Spiced Rice Wontons [Vegan]

Did anyone else grow up eating a LOT of Tex-Mex?? I absolutely love Tex-Mex food, and of course growing up in Texas I ate it alllllll the time. This past week I was at my parents’ house in Texas, which means lots of yummy food, even if I had to make some of it to accommodate my plant-based eating.

But while I was home, my mom made one thing I could most definitely eat: spiced rice. And… y’all…her spiced rice is SO good!! 

With New Year’s Day coming up, I knew an appetizer was on the agenda for this week. So I decided to take a version of that spiced rice, put it in wontons, make cilantro cream sauce, and create a vegan, single-serving, COVID-friendly snack!

And let me tell you — the first time I made these, I ate six in one sitting, so if you want to make these for yourself and not share them, I am in full support of that plan.

The Perfect Crowd Pleaser

My family is not plant-based in any sense of the word (my Dad and sisters think there has to be meat at literally every meal, and they like their meals best if they’re predominantly one color: beige), so they kept telling me it would be better with Monterey jack cheese or sausage. However, when it came down to eating them, they were all gone within 5 minutes of cooling.

So I’d say if you have a family that is not even close to vegan, these are the perfect crowd-pleasing appetizer! 

How to Make Spiced Rice

To make these spiced rice wontons, I used:

• Brown rice
• Green bell pepper
• Yellow onion
• Celery
• Jalapeno
• Cilantro
• Lime juice
• Garlic
• Grape tomatoes

The most time-consuming part of making these is chopping the vegetables. After you have those chopped, they’re a breeze to make, and here’s a bonus — they only go in the oven for 10 minutes! 

A Few Tips and Tricks

• Make them when you have leftover rice. This is a perfect way to save time and use unwanted groceries, especially if you don’t like leftovers (less food waste for the win)!
• Make them ahead of time. I made the rice and put it in the wontons several hours beforehand, then popped them in the oven right before I wanted to eat them. It’s perfect because you can add the finishing touches to your meal while your guests devour these fresh out of the oven! 
• A note on spice — If you don’t like spicy things, feel free to leave out the red pepper flakes. If you know you can’t handle any spice (I have some friends like this…) then remove the seeds from the jalapeno and only use the green flesh. You’re still going to want the flavor of jalapenos, so you need to include them, but the seeds hold most of the heat, so you can always discard those. 
• Use plenty of oil. My rice was practically glistening with olive oil when I put them in the wontons. I thought I wanted the rice to be sticky, but it turns out the non-sticky rice works perfectly for these. 
• Garnish with extra cilantro and slices of avocado. You can never have too much cilantro or avocado!

What About the Cilantro Cream Sauce?

I was nervous to create a vegan cream sauce for a dairy-loving crowd, but let me tell you: I think I won them over to at least this vegan sauce. As in many creamy vegan sauces, cashews are the base, and then I added cilantro, garlic, avocado, salt, and boiling water.

It is so easy, it should be a crime. 

Instead of soaking my cashews, I put them in hot water and used a high-speed blender to blend until smooth. You’ll want to either heat the water or soak the cashews to make them blend creamier, but I rarely remember to soak the cashews, so I went for heating water.

I recommend starting with one cup of water, then adding more until the sauce reaches a consistency you like. As the recipe is written, it’s less pourable and more dippable, but I added more water when I photographed them and it was still delicious. 

I collaborated with my mom on this recipe, which was super fun as she’s the one who instilled a love of cooking in me. Her kitchen is absolutely beautiful, and she’s also a photographer. The pictures were not only taken in her kitchen, but she also took them with her photography skills! So while every recipe is slightly inspired by my mom, this one has an actual piece of her handiwork. 

I hope y’all enjoy these spiced rice wontons and share them with both your meat-loving friends/family and plant-based friends/family. 

If you make these, tag us on Instagram and leave a rating/comment on this post! 

Happy New Year’s–we’ll see you on the flip side of 2020! 
Elana

Spiced Rice Wontons [Vegan]

These spiced rice wontons are a breeze to make and will be a hit with even the pickiest of crowds!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American, Tex-Mex, Vegan

Servings 24 wontons

Ingredients

  

Spiced Rice Wontons:

• 3 Tablespoons olive oil divided
• 1 jalapeno chopped
• 1 celery stalk chopped
• 1/2 cup yellow onion diced
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes quartered
• 1 cup fresh cilantro chopped
• 2 cups brown rice cooked
• 1/2 lime juiced
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 24 raw wonton wraps

Cilantro Cream Sauce:

• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 1 1/2 cup cilantro roughly chopped
• 1/2 small avocado
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/4 cup boiling water

Instructions

 

Wontons:

• Place wonton wraps into muffin tin to be ready for filling.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, until shimmering.
• Once hot, add jalapeno (1), celery (1), onion (1/2 c), and bell pepper (1/2 c).
• Cook for 8-10 minutes, until vegetables are slightly soft, then add garlic (4 cloves) and cook for additional 5-7 minutes, until onions are translucent and slightly browned.
• Add brown rice (2c), remaining 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, garlic powder (1/4tsp), onion powder (1/4tsp), red pepper flakes (1/4tsp), and sea salt (1/2 tsp). Cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring continuously, until rice is heated through and slightly browned.
• Remove from heat and add cilantro (1c), lime juice (1/2lime), and grape tomatoes (1/2c).
• Put 1 heaping Tablespoon of spiced rice into each previously-prepared wonton.
• Cook for 10-12 minutes in oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, until edges of wontons are light brown.
• Serve immediately with avocado, cilantro cream sauce, extra cilantro, and/or salsa.

Cilantro Cream Sauce:

• Add all ingredients to blender and blend on high until creamy.

Keyword easy, healthy, New Year’s appetizer, vegan, vegetarian