add the onions and salt and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add the brown sugar.  Cook until caramelized, stirring often, about 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow onions to cool.

2.  In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Add the cooled onions and stir to combine.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  (I found the dip was even tastier after an overnight stay in the fridge.)

As always, a big thanks goes out to A Taste of Home Cooking for hosting these wonderful swaps!

Crispy Chicken Wontons

 
It's blog swap time again!  For this round, I was matched with Brianna over at Oishii.  I was so excited when I opened up my blog assignment, I squealed.  Oishii is one of the first blogs I ever subscribed to!

Brianna and her husband spent a couple of years in Japan as newlyweds, and I knew the Mister would be excited about some homemade Asian fare.  We pored over her recipe index, finally deciding on Crispy Chicken Wontons.  Paired with a homemade sweet and spicy dipping sauce, these wontons were a delightful addition to our standard stir-fry dinner.  (In fact, the filling was so tasty that I wanted to eat it right out of the pan!)

A couple of notes: 
If you are anything like me, you'll be tempted to overfill these little guys.  Resist the urge.

Do fry them.  I tried my hand at a baked version, but they were no where near as crisp as the real deal.

Crispy Chicken Wontons
From Oishii


INGREDIENTS
1/2 TBS. sesame oil
1/4 of a head of cabbage, shredded
1/2 lb. ground chicken
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 TBS. soy sauce or more to taste
1/4 tsp chili paste, optional
30 wonton wrappers
vegetable oil for frying
Sweet chili sauce (recipe below)

1.  Heat the sesame oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook the cabbage until it softens. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute. Add the ground chicken and stir, breaking up the pieces until done. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add the soy sauce and chili paste, and turn off the heat. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

2.  Assemble the wontons by placing a spoonful of filling in the center of a wrapper. Dip your finger into a small dish of water and wet 2 of the sides. Fold the opposite sides over the filling and pinch together, forming a small triangle. Repeat with all the wrappers.

3.  Pour vegetable oil into a pan to a depth of 1-inch. Heat over medium high heat. When hot, fry the wontons in batches (about 1-2 minutes per side) or until crispy and brown. Makes 30 wontons.

Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce
Adapted from Food.com 

3 tablespoons hot ground chili paste
2 teaspoons minced garlic 
½ cup rice wine vinegar
²⁄₃; cup water

²⁄₃; cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons cornstarch

DIRECTIONS
1.  Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and stir well.

2.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.