Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls

This is one of my favourite summer meals and has been for a number of years. The summer heat draws me towards lighter, fresher meals and this meal fits the bill.  My younger sister introduced me to these delicious rolls years ago and I've been hooked ever since.  Not sure where the recipe came from but I've tweaked it a bit and removed the traditional fish sauce it calls for and have just lightened it up a bit.  It's so good that I have to pace myself and really practice mindfulness otherwise I could very easily overeat :).

One of my favourite things about this recipe is that it will help you take in a lot of vegetables and lovely herbs like cilantro and basil leaves without a second thought. This is what I call healthy. A meal that packs in the veggies and tastes to good that you have to hold yourself back from overeating :).

This is a great fun Friday night meal or even a meal you can prepare for guests.  I've made this for guests on two occasions and they loved it. It's a fun meal to enjoy with others and spread the love of fresh veggies without being a downer.  Ok the only downside to this meal is to preparation of all of the veggies, as it may become cumbersome to chop so many veggies. However there are a few methods to speed this up. Sometimes I get my family to help me chop the veggies the evening before so the meal is ready for the next day.  I also make this with my sisters/mom.  Each of us will prepare a portion of the meal and then we swap ingredients.  This helps us all enjoy this meal while taking the burden of the meal prep away.

So I always start the meal prep by finely julienning all of the veggies and washing and cleaning the herbs.  I'll next prepare the tofu or shrimp. This meal is traditionally made with shrimp which my family enjoys but I prefer it with tofu. If I use shrimp, I'm conscious of the quality and only buy wild shrimp and for the most part Canadian freshwater wild or Argentinian shrimp.  Farmed shrimp is not the best quality and are similar to farmed cattle which are treated inhumanely and fed antibiotics and growth hormones and are contaminated with pathogens.  Wild caught shrimp can be quite healthy and contain protein, selenium, B12 and omega3 fatty acids.  To cook the tofu or cleaned, wild caught shrimp, heat sesame oil over medium heat and place crushed garlic. Toss around for a couple of minutes, then add remaining ingredients, stir to incorporate and cook over medium heat until the tofu/shrimp are cooked through.

For the dressing, place all ingredients in food processor or blender and process until almost smooth. I like to leave a bit of a crunch so I only pulse a few times. Also mix together the indredients for the dipping sauce and set aside.

To make the rolls, using a large bowl of warm water, gently dip 1 rice paper at a time leaving it in water for only a few seconds. On a clean surface, lay flat the softened rice paper then start laying the thinly sliced vegetables, cooked protein in the lower ⅓ and centre of the rice paper. Top with the peanut/cashew dressing (approx. 1 tbsp. per roll). Using your hands, gently fold the sides towards the centre (similar to rolling a burrito), then roll from the bottom up tightly rolling the rice paper around the fillings. Enjoy by dipping each bite into the dipping sauce.

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Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Yield: 8 rolls

Author: Lara

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Look no further for restaurant-quality Spring Rolls that are unbelievably easy to make, delicious and healthy!

Ingredients

• Rolls
• 8 sheets brown rice paper
• Julienned carrots (3 large carrots)
• Julienned sweet peppers (2 large)
• Julienned cucumbers (1 English)
• 1 bunch of cilantro leaves and stems
• 2 bunches of basil (I love using Thai basil)
• 6 spring onions (only the green part)
• OR any other of your favourite raw veggies!
• Green pea noodles (cooked per package directions and drizzled with sesame oil to prevent sticking)
• Firm Tofu, Shrimp or Chicken breast
• 1lb extra firm tofu ,12 oz raw shrimp, cleaned and deveined (wild Argentinian)
• Juice of 1 lime (approx. 3 tbsp.)
• 2 tbsp. light soy sauce
• 6 scallions sliced (only the white stem)
• 1 clove of garlic crushed
• 1 inch ginger grated
• 1 tbsp. sesame oil
• Dressing
• 1/2 cup of raw cashews
• 1/2 cup of organic dry unsalted peanuts (can also use organic crunchy peanut butter)
• 1/3 cup of spring or filtered water
• 1/3 cup of coconut milk (organic canned - PBA free)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp. tamari or non GMO soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. maple syrup, sucanat or coconut sugar
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp lime juice
• Dipping Sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp. lime juice
• 2 tbsp. maple syrup
• 4 tsp tamari or non-GMO soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 1/2 tsp crushed chili pepper

Instructions

1. Tofu or Shrimp
2. Heat sesame oil over medium heat and place crushed garlic.
3. Toss around for a couple of minutes, then add remaining ingredients, stir to incorporate and cook over medium heat until the tofu/shrimp are cooked through.
4. Dressing
5. Place all ingredients in food processor or blender and process until almost smooth. I like to leave a bit of a crunch so I only pulse a few times.
6. Dipping sauce
7. Mix all ingredients and set aside
8. Making the rolls
9. Using a large bowl of warm water, gently dip 1 rice paper at a time leaving it in water for only a few seconds.
10. On a clean surface, lay flat the softened rice paper then start laying the thinly sliced vegetables, cooked protein in the lower ⅓ and center of the rice paper. Top with the peanut/cashew dressing (approx. 1 tbsp. per roll). Using your hands, gently fold the sides towards the center (similar to rolling a burrito), then roll from the bottom up tightly rolling the rice paper around the fillings.
11. Enjoy by dipping each bite into the dipping sauce.

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