Vegetable Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

I love having spring rolls on the rare occasion that we go out to eat at an Asian restaurant.  I had wanted to make them myself for awhile, but couldn't find the spring roll wrappers anywhere.  I finally found them at an Asian grocery store (see picture to the right).  They were at the end of a random aisle and are NOT in the refrigerated section.   I have personally never found them anywhere besides in an Asian grocery store.  Even though it might be annoying to have to go to another grocery store for just one ingredient, the great thing is that they last for a long time and will make at least 3 of these dinners serving 4.  If you can't find them, you could try using big lettuce leaves for these instead.

These spring rolls have tofu, a bunch of chopped or julienned vegetables, seeds (or nuts), and seasoning.  You could definitely switch out ingredients for other ingredients that you prefer.  They are awesome with this peanut sauce that is flavored with ginger, lime, garlic, and honey.

It does take a bit of practice to get used to making the rolls, so your first few probably won't come out perfectly.  But don't worry, they will still taste good!  The way the spring roll wrappers work is you soften them in warm water (one at a time) for about 15 seconds.  Then lay the wrapper on the counter, fill the center with ingredients, and roll.  I've provided pictures in the instructions to assist with the rolling.  Mark is the expert roller in the pictures!

Leftovers of this meal aren't quite as great as the day they are made, but are definitely still good.  If you wanted to make a bunch of these they would make a fun lunch for the week!

Vegetable Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

For the Spring Rolls:

• spring roll wrappers (10-12)
• 1 block extra-firm tofu, cut into thin strips
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and julienned
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 cucumber, insides scraped out, julienned
• 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• a few handfuls of kale, stems removed, chopped
• 1/3 cup peanuts, chopped OR 1/3 cup sunflower seeds, chopped
• salt & pepper or other dried seasoning of choice (we tried a thai seasoning)

For the Peanut Sauce:

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• zest and juice from half a lime
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup water (or coconut milk) + more to thin to desired consistency

DIRECTIONS:

1)  Prepare peanut sauce:  place all ingredients for peanut sauce in a food processor and process until smooth.  Add more water (or coconut milk) a tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency has been reached.  We like it pretty thick and tend to eat it by spooning a bit at a time onto each bite of the roll.  This avoids the filling coming out as you try to dunk a half eaten roll into the sauce!  Set sauce aside.

2) Fill a large bowl or 13x9 pan with very warm water.  Ideally, the bowl should be big enough that you can place a whole wrapper into it easily without the wrapper breaking.  Submerge the wrapper into the water for about 15-20 seconds until pliable.  Refill with warm water as you make future rolls as necessary.
















3)  Place the wrapper onto the counter (or large plate).  Working semi-quickly, fill the center with a bit of each ingredient and season with a bit of your seasoning of choice.  This is about how filled it should be:















4)  Fold one end up so all the filling is covered and tightly roll once or twice.  Then, fold up the two sides (see picture below).  Finally, finish rolling forward so all of the wrapper has been wrapped.




















5)  Repeat until all of the filling has been used.  We generally get 12 rolls, but how many you get will depend on the size of your rolls.  If you end up with extra of some ingredient, save them for later or serve them on the side.

6)  Serve spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce on the side. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

(recipe for spring rolls adapted from Oh She Glows and recipe for peanut sauce adapted from Sprouted Kitchen)