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Friday, August 3, 2012

Fresh Spring Rolls

Hi all! The pink cowgirl and her family are all packed up and ready for our summer vacation to Bear Lake. Pictures and stories to follow :) I thought now would be a good time to leave you with a fun little dish before I officially hit the road.

This is one easy and great little side dish you can whip up in a jiffy for a snack, appetizer, or side for an Asian inspired dinner. You can even throw in some cooked shrimp or tofu for a light and fresh lunch. Plus, what's even better is that they are naturally gluten free! No craning your brain for gluten free substitutions. Plus, all ingredients are so affordable and easily obtained which is great for us penny pinchin divas :)

Ok, to start, you will need rice paper wraps and rice noodles. All of which can be found at your local Asian store. Both can be bought for less than $5. Which is great considering you will spend $5 just to buy 3-4 made rolls at a restaurant. Most rice paper wraps come in packages of 100. You do the math, my brain is not talented to break down the cost savings. All I know is that I can make them myself at home for MUCH much cheaper.


Next, you need to assemble your filling ingredients. To keep it simple, I like to just add fresh cilantro (roughly chopped), pre-cooked rice noodles (boiled with at least 1/2 teaspoon salt added to the water), chopped lettuce, and julienned carrots), and one big bowl of very warm water.

Take a single rice paper wrap and gently dip it in the water and ensure it is completely wet. I like to keep dipping and rotating to ensure it's all moist. You will feel it begin to soften up. Once wet, place it on your cutting board and start to put your ingredients on.

To wrap your roll, bring two sides over on top of the ingredients then start rolling it from the other end (think rolling/wrapping up a burrito). This is a great little video showing you how to wrap them up:


Once your fresh little spring rolls are all wrapped up, grab some of your favorite sweet chili sauce and enjoy!



Fresh Spring Rolls

Rice Paper Wraps
chopped lettuce
julienned carrots
cooked rice noodles cooked in water with at least 1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional Add ins:
cooked tofu
cooked shrimp
Scrambled eggs
minced peanuts
green onions


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