Wonton Appetizers and Dessert

And the saga continues:

This week, the plumber called to tell me that they had gotten in the parts for our sink and our toilets.  Yay us!  It was a Thanksgiving miracle!

I scheduled them for Wednesday afternoon and then sat home all afternoon waiting for them to show up.  I should know better by now.

At 3:00, they called to tell me that they were running late.  Okay, not a huge issue despite the fact that they had sent 37 texts, 115 emails and called me 67 times to confirm that they would be showing up early Wednesday afternoon.  Clearly, they were worried that the guy would get here and I would have decided to choose that time to run a marathon, go Christmas shopping, have that elective surgery that I’ve been putting off…..Grrrrrr.

At 4:00, they called to tell me that the guy was not going to make it, but that we would be first on the list for Thursday morning…and then flooded me with emails, texts and calls all over again.  Really?  I think we established that I am not the problem here.  But whatever.

Thursday morning, I had a zoom that I had to be on, so Tim was going to deal with the plumber.  He actually showed up this time, so we were off to a good start.  And that was all that was good about his visit.

After my call, I came out to the kitchen to find that he had indeed replaced our faucet with a new one that didn’t match. Are you kidding me?

The guy happened to choose that moment to come back in from his truck, so I pointed out to him the issue.

“No, that’s right,” he tried to bluster his way through.

‘No, it doesn’t match at all.  See…the base is one style and the new part is nothing like it,” I informed him, showcasing the offending piece like I was interviewing for a job on The Price Is Right.

“Well, it’s the same color, so….” he tried again to convince me to let it go, obviously not seeing the thunderclouds gathering  and the way the temperature in the room dropped by about 30 degrees.

“So by that reasoning, the next time you go to pick up your car from the service center and they give you the wrong one, it’s okay as long as it’s the same color, right?”

“Ummm,” he started.

“Do. Not. Even. Go. There.” I growled.

He obviously decided at this point that discretion was the better part of valor, called the office and ordered what I hope will be the right part this time.

He then proceeded to break the toilet he was there to repair while trying to install the part and once again tell us how we should really replace all of the toilets in our house since he didn’t like the brand we had.

“This can’t be fixed,” he declared.  “It’s broken beyond repair.”

I can’t repeat what happened next, because I think I had an out-of-body experience and can’t remember exactly what was said.  It ended though with him leaving with the firm idea that he was not welcome to ever come back again.

Check out my new You Tube channel CAN’T BEET PLANTS for more easy recipes!

Avocado Appetizer

Ingredients:

• 1 avocado
• 1/2 cup minced red onion
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 2 Tablespoons orange juice
• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• 18-20 wonton wrappers
• salt
• neutral oil (like canola or grapeseed)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Using mini-muffin tins, take each wonton wrapper and brush one side with oil.  Gently fold each wrapper, oil side up, into a muffin tin, being careful not to tear it.  Try to keep the wrapper flat on the bottom and fold the sides enough so that the cup is open wide.
3. Bake for 12-15 minutes till golden.  Remove from oven and cool.
4. Meanwhile, cut and peel the avocado.  Dice finely and play in a bowl with the garlic, orange zest and juice, cilantro and chili powder (you can sub a bit of cayenne or other spicy pepper, but start small with 1/4 tsp and and build to taste).
5. When the wonton cups are completely cool, spoon the avocado mixture into them and serve fairly quickly (like guac, the avocado will brown the longer it sits, so don’t make these too far in advance of when. you want to serve them.)

Butternut Squash Appetizer

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of butternut squash 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons finely minced sage
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt
• 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 24 wonton wrappers
• neutral oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425.  Toss the squash in a medium bowl with the olive oil, sage, garlic powder and sprinkle of salt. Roast for about 20 minutes, or till tender, stirring halfway through.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Blend or mash the squash with the nutritional yeast till smooth and creamy.  Set aside or refrigerate till ready to use.
2. Heat the oven to 350.
3. Using mini-muffin tins, take each wonton wrapper and brush one side with a neutral oil.  Gently fold each wrapper, oil side up,  into a muffin tin, being careful not to tear it.  Try to keep the wrapper flat on the bottom and fold the sides enough so that the cup is open wide.
4. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.
5. When the wrappers are cool, fill with the room temperature or gently warmed squash.  You can sprinkle chopped walnuts on top if you’d like for a little garnish.

Berry Dessert Wontons

Ingredients:

• 4 cups berries of choice (I used frozen mixed berries)
• 2 Tablespoons Chia seeds, ground
• 1 banana, chopped into small pieces
• maple syrup (optional)
• 20 wonton wrappers
• neutral oil

Directions:

1. In a medium nonstick pot, bring berries to a boil, then simmer till berries burst and release their juice.  Remove from heat and add chia seeds and banana.  Stir well.  (You can also add some maple syrup if the berries aren’t sweet enough).  Allow to cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 350.
3. Using mini-muffin tins, take each wonton wrapper and brush one side with a neutral oil.  Gently fold each wrapper, oil side up, into a muffin tin, being careful not to tear it.  Try to keep the wrapper flat on the bottom and fold the sides enough so that the cup is open wide.
4. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.
5. Spoon the chilled or room temperature fruit mixture into the cups.  Top with a bit of whipped cream if desired.

Enjoy!