Fresh, Raw Summer Rolls with Chili-Peanut dipping sauce

This was actually a Pinterest recipe that caught my eye first—and then, like so many others, I promptly forgot about it after adding it to one of my many recipe boards. Which brings me to a question for all you social-media-consuming foodie geeks out there: how do you keep track of and organize the endless recipes you pin, tag, Instagram, StumbleUpon, save to Pocket, Evernote, and whatever else you use these days?

I just scrolled through my pins and bookmarks recently and realized I have enough recipes to menu-plan for an entire year without repeating a single one. And yet, they’re in desperate need of organization and focus. For instance—which one of those ten spelt-flour chocolate chip cookie recipes was the one that earned me the “best-est cookie ever” badge from my foodie son? (Yes, I know—I try some truly questionable recipes) After testing four others, I’m still nowhere close to that original winner. Sigh.

So yes, send in your tips and suggestions. But of course, the easiest solution is to actually record the good ones here—so here goes.

I stumbled upon this recipe again on the lovely blog The Simple Veganista, and the clean presentation and sheer simplicity instantly pulled me in. I made these for dinner last night and was genuinely impressed by how effortless yet flavorful they were. This one is definitely a keeper.

I’ve modified the recipe slightly based on what I had on hand—skipped the tofu and added sprouts and kale—but this is a very forgiving recipe and will taste great with almost any vegetables you choose.

Fresh, raw, healthy, and incredibly simple. That should be reason enough for anyone to try these. The dipping sauce takes all of five minutes to whip up. Pair these summer rolls with a bowl of hot soup or a chilled gazpacho, and you’ve got yourself a balanced, nourishing meal.

Ingredients

• 5 rice paper sheets (I used circular ones)
• 3 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks
• ½ cucumber, cut into matchsticks
• ½ green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• ¼ red cabbage, thinly sliced
• Kale, pea shoots
• Radishes, thinly sliced
• Mung sprouts
• Mint leaves – a handful
• Basil leaves – a handful

Method

1. Dip a rice paper sheet into a wide bowl of warm water. The water should be warm—not boiling, but not lukewarm either. Soak until the paper softens, turns translucent, and becomes slightly sticky.

2. Layer the vegetables. I started with kale, followed by pea shoots, carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, sprouts, and finally mint or basil.

3. Roll the rice paper tightly around the vegetables, tucking and rolling until you have a snug, cylindrical roll.

4. Cut the rolls in half and serve with dipping sauces of your choice.

Peanut Chili Dipping Sauce

(Adapted from the original blog, with extra chili flakes added)

Makes 2 servings

• 3 heaping tbsp peanut or almond butter
  (I used 2 tbsp peanut butter + 1 tbsp almond butter)
• 1 tbsp tamari, Bragg’s liquid aminos, or soy sauce
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp warm water
• 1–2 tbsp rice vinegar (optional)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1–2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional; add fresh Thai red chili if you like extra heat)

Whisk all the ingredients together using a fork or small whisk until smooth and well combined. The sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until needed.