Smashed Cucumber & Dumpling Salad

episode #21 of 30-minute budget meals

Happy Friday, friends! It has been a good week this week :) I’ve been really busy getting stuff done before I leave for Alaska on Sunday (!!!), and we made it to the beach last weekend, which made me a happy girl. I really want to go again tomorrow before I get to chillier Alaska, but sadly, I think I may have too much work and packing to do before I leave. We’ll see!

I also planted some tomatoes and zucchini this week, and it has reinvigorated my love for gardening. When I get back from Alaska, I’m going to start up some more planting — I’ll at least do some herbs if not more veggies too!

RECIPE!

This week’s recipe is inspired by Hetty McKinnon! She has a dumpling salad that was the inspiration for this week’s budget meal.

One of my go-to lazy meals is the frozen Trader Joe’s Gyoza. I’ve been eating them for 10+ years now, and I often doctor them up in different ways to make them a more complete meal. One of my first viral videos on TikTok was actually this Trader Joe’s Gyoza Hack.

The base of this salad is smashed cucumbers, a classic Chinese preparation. Gyoza are actually a Japanese dumpling, so it’s a combining of cultures here, but as I mentioned above, you can use any frozen dumpling of choice! I used chicken gyoza for this recipe, but you can use the pork or veggie or whatever you’d like! The dressing is a simple lemony honey soy vinaigrette which ties everything together.

Smashed Cucumber & Dumpling Salad

Ingredients (serves 2)