Beer-Steamed Sesame Ginger Shrimp Dumplings | Simply Organic #WeeknightWin

Even though I have been swept up in a baby whirlwind, cooking dinner is still super important to me.

It's what makes me feel like I still have a non-mommy purpose. It lets me unwind and decompress.

But the truth is, I probably have about 45 seconds to figure out what I'm cooking, prep the ingredients, prepare the meal and get it on the table before I collapse into a heap of exhaustion at the end of the day. It's a real conundrum.

So, what's a girl to do? {Besides pour herself a generous gallon glass of wine.}

I'm fairly certain that Simply Organic tapped into my brainwaves and created their line of Steam Gourmet Parchment and Seasoning Kits as a solution to my problems. Because look:

A healthy meal. In, like, no time at all. With minimal cleanup.

Now I got your attention, didn't I?

These little kits are pretty fantastic because 1. It basically tells you what to cook and how to cook it,  2. It gives you most of the stuff you need to make it taste good, and 3. It's organic and healthy so you can feel good about what you're feeding your family.

Each kit comes with a cooking suggestion, 2 spice packets and 2 parchment bags for steam cooking. All you have to do is buy the protein or veggies you want to make, season them, toss them into the bag and -- voila -- dinner.

Except, you know me... I like to make things complicated. So I looked at the kit and I thought, "I wonder what else I could do with this besides the obvious?"

And these dumplings were the answer.

Instead of making Sesame Ginger Salmon with the kit, I whipped up a quick batch of dumplings with wonton wraps and shrimp, nestled them on a bed of prepackaged stir-fry veggie mix, and poured some beer over them {because, why not?}. The result was a really fun and flavorful dish that took almost no time at all but still made me feel successful at creating a "Weeknight Win".

Pretty awesome, right?! Simply Organic is hosting a "Weeknight Win" recipe contest and I'd love for you to vote for this tasty dish! Head over to the voting page to cast your vote!

Beer-Steamed Sesame Ginger Shrimp Dumplings

1 Simply Organic Sesame Ginger Salmon Parchment Seasoning Kit
1 bag pre-chopped stir-fry vegetables (broccoli, snow peas, carrots, cabbage, etc.)
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined and roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 scallions, chopped
Approximately 20 wonton wraps
1/4 cup Japanese beer (or vegetable, chicken or seafood broth, if preferred)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. Place parchment bag on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Arrange vegetables in the bottom of parchment steam bag.  Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, drizzle sesame oil over chopped shrimp; toss to coat. Sprinkle seasoning packet over top and add chopped scallion; mix until all shrimp are well-coated with seasoning.

3. Arrange wonton wraps on a clean work surface for easy dumpling assembly. Fill a small bowl with water. (You'll use this to help seal each dumpling.)

4. Scoop about a teaspoon of shrimp filling onto each wonton wrapper. Wet the tip of your finger in the water and run it along the outer edge of each wonton wrap. Fold in half so that the corners meet and you have a sealed triangle.* Indent the flat side of the dumpling and bring the outer corners together to form a tortellini-like shape, if desired. Repeat until all the filling is used up.

5. Place dumplings on top of vegetables in the parchment bag. Pour about 1/4 cup of beer (or broth) over top, making sure to wet the dumplings.

6. Fold open end of bag under twice to seal the bag. Bake for about 15-17 minutes or until the dumplings are steamed and the vegetables are tender-crisp. (The shrimp should be pink and opaque.)

To serve, carefully open the parchment bag (there will be hot steam, so be careful!) and divide onto serving plates. Serve with soy sauce for dipping if desired.

*You may shape the dumplings any way you wish!

Speculoos Whiskey-Ginger Truffles featuring Templeton Rye

It's been 9 {almost 10} long months of soberness for this gal.  Now that the bun is out of the oven, a whole new world of cocktails and spirit-infused goodies are back on my radar. {That is, with some careful planning between feedings.} Just in time for the holidays, too! Good timing.

When it comes to cocktails, whiskey is my liquor of choice. This often comes as a shock to people because it seems that somewhere along the line the idea of being a whiskey drinker was solely reserved for big, burly men. I'm here to tell you that petite women can be fans, too!

So, I was quite excited when I received an email asking if I was interested in playing around with Templeton Rye Whiskey in a truffle recipe. Um, whiskey AND chocolate?! Yes, please! However, it was while I was still pregnant, so I set the bottle aside and started dreaming up ideas to try out after the little tot arrived.

Fast forward to last week, I finally popped open the bottle of Templeton Rye and went to town with creating boozy confections. The goal: to create a truffle that was perfect for gift giving and spreading holiday cheer. For that, I knew I'd need some flavors that bring to mind images of cozy winter sweaters, crackling fireplaces and twinkling Christmas trees.

Along with the bottle of whiskey, I also received some Simply Organic from Frontier Coop ground ginger and vanilla extract. Both actually fit right in with my truffle idea.

The flavors of floral vanilla and spicy ginger were a fantastic complement to the butterscotch and toffee notes of the whiskey. To give the truffles a little extra zing, I coated them in a fine dusting of cocoa powder and pulverized Speculoos cookies. {I haven't been able to get them off my mind ever since I used them in the crumble topping for this pie.}

These truffles taste like the holidays to me; full of spice and warmth, and of course, concealing a boozy kick.

What flavors would you infuse into your homemade truffles? Cheers to homemade holiday goodies!

Disclosure: I was provided with whiskey, spices and a whisk to use for the creation of this recipe, as well as compensation for purchasing the ingredients. As always, all opinions seen here are my own!

Speculoos Whiskey-Ginger Truffles featuring Templeton Rye

For truffles: 
Scant 1/4 cup heavy cream
1 {3.5 oz} chocolate bar {I used Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa}, roughly chopped
1/8 teaspoon Simply Organic ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon Simply Organic vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Templeton Rye Whiskey

For coating:
About 1/3 cup crushed Speculoos cookies
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder


1. Place chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. In a small microwavable measuring cup, pour just under 1/4 cup heavy cream and heat for about 1 minute on high or until just starting to come to a bubble. Pour hot cream over chocolate.

3. Add ginger, vanilla and whiskey and stir together until the chocolate is completely smooth and melted.

4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours until firm, or overnight.

5. When the mixture has firmed up, scoop by the heaping teaspoonful and roll into a ball. {This is much easier with cold hands!}

6. Place each ball in the bowl of crushed cookie and cocoa mixture; roll around to coat. Continue with remaining ganache.

Keep refrigerated. Bring to room temperature about an hour before serving.