My cousin is a genius in the kitchen. She teaches me so much stuff every time I visit.  When I was over at her house a few Christmases ago, the food was taking a while (good food always does), and in the midst of the Christmas cooking madness, she made everyone some wontons in just a few minutes.

Today, I was in the kitchen looking for a snack for the kids.  They must be tired of granola bars and gummy fruit – cause I am. I figured I’d try to make her wontons with a little twist – jerk seasoning. This really only took 10 minutes… maybe even less.

Ingredients:

• 20 Egg roll wrappers or 80 wonton wrappers
• 1 lb lean Ground chicken or turkey (we used turkey)
• 3 tsp – or less if your kids aren’t into spicy foods – Grace Jerk Seasoning (Hot)
• 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
• 1 Tbs Soy Sauce
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup Green onions
• Water
• Sesame Oil
• Vegetable Oil
• Ketchup
• Pepper Sauce

1. If you have egg roll wrappers instead of wonton, cut them into quarters and set aside. You can put them in a zipper bag so that the edges don’t dry out.

2. Take the lean ground turkey (or chicken) breast and add jerk seasoning, garlic powder, and soy sauce. Mix well. Nobody wants a bite that is all jerk seasoning.

3. Mince the green onions and add them to the ground turkey breast. Some people like more onions, some like less, so you can choose how much. Mix with a fork.

4. Fold the wontons. Put about a half cup of cold water in a small bowl. Put a very small amount of the meat mixture in the center of one of your wonton squares. Dip your finger into the water and wet two of the sides. Fold the dry side over to the wet side, and press lightly.  It should be in the shape of a triangle. Now wet the tips of the wonton and pull them together until they meet. Pinch the end. It should look a little like a boat. They cook very quickly, so you should make them all at once before heating the oil.

5. Heat the vegetable oil on medium/high.  In whatever pan you choose, the oil should be about 1/2 to 1 inch from the bottom of it. You can add a couple dashes of sesame oil to give it the familiar taste that wontons have when you get them from a restaurant.

6. Add wontons to the oil and cook until they are a golden brown. Do not have the heat too high, because the meat inside needs to be fully cooked.  This is also why you only put a very small amount of meat into each wonton.

7. Allow to cool on a paper towel for 5 minutes.

SIMPLE SAUCE: While it is cooling, you can make a very simple dipping sauce. Put about 1 cup of ketchup in a small bowl. Add Pepper Sauce to taste.

Serves 10 (8 wontons each)