Extreme Vegan Makeover: Gyoza and Vegetables with Spicy Soy Sauce Edition

It’s summertime and that means fresh fruits and vegetables. We wait all year for our favorite sweet and succulent flavors to come back into season. Some of us get to grow our own vegetables, some of us go to farmers’ markets, and some of us enjoy the better selection at the grocery store.

But what happens when you don’t have access to any of the summer’s bounty? What about when it’s winter? What if, like me, you’re on the move a lot and fresh veggies don’t travel very well? That’s when I put on a sweater and hit the frozen food aisle.

I stock up on frozen fruits and vegetables so I always have some on hand. Then I don’t have to worry about them going bad before I can use them and they are easily portable in the cooler bag. Frozen fruits and vegetables are a lot less expensive and they are just as healthy (sometimes even more so) as fresh because they are frozen at the peak of their freshness.

Trader Joe’s has a large variety of frozen foods so the possible combinations of recipes are endless. Given that I’m not at home, I have to use whatever I have on hand but you can use whichever veggies are your favorites. This time I took bags of Thai Vegetable Gyoza, Haricot Vert, Broccoli Florets, and Soycutash.

I had to improvise with the sauce because I don’t have my whole pantry of condiments with me so I’ve included the original recipe and the one I actually used this time. Keep in mind that nothing needs to be defrosted and this is a one-pot dish so it’s super easy even on really hot days.

Gyoza and Vegetables with a Spicy Soy Sauce

Ingredients:
1 bag frozen vegetable gyoza
1 bag frozen broccoli florets
½ bag frozen haricot vert
1 bag frozen soycutash (or just mix corn, peppers and edamame)
2 tsp. canola oil

For sauce (original):
1 tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
3 tbs. brown rice vinegar
1 tbs. toasted sesame oil
1 tbs. teriyaki or Hoisen sauce
1 tsp. chili oil
1 clove garlic, minced

For sauce (improvised):
1 tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbs. apple cider vinegar
1 tbs. teriyaki sauce
1 tbs. BBQ sauce
½ tsp. hot sauce
Basically, mix whatever you got until you find a taste you like.

Directions:

Heat a large deep skillet with 1 tsp. canola oil. Add the frozen gyoza directly to the pan. Let cook 3-4 minutes on each side until browned. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the remaining oil to the pan. Carefully add the frozen broccoli, haricot vert and soycutash and sauté about 5-6 minutes, until tender and cooked through. While the veggies are cooking, prepare the sauce.

Remove from the heat, add back the gyoza and the sauce. Mix well and serve. That’s it. Easy, breezy, freezy!

Enjoy!