Nourish the Budding Lotus

Cornucopia Spring Rolls

We are still on our cleanse, doing well and feeling great!  The amount of extra energy that I feel is wonderful, and I am noticing that I don’t need to eat as much as I often do with my regular diet.  It definitely takes more preparation and consciousness but I enjoy the challenge.  It is an invitation for creativity in the kitchen, and that is what I love.

We have moved onto the second phase of the cleanse, where we can introduce some grains into our diet in combination with vegetables, and since rice is on the list, I though some Spring Rolls would be a great idea.  C. wasn’t so excited because she said that spring rolls usually are not so tasty and filling…so there was my challenge.  To make some taste-packed and fully satisfying spring rolls.

Personally I think I did it!  I was quite happy with them, and look forward to having seconds tonight.

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Cornucopia Spring Rolls

Rice Wrappers

Veggie Sticks:
2 portabello mushrooms
2 carrots
1 handful of snow peas
1 avocado
1 cucumber
1 red bell pepper
2 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 T wheat free tamari
salt and pepper

Fresh Herb Paste:
4 green onions
handful of basil leaves
handful of parsley leaves
1/2 handful of mint leaves
olive oil
salt
pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 F  and lightly oil a baking sheet

Mushrooms: Follow the instructions for the portabello mushrooms on the Portabello and Spinach Pizza recipe.

Bell Pepper: Rinse the bell pepper and leaving it whole, roast it in the oven for 40-45 minutes.  (You can put it on the same sheet as the mushrooms).  Once the pepper is done, put them in a bowl with a lid just like the mushrooms so the pepper will continue to steam.  This will help release the peel from the body of the pepper.

Carrots: Julienne slice the carrots and place them in a mixing bowl.  Sprinkle with a small amount of salt and pepper, and drizzle with 2 T olive oil.  Toss or stir the carrots in the bowl so that the seasoning and oil is evenly distributed.  Add them to the baking sheet that is already in the oven, or put them on a new baking sheet, and cook them for about 15-20 minutes.  They should be softer with a small amount of browning but not limp and shriveled.  Set them aside to cool.

Other Veggies: Peel the cucumbers, slice them in half the long way, and remove the seed center from each half.  Julienne the snow peas, avocado and cucumbers.

Herb Paste: Heat a sauté pan over medium heat.  Chop the green onions and cook in a teaspoon of olive oil for about 3 minutes.   In a food processor place the mint, parsley and basil and cooked green onions with a touch of salt and pepper and 2 T of olive oil.  Pulse until the herbs are chopped.  Place in a bowl and add more olive oil if desired.

Once the mushrooms and peppers have steamed in their bowls, you can remove them.  Julienne slice the mushrooms.  Then peel the skin off of the roast pepper and remove the stem and seeds.  Julienne slice the pepper as well.

Now that you have all of the ingredients prepared you can start making your rolls.  Fill a shallow bowl with warm water and one at a time, dip the rice wrapper into the warm water for about 5 seconds.  Remove the wrapper, place on your working surface or plate, and begin to dress your spring roll.  You can make any combination that you would like, but I suggest placing a small amount of the herb paste on the wrapper and then layering a combination of the veggies.  To close the wrapper fold the bottom and top sides of the wrapper into the center over the veggies, then taking the the left side, fold it over the center, and roll the wrapper closed.

Enjoy!

Additional Suggestions:
The wrappers are sensitive to liquid, and since some of the veggies and the herb paste are moist, I would suggest serving the spring rolls soon after making them.  They are hard to resist anyway!

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