It’s the time of year where warm weather has us craving fresh, crips vegetables, but the heat is keeping us from turning our ovens on. These Asian Spring Rolls with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce from Robin Roberson‘s Nut Butter Universe are ideal for hot summer days, because they require no cooking. They’re perfect for appetizers or snacks, or even a light lunch.

Spring roll wrappers, made of fragile rice paper, are brittle when you buy them, but soften easily when soaked in water. They are available in Asian markets. Strips of baked tofu make a good addition to these spring rolls. To make this recipe soy-free, use coconut aminos in place of the tamari.

Ingredients:
Sauce
·      1/4 cup peanut butter
·      
2 tablespoons wheat-free tamari
·      1/4 cup water
·      1 tablespoon rice vinegar
·      1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
·      1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
·      1 teaspoon natural sugar
·      1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
·      1 tablespoon minced cilantro leaves
Spring rolls
·      8 rice paper wrappers
·      8 Boston lettuce leaves or other soft leaf lettuce
·      1 1/2 cups shredded carrot
·      
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
·      1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into strips
·      
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Preparation:
Sauce: In a small bowl or food processor, combine the peanut butter, tamari, water, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, sugar, and red pepper flakes until well blended. Taste to adjust the seasonings. Add more water if the sauce is too thick. Set aside while you make the spring rolls, or cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Add minced cilantro to the sauce just prior to serving time.

Spring Rolls: Dip a wrapper into a shallow bowl of warm water just long enough to soften. Remove the wrapper from the water and place on a piece of plastic wrap on a flat work surface. Place a lettuce leaf on top of the wrapper and arrange a small amount of the carrots, sprouts, avocado, and chopped cilantro on the bottom third of the lettuce leaf. Bring the bottom edge of the wrapper over the filling and fold in the sides tightly. Use your finger to spread water along the top edge and roll tightly, using the plastic wrap to help roll it up.

Place the roll seam side down on a serving platter. Repeat with the remaining wrappers, lettuce, and filling ingredients. When assembly is finished, serve the rolls with the peanut sauce for dipping.

Serves 4

From Nut Butter Universe by Robin Robertson. ©2013 Robin Robertson. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press. Photo by Lori Maffei.

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