If you think that fresh, non-deep fried spring rolls look kind of gross and potentially slimy, I get you. I have watched friends snack on these for years without any desire to try them myself, even though they are a very versatile way to eat more vegetables and use up scraps and leftovers. Then, the other day in the grocery store I saw the wrappers and had an uncontrollable urge to try them. Since there is pretty much no healthy food that I don’t like I realized my affront to these is probably unwarranted. Well, they turned out to be ever better than I expected! That being said, a very flavorful dipping sauce is what makes these, without it they would be like a plain salad without any dressing. These ones in particular combine some fall produce with a creamy peanut dressing that has a bit of spice, sweetness and tartness. This time of year if I am going to have a vegetarian meal like this with lots of raw produce I like to use some roasted root vegetables, yams in this case, to make it more filling and grounding. Altogether these rolls provide lots of complex carbohydrates and fiber with some healthy fats and a wide range of vitamins and minerals but if you want to up the protein you could throw in some cooked prawns or thinly sliced cooked chicken or turkey. For lunch this amount could serve two people but as appetizers it could stretch to feed 3 or 6 people.
Step 1: Set up your work station with a plate of water large enough to fully submerge the rice paper sheets (one at a time) and have all the ingredients ready to pile on
Step 2: layer the filling ingredients in the center of the rice paper sheet- whatever is on the very bottom will show through because once wrapped that becomes the top side
Step 3: Flip the bottom edge over the filling in the middle and tuck it in snugly
Step 4: Flip the sides in
Step 5: Roll the bottom side with the filling up to the top edge, flip over and ta da, professionally wrapped spring rolls
- 6 rice paper sheets (approximately 22 cm or 8.5 in diameter)
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 3 cups greens (I used a combination of spinach and arugula)
- 1 apple, julienned (peel if not organic)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- Yams
- 2 cups yams, julienned
- 1 tablespoon cold-pressed olive oil
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 1 pinch sea salt
- A few cracks of fresh pepper
- Dressing
- ¼ cup natural peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce or coconut aminos)
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 small or ½ garlic clove, minced
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
- 1 dash cayenne pepper
- Preheat oven to 400°. Toss the yams and their accompanying ingredients on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, tossing them around halfway through.
- While the yams are cooking toss the apple with the lime juice to add a bit of flavor and keep them from browning. Mix together all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and set aside to marinate a bit.
- Once the yams are ready set them aside to cool slightly and arrange your station. The rolls have to be made one at a time and made quickly. Start by fully submerging the first rice paper sheet in a large plate of water for 4-5 seconds then place it on a kitchen towel. Layer ⅙ of the filling ingredients in the middle of the sheet and flip the bottom over, then the sides and finally roll the filled bottom part to the top edge. Be sure to make the folds as tight as possible. The rice paper will continue to get softer once it is out of the water so work quickly. It should stick to itself very easily, if not use your fingers to rub a bit more water along the exposed surface and it will soften up and become more pliable in a matter of seconds. Repeat for the remaining rolls and roll them over when plating so the side that started as the bottom is now the top.
- Fresh spring rolls are best when eaten right away. If you want to make them in advance wrap them in damp paper towel and cover with plastic wrap to keep the rice paper from drying out.
The easiest way to get avocado slices is to cut the fruit in half, remove the pit, make slices in each side like this and then use a large spoon to carefully scoop the flesh out
Cut the yam really thin so that it cooks quickly
