When the summer temps heat up and turning the stove on just isn't in the cards, a light, refreshing meal is exactly what we want. This sauce is surprisingly flavorful, especially since the recipe is so simple! Just add everything to a bowl and stir. When we tasted this recipe we were amazed at the savory flavor brought out by the simple Asian ingredients. The summer rolls require a bit more finesse, but you'll get the hang of it in no time.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup 88 Acres Pumpkin Seed Butter Unsweetened or Pumpkin Seed Butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 - 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons hot water
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 6 rice paper wrappers
- 1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
- 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1 cup red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup room temperature water, for wrapping
Directions
First, make the sauce. Place Pumpkin Seed Butter in a medium mixing bowl. Add unseasoned rice vinegar and carefully whisk until smooth. Add garlic, ginger and lime juice to the bowl and whisk until blended. Mixture will be thick. Add the hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and whisk until the water is completely blended into the mixture and smooth. Taste for seasoning, adding more garlic, if desired.
Cover and chill until ready to serve. Let sauce warm to room temperature as a dip for fresh spring rolls.
Next, make the spring rolls. Pour water onto a plate large enough to dip your rice papers in. Dip one rice paper into the water for a second or two and lay flat on a cutting board. Start layering veggies onto the middle of the wrapper, beginning with the avocado slices and building from there.
Lift the front of the rice paper (closest to you) up and over the ingredients, pulling lightly. Fold the sides of the rice paper over the ingredients as you roll the summer roll away from you. Place on a clean plate, seam side down. If you've ever made a burrito, it's the same technique. Repeat with the rest of the ingredients or until you run out of wrappers.
Jessica Grosman is a Registered Dietitian, recipe developer, and culinary nutrition educator. Her goal is to excite people and get them into the kitchen to cook their own food and find better health through the food they prepare for themselves. She earned both a BS and MS in Nutrition, prior to completing a dietetic internship in 2001. Additionally, she graduated with honors from the Academy of Culinary Nutrition’s Culinary Nutrition Expert (CNE) program. Jessica’s passion is sharing her knowledge and education with others; she is experienced in teaching cooking & nutrition classes to a wide variety of audiences. She currently is working as a recipe developer, cookbook recipe tester, and teaches boutique cooking classes. When not in the kitchen creating deliciously nourishing recipes, Jessica enjoys reading, exercising, and traveling with her family.