Remember when I said I was in a food rut? Apparently that is still in place. I just checked my back posts and realized I haven’t posted a recipe for a real meal since Dec. 2. It’s been desserts, snacks and breakfast foods ever since then.
I mean, if I’m being honest with you, those are the only meals that I really care about but I try to at least pretend to be a responsible adult.
To make matters worse, this wasn’t even really my idea! As I’ve mentioned in past posts, I love wraps but can’t successfully wrap a wrap to save my life. I almost always put too much or too little in, never heat them correctly and somehow rip them. It’s a serious problem people! And that’s with normal, run of the mill flour tortillas. The one time I tried rice paper wraps was disastrous!
Instead, this recipe is due 100% to the fact that when I asked the 13 year old what he wanted for lunch one day, he said “summer rolls with noodles”. I laughed at him, told him we didn’t have the ingredients, he found them, proceeded to laugh at me and then I had a mini panic attack because I can’t handle rice paper wraps!
Fun twist, I can, in fact, handle rice paper wraps. So much so that I’ve made them about a million times for lunch since that fateful day AND made them one time to feed the family while the Dad was away. I got all the ingredients ready, laid them out and the kids made their own. It was a hit! Here’s my favorite variation:
Tofu Mango Summer Rolls
makes 3 wraps= 1 serving
- 25g of asian marinated tofu*
- 1/5 an english cucumber, grated
- 1/2 a large carrot, grated
- 1/2 an avocado, cut into strips
- 1/3 a mango, cut into strips
- 1 green onion, green and white parts, sliced
- 1/4 cup basmati rice, cooked (angel hair pasta also tastes really good and is what I used with the kids)
For dipping sauce:
- 1 TBSP Sweet Chili Sauce
- 1/2 TBSP Low Sodium Soy Sauce (or more to taste)
- splash of toasted sesame seed oil (optional)
*weird measurement, yes. But I’ve been using this tofu, which is pre-marinated and comes in four pre-cut servings. I know, it’s lazy but at least it’s not more dessert!
Instructions (I’m including step-by-step pictures, which I normally hate but sort of felt necessary):
1. Get all your ingredients set up on your chopping board. You have to work quickly when you are making these.
2. Grab a pot or pan that is large enough to lay your wrapper in without bending it. Fill it with warm water (I like a frying pan best). Line a plate with a clean, dry towel.
3. Submerge your wrapper in the warm water for approximately 30 seconds until it is soft and pliable.
4. Lay out the wrapper on the clean towel (this towel is clean, I swear!).
5. Pile the ingredients on one end leaving room to fold the end over the ingredients, like a burrito.
6. Fold the end with your filling over the filling.
7. Fold in the sides.
8. Slowly roll up the filling in the rice paper.
9. Mix the Low Sodium Soy Sauce and the Sweet Chili paste together. If you like toasted sesame seed oil, a splash of that adds some great flavor but it isn’t necessary.
10. Dip in your Summer Rolls and chow down!
I know the dipping sauce is pretty simple and not that innovative. I tried a bunch of different variations and concoctions- garlic, soy sauce, ginger, sweet chili sauce, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, etc- but honestly, my favorite was just the simple sweet chili sauce and soy sauce combo. It was easy, came together fast and the simplicity matched the rolls. I like these rolls because they are fast and light which is what I’m looking for in this heat. I didn’t want to complicate the meal with a fancy sauce. Feel free to experiment though!
When I made these for the family, I paired them with these green beans and the meal was a huge success!
Ok, tomorrow, we are back to dessert. And if the past few months are any indication, that will be the norm for the next two months. YEAH!
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