Chef Lshawtay is back in the house and bringing you a dank Vegan summer recipe ! Now I say summer not only because it is basically “summer” – but also because they are consider to be Summer Rolls – light and refreshing and easy to make. You are going to be blown away at the ease of this delightful snack/meal. There is a wide variety of what you can do with these Summer Rolls, but this is how I did it.
Ingredients/ Tools:
- Mandoline / Spiralizer to get your veggies looking fabulous
- Sharp Knife to cut stuff
- Big Bowl
- Coconut Oil Spray ( or Olive Oil whichever you fancy or conveniently already have)
- Parchment Paper
- Banh Trang Spring Rolls Skin – see photo below – you can buy at Kroger !!
- Asparagus
- Watermelon Radish
- Cucumber
- Jicama
- Beets
- Carrots
- (red) Cabbage
- Red Leaf Lettuce
- Vermicelli Noodles
- Jalapeño
- Cilantro
- Bean Sprouts ( missing from photo )
- Pickled Ginger ( missing from photo )
- Kimchi ( missing from photo)
- Egg ( missing from photo )
- Green Pepper ( suggested item )
- ….. whatever you fancy to put in your roll !!
Veggie Prep : feel good about the way you prep the items ! It is important to keep in mind the 1) visual appeal and 2) functionality of their form.
As you can see from the photo I chose to spiralize : watermelon radish, cucumber and beet. The lettuce was lightly chopped as was the cilantro. The jalapeño was diced. The carrots were cut thinly, this is important because you do not want any sharp veggies ( it’ll break the skin of the wrap). At first, I tried to spiralize the carrots, but they were too thin and didn’t come out well ! If you have wide carrots, you may be able to spiralize. The jicama was done 2 ways : diced and thinly sliced. Used here was thin asparagus from Trader Joes.
Vermicelli Noodles – follow the directions on your box/bag. But typically, boil a pot of water, place in noodles and cook for 2 minutes. Then rinse for 3 minutes.
Banh Trang Spring Roll Skin – YOU ARE GOING TO BE SURPRISED – they are super hard and look like discs. You are going to be confused – what the heck ? am I missing what they are? are they peal able between the layers ? did I really buy the right thing? Don’t fret – if you bought what I bought in the picture, you are good to go !! You will fill your Big Bowl ( or pot) with water. Place the discs ( I do 3 at a time ) and submerge in water. They will loosen up – I promise !
The first photo shows the Spring Roll Skin melting into its true form and ready to roll. You’ll feel it when it is ready to be rolled ! I ring them out a bit, because they have been sitting in water !
Lay out the parchment paper on your counter, and spray the coconut oil on the paper, this will help the skins not stick down. Lay out your skins and get ready to fill up your roll ! I like to lay down pretty veggies first then a layer of noodles, then a layer of lettuce, this is for purely aesthetic purposes!!
It is up to you on how you lay out the veggies and which ones you want to go together. I’ve been working to find the perfect balance of crunch. Honestly, it will probably turn out good either way !! Cooking is all an experiment anyways, just feel good about what you are doing !
The far right photo will show you the inside of a roll and how the veggies are layered out. Under are the two dips we’ve experimented with : a peanutty sauce and a hoisin sauce. Of course there is Sriracha there too ( not pictured ) !!
Rolling Tips : I’ll be posting a YouTube video soon ! but off hand here on the blog … place your veggies and noodles in the lower portion of the skin, tuck the veggies into the roll to secure them in, tuck in the two sides as well (think chipotle employee) , and roll on up ! Practice makes perfect with these Summer Rolls.
Highly recommend eating right away !! They are more likely to break if you keep in Fridge over night.
T B H – to be honest – you can put whatever you want in them. I did this version, because it is vegan and gluten free. A majority of the veggies are my most favorites. Mix & match what your heart desires and your belly will be happy !!
If you have any questions, comment on the blog!
Enjoy your tasty delight Summer Roll – you are totally going to be obsessed and going to want to make them everyday !!
Bon Appetite!
Chef Lshawtay
PS. it’s okay if you have like 4-6 for a meal !
LiViN LiKE LiNdSEY 