Summer Vegetable Rolls with Peanut Sauce | Vegan

Looking for a perfect summer recipe? Look no further; these beautiful Summer Vegetable Rolls are just what you need. They are delicious, nutritious, low in fat, and perfect for warm weather days. They are best served at room temperature, so perfect for this time of year when hot meals may be less appealing. It’s hard to believe that wrapping vegetables in a rice wrapper makes such a difference. But not only do they taste amazing, they look beautiful too. Of course, the peanut sauce adds a mighty flavor punch as well. It has to be one of my favorite dipping sauces.

We have been making these summer rolls for several years now. We seem to gravitate towards them on hot summer days, which have been scarce in New Hampshire in the past few weeks, but we know that the rest of the world may be experiencing hot weather, and wanted to provide you with an exciting recipe to share with your family and friends. This recipe is excellent year-round but especially nice this time of year.  

It is a great recipe to get the kids involved. It may be a little messy, but what memories it would create, and kids often will eat things they have made themselves, making it easier to get them to eat those nutritious veggies that are so important to our health and well-being.

Let’s talk Summer Vegetable Roll Ingredients:

Vegetables:

You have so many options to choose from regarding the type of vegetables to put in this recipe. You can get very creative. I love to use a variety of different colors for two reasons:

1. Vegetables with different colors contain different nutrients, so it’s important to eat a diet with a variety of different colored vegetables.
2. It looks pretty, which is also important for a great meal.

• I use red cabbage for a purple color, and it looks so wonderful. It is actually quite tasty when paired with other vegetables.
• I love the green color in the Baby Butterhead lettuce, but you can use any kind of lettuce or even spinach if you would prefer.
• To get the yellow color, I like the yellow pepper, but some choose mango, which changes the flavor profile, but is still a very good option.
• Carrots seem to be a staple in most summer rolls, and when cut thinly, they are easy to eat and add a touch of sweetness.
• Cucumbers must be one of the most hydrating vegetables on the planet and give extra moisture to these rolls.
• If you want creaminess, I would recommend adding some sliced avocados. We often add them to the Summer Vegetable Rolls but did not in this recipe.

Rice Wrapper & Rice Noodles:

To wrap the vegetables, we use “Spring Rolls Skin”, which you can find in the Asian section of your grocery store. They are primarily made from tapioca and rice starch. They come dried, so you moisten them in some warm water for just a couple of seconds before wrapping the vegetables. The “Spring Rolls Skin” store well in the cupboard, making it easy to have on hand for when you want vegetable rolls. See my video for details.

Rice Noodles is an optional element but adds a nice texture to the rolls. I use the Thai Kitchen’s “Thin Rice Noodles” and follow the instruction on the packaging.

Peanut Sauce:

We serve these Summer Vegetable Rolls or Fresh Spring Rolls as they are often called, with a favorite simple Peanut Sauce. If you happen to have freshly made peanut butter, it is even better. When I go to health food stores, I love to buy freshly ground peanut butter. I am super excited when I have the opportunity to grind them myself. They taste so much better that way. I am usually first in line. Even better, of course, if you can make fresh peanut butter at home. My peanut sauce is simple to make, we add fresh ginger, garlic, and Braggs Liquid Amino to the peanut butter, thin the sauce with some hot water, and you have this fantastic peanut sauce for dipping.

Assembling the Summer Vegetable Rolls:

• Take one Spring Roll Skin wrapper, dip in warm water, remove, and place on a hard surface. As the water cools, you may need to leave the wrapper in for an additional second or two. (The skin easily sticks to porous surfaces such as wooden cutting boards, etc.) A large flat plate works well for us. Spring Roll Skin is sticky, but less so when kept wet. After dipping the wrapper in the water, work fast.
• Make an assembly line: moistened rice wrapper, lettuce, rice noodles, red cabbage, carrots, yellow pepper, cucumber, and mixed herbs.
• Add the various vegetables and rice noodles to the moistened rice wrapper. They will stick together, so store them separate if possible.
• Start with the Baby Butterhead Lettuce. Remove bulky stem to make it easier to roll. Fold in half with the vibrant green color facing outwards and place on moistened spring roll wrapper.
• Add cooled rice noodles, red cabbage, carrots, cucumber, yellow pepper, and sprinkle with a pinch of herb mixture.
• Wrap the spring rolls skin around the vegetables by rolling once while pulling towards you; next, tuck in the sides, and continue to roll all the way. See my video for details.
• They may be a little whimsical at first, but that’s part of the fun. To keep the Summer Vegetable Rolls moist, cover with a damp tea towel or paper towel until ready to serve.

Click Here to Watch Me Make this Recipe on YouTube!

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