Spinach Nectarine Salad with Naked Veggie Wontons

I had a salad recently that had two ingredients that you would ordinarily savor separately as its own dish, ramen noodles and potstickers.  They were combined with spinach and orange slices to comprise an oriental themed dish that surprisingly worked.   I had this delicious salad shown below during the July meeting of the Book Club at the McGinnis Sisters Specialty Store in Monroeville PA. It was prepared by the creative Karen Novak, the specialty store Events Coordinator. 

In my version of this Asian salad, the potstickers have been replaced by Naked Veggie Wontons , shown below. I did not feel like waiting for the wonton wrappers to thaw that I had frozen in the freezer so I decided that they go naked.  I also wanted to do away with the meat and opted for veggie filled ones that I would bake.  I was pretty lazy the day I made this.

I also substituted nectarines for the orange slices and made my own sesame dressing instead of a store bought one.

I had a very satisfying lunch savoring this oriental themed salad which recreated what I enjoyed during our Book Club July meeting featuring Yvonne Phillips who spoke about Feng Shui.

Naked Veggie Wontons

• 1/4 cabbage
• 1 cup baby carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger
• 1/2 pack soft tofu (or any type will do)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the cabbage, carrots, celery, garlic and ginger in the order given in the Vita Mix blender or any blender or food processor.  Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the tofu and mix with the other ingredients with a large spoon. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix with a large spoon. 

Line a pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.  Using a small ice cream scoop make small balls and place in the pan. Bake the naked wontons in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Flip the wontons half way through the baking.

Spinach Nectarine Salad with Naked Veggie Wontons

• 8 oz Fresh Spinach leaves
• 2 nectarines, sliced
• 2 packages ramen noodles cooked without seasoning
• 16 pieces naked veggie wontons (recipe above)
• Orange sesame dressing (recipe below)

Distribute the ingredients in four bowls and pour dressing before serving.

Orange Sesame Dressing 

• 2 cups orange juice
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 8 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a jar and cover with lid.  Shake till well blended.