Asian Spring Rolls with Sesame Peanut Dipping Sauce

Asian Spring Rolls with Sesame Peanut Dipping Sauce

Perfection isn't needed when wrapping. Taste trumps appearance in my opinion!

  
Words can’t explain how good these are. Not only do they taste good, but they are insanely good FOR you since they are made up of mostly low fat protein and vegetables. Unless of course you go ham with the dipping sauce, which is the most likely outcome since it is so very tasty.

My favorite part about this recipe is that you can substitute most of the ingredients and customize your spring rolls! You can switch the shrimp for pork belly, add vermicelli noodles or sticky rice, change up the vegetables and herbs, etc. The possibilities are truly endless.

Remember practice makes perfect with these guys. It seems like a daunting task when you try to wrap up your first spring roll, but never fear! It gets easier as you go. 

I forgot the avocado but we will just move on from that.. Nothing to see here..

One tip is not to over stuff the rolls with filling, or else it will be difficult to roll and seal them. Honestly I just follow the wrapping instructions on the back of the rice paper package and it works quite well. Try not to let the rice paper wrappers sit in the water for too long or they will become too soft and easily tear. I learned that lesson far too many times.

Step 1: place shrimp on lower third of rice paper

Step 2: add the crunchy stuff

Step 3: add herbs

 

Step 4: add greens

Step 5: Wrap like there's no tomorrow

  
These spring rolls stay good for about 24 hours. The rice paper will lose a little moisture in the fridge, but when I eat them as leftovers I just sprinkle a tiny bit of cold water on them and voila! Good as new. Now let’s get to wrapping!

  Asian Spring Rolls with Sesame Peanut Dipping Sauce

PREP 60 MIN     |     YIELD 18-24 ROLLS

INGREDIENTS

1 package round rice paper wrappers

1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

Fresh mint, finely chopped

Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

2 scallions, diced

1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted and thinly sliced (then sprinkle with lemon or lime juice to prevent browning)

1 small cucumber or half a large, juliened

3-4 small carrots, julienned

1 small red bell pepper, julienned

1 cup chopped lettuce (try Butter, Boston, or spring greens)

SESAME PEANUT SAUCE:

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar or balsamic

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce

1 pinch red pepper flakes

1-2 tablespoons water, for consistency

¼ cup chunky peanut butter

2 small cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

  

DIRECTIONS

Heat a skillet on medium. Combine shrimp, olive oil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add shrimp to skillet and cook 1-2 minutes per side until shrimp is opaque. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a dinner plate or shallow bowl, begin to soak 1 rice paper wrapper in warm water for about 15 seconds. Remove from water and move to work surface. Place 3 chunks of shrimp on the lower third of rice paper in a row. Then top with avocado red bell pepper, cucumber, carrot, mint, and scallion. Add cilantro and lettuce on top. Bring bottom of rice paper up and over the filling, folding sides in and over as you go. Continue to roll and tuck sides until rice paper is sealed and set aside. Warning: Do not let spring rolls touch or they will stick together! 


Repeat process until all the ingredients are used. Serve at room temperature or chilled with dipping sauce.

Moscow Mules

Moscow Mules

 

Use the empty lime halves as a mini-muddling bowl inside the cocktail glass

 

These are our go-to drinks when we want to make something tasty and strong! With four main ingredients you can't go wrong with this cocktail. A good quality vodka is important in this drink. We prefer Belvedere Vodka since it is the smoothest/best tasting for its price point. Feel free to add a little simple syrup if desired. Personally I like to skip the sweetener and let the natural flavors speak for themselves. Bonus points if you serve them in copper mugs! 

A good quality ginger beer will make all the difference. Avoid artificially flavored ginger ale at all costs!!!

Moscow Mules

PREP 10 MINS     |      YIELD 2 DRINKS

INGREDIENTS

4 shots good quality vodka (try Belvedere or Grey Goose)

Juice of 1 lime with pulp (reserve empty lime halves for garnish)

12 oz bottle Jamaican ginger beer

6-8 mint leaves

DIRECTIONS

Place juiced lime halves in each glass. Fill with mint leaves and muddle mint inside lime rinds. Add ice cubes to glasses, then top with lime juice and vodka (equally divded between both glasses). Pour ginger beer on top until glass is full and serve!

Simple Greek Pasta Salad

Simple Greek Pasta Salad

 

This is a great pasta salad for a quick lunch or get together with friends. The recipe is very versatile so you can add, remove, or substitute most of the components according to your preferences. I find that this combination of ingredients creates a perfectly balanced meal, with just the right amount of salt, acidity, and freshness. Please leave me comments down below if you have any suggestions or modifications. I would love to see them! Enjoy!

GREEK PASTA SALAD

PREP 20 MIN     |     YIELD 6 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS

12oz box tricolor rotini

1/4 cup olive oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 jar kalamata or black olives, drained and sliced in half

½ large red onion or 1 small, chopped

½ large cucumber or 1 medium, chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

6 oz feta, crumbled or cubed



Optional: diced green bell peppers, thinly sliced hot banana peppers, juice of half a lemon, red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta according to box instructions. Then drain, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside. In a small bowl combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Place remaining ingredients into a large bowl. Add cooked pasta and dressing mixture and gently stir together, trying not to break the rotini. Chill in fridge for at least 1-2 hours. Serve cold.