Summer Rolls — CLAIRE CRAIG

I'm holding onto summer with everything I've got and that includes my diet! I'm the type of cook who likes to cook only when:

1. I have time (which is almost never)

2. It's easy.

3. I have all the ingredients (I always seem to forget one thing at the store or double buy something I already had)

I don't know what this says about my personality but we can talk about that another time. Anyway, there's nothing I love more than fresh summer rolls. They happen to fit all three of my cooking criteria and are a fun twist on how to eat veggies! Here's my go-to recipe:

Ingredients:

Rice paper wraps (I buy mine at Harmons but you can typically find them at almost any grocery store. Or Amazon. Amazon literally is life.)
Red cabbage
Carrots
Cucumber
Avocado
Lettuce (I typically use red or green leaf because it has nice big, soft leaves)
Cilantro (you can omit this if you're a cilantro hater and think it tastes like soap/dirt)
For added protein try adding chicken or shrimp!

Directions:

Finely slice all veggie ingredients except for lettuce. They should look like tiny little sticks (if you're lazy like me, you can buy the matchstick carrots that are pre-cut). Have them all laid out and ready to go. Once you get going, it's hard to stop.

Get a big dinner plate and fill it 3/4 of the way with water. I use my kitchen island as my 'assembly line' but if you don't have that just find some counter space. Submerge 1 rice paper wrap in the water for approximately 15-20 seconds.* Take it out of the water and lay it flat on either a wooden or plastic surface (I use my wooden cutting board).

On top of the wrap place a big leaf of lettuce then pile in your veggie ingredients! (Be careful not to add too many or it will become an overstuffed burrito) Once you have all the ingredients laid out on your lettuce leaf, wrap one edge over the ingredients, tuck in the top and bottom corners, and roll! Don't be afraid to show that roll who's boss!

And that's it! You're done!

I like to dip mine in homemade peanut sauce because YUM!

Here's the recipe I use:

1 1" piece ginger, peeled
1 small garlic clove
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 -1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes or a squeeze of Sriracha

Blend all of that up in a blender and you're good to go! Happy dipping!

*Don't worry if the first few times your rice paper falls apart or doesn't stick properly, I feel like each brand and batch is different and a bit temperamental so just keep trying and you'll get it!