Rainbow Summer Rolls and Peanut Sauce

Yes, I know…..it’s December, not summer and these are certainly not winter rolls. It may be icy outside and the fireplaces are lit, but I still eat these. And how can you not when they look like the rainbow and they taste amazing?!!

God bless the Vietnamese! Seriously, my favorite Vietnamese restaurant in town usually sees my face once a week. While that may be a little shameful, I get an awesome vegan meal for $6 and there is no shame in that!

Vietnamese cuisine has always been one of my favorites for its abundance of fresh vegetables and vibrant complex flavors. Their summer rolls are no exception!

Traditional summer rolls contain shrimp, but to make them more nutrient rich I swapped out the shrimp and filled them with tons of vegetables. Believe me, you will not miss the shrimp. While it may seem like these are just a neatly rolled up salad, they have a very distinct fresh flavor and crunchy texture that can’t be compared to a salad.

This recipe takes quite a bit of prep work, but it’s worth it! They are simple to make after preparing the ingredients. The beauty of these rolls are you can add whatever you want! Some people add tofu, onions, bean sprouts, or make them simple using only a couple ingredients. It is entirely up to the chef. It can be as complicated or simple as desired.

What is great about these are the amount of vegetables you can put in them. Sometimes it’s hard to get enough vegetables or even a variety in our daily intake. Another bonus is how low calorie they are, since they are predominantly made up of raw vegetables. The more nutrient rich vegetables you add (aka those dark green leaves) the better it is for you! It is a very filling and satisfying meal that will invigorate you rather than leaving you feeling sluggish.

Ingredients (really this is just a list of what I used, go ahead and improvise and substitute!)

1 pack of vietnamese rice wrappers
1 yellow bell pepper sliced
1 red bell pepper sliced
1 carrot peeled into ribbons
1 bartlett pear sliced
purple cabbage thinly sliced
1 cucumber sliced
avocado sliced
fresh basil, chopped
fresh mint, chopped
fresh cilantro, chopped
lettuce or green of choice, chopped or torn
vermicelli rice noodles, cooked and strained
Sriracha (completely optional, I just add a little to make it spicy)

Directions:

Step 1: Prepare all the ingredients by chopping, slicing, and peeling as necessary.

Step 2: Soak rice paper wrapper in a (appropriately sized) bowl with a couple inches of warm water. Soak a few seconds until the pattern is still slightly visible, but still holds its shape for the most part. Place rice wrapper on a cutting board and begin to add as many ingredients as desired to the center. Remember, too many ingredients will make it tricky to wrap.

Step 3: Gently take bottom edge of the rice wrapper and fold it over the vegetables. If the wrapper is really sticky, keep some water in a bowl on the side to sprinkle over sticky areas (remember that we want it a little sticky in order to cling to itself)

Step 4: Fold the two sides over the center.

Step 6: Finally just take the center and roll towards the top and voila!

Almost Raw Peanut Sauce (adapted from this Rawsome Vegan Life blog…they have great recipes)

Peanut sauce:
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chunk of ginger, peeled and finely chopped (I add a little extra for a more intense ginger flavor)
1.5 tablespoons gluten free tamari or soy sauce
1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup/coconut sugar/or agave (add to taste)
2 tablespoons lime juice
Sriracha, add to taste
1/3 cup raw peanuts
1/3 cup water (more or less as needed)

Directions:

Put raw peanuts in food processor or high speed blender and blend until it resembles a peanut butter consistency. Don’t worry about it being completely smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Don’t worry about it being too watery, chances are it will thicken up as the peanuts soak up the water. Pour into a bowl and serve.

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