In addition to her packaged meal kits, Jacqueline Parakin has a host of favourite recipes she collected when she studied holistic nutrition. Simple and approachable, these salad rolls are “my go-to for healthy dinners when I don’t want to cook,” she says.
Makes 5 to 10 rolls
Time: 25 minutes
Filling
- ½ red pepper, julienned
- 1 large carrot, julienned
- ½ cucumber, julienned
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- Handful of baby spinach, thinly sliced
- 5 to 10 rice papers
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds per roll
- Cooked shrimp or chicken or tofu cut into thin strips
- 200 grams cooked vermicelli noodles (optional)
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or Bragg Liquid Aminos)
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 to 2 tablespoons water (to thin)
Chop pepper, carrot and cucumber into julienne slices 4 to 5 inches long and set aside. Thinly slice the spinach and green onion and set aside.
Fill a large bowl with hot water. Soak a rice paper in the water until it’s completely soft and flexible, 3 to 30 seconds. Gently shake water from the paper, lay flat and let sit for about 30 seconds to absorb excess water.
Sprinkle ½ teaspoon sesame seeds in the centre of the wrap and layer with protein (shrimp, chicken or tofu), sliced green onions and spinach, and then julienned vegetables and vermicelli. Leave enough rice paper on each side for wrapping. Pull one edge of the rice paper over the filling. Fold the side edges over the top and then roll over the rest of the rice paper to make it compact.
Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl or jar. Stir until smooth. Start with 1 teaspoon of water and add more for desired thickness. Use as dipping sauce for the salad rolls.