Sunday, May 06, 2007

As the warm weather calmly comes upon us I start to look for recipes using cold veggies, instead of the warmed up ones we have been making during the past few months.
I decided to venture myself with rice paper a couple weeks ago and made some vegetable spring rolls. They came out great and the rice paper was not difficult to use at all.
For these I used zucchini, yellow squash, red bell pepper and carrots, all sliced into thin strips, and a few fresh spinach leaves. To soften the rice paper as I was making the rolls I simply dipped one sheet at a time in warm water, put them over a flat surface, arranged the veggies in a bundle form near the border and rolled like a wrap, tucking in the sides so nothing would escape.
There was a little prep time for chopping everything, but other than that it was pretty easy to make and quick to put together. I served ours with two kinds of vinaigrette, one made with Dijon mustard and a second made with orange juice - the orange vinaigrette paired up nicely with the vegetables making everything taste super fresh, and ended up being the choice of dipping sauce for the following times I made the rolls. (I know, not Asian or oriental at all, but this is the sort of things we like, Oh well!)
We all loved these rolls, they are light, tasty and very fresh when the temperature is high. I see that we are going to make them a lot during the summer, especially since Matheus already declared this to be his favorite way to eat raw vegetables! He thought it was the funnest dish to eat of all!
Enjoy!
Ana

Another picture of the rolls. The photo above shows one roll sliced in half and standing up.

11 comments:

Kathleen said...

These are great! The perfect dish for the very hot weather we get in the SE. I like that you used your favorite vinaigrettes as a dipping sauce.

Fer Guimaraes Rosa said...

Ana, esses rolinhos sao DEMAIS! leves, saudaveis e deliciosos... Adoro e preciso tentar faze-los em casa um dia. Olha so a inspiracao ai nessas fotos. Super beijo,

Valentina said...

I love those rolls. I agree that this is the right time of the year to start eating them. Loved the idea of your sauces.

Akemi said...

Os seus rolinhos ficaram perfeitos, Ana! Que delícia! Pelo visto o Matheus já está craque nos palitinhos! rsss

Ana said...

Kathleen, it really is the perfect thing for warm weather, we looooved these at our home! With the orange vinaigrette it was the best!

Fe, sao mesmo viu! hehe! Nos adoramos, tente q vc vai gostar, sem duvida, e eh bem facinho viu!

Valentina, we loved them too! It really is perfect for summer, isn't it! I am happy to see you around here!

Akemi, obrigada!!! Ficaram deliciosos, Matheus AMA comer de palitinho, mas sabe q nos comemos os rolinhos com a mao mesmo! hehehe!

Ana

Cinara said...

Ana, what beautiful, tasty and healthy rolls!! I've never used rice paper in my life, but you made me feel like trying it... ;o) XXOO

Cláudia said...

Ana, I'll certanly prepare these rolls in order to encourage my little girl to try some diffent vegetables, but like Cinara said, I've never used rice paper before, too.I don't know where to buy it here in Brasil. Someone could help-me?
Bye and kisses.

Cláudia Benevenuto

Cláudia said...

Ana, I have forgotten to ask you for the orange vinaigrette recipe. Could you send me?

bye bye

Ana said...

Cinara, they were pretty and delicious! And the rice paper is very easy to work with, I actually enjoyed "playing" with them!!

Claudia, try them, your daughter might like these. My son loved them and said these were the funnest thing to eat! Make a dipping sauce/dressing that your kid like and let her eat these with it, even if it doens't go with the theme. Usually Matheus love to dip stuf, sometimes he choses weird combinations, but as long as he is enjoying and eating his veggies I am ok with it!
Try looking for the rice paper on some sort of oriental store where you live. It is where I find mine (at an local Asian Market).
I commented on your blog about the orange vinaigrette, as I make mine based on my tastes and never actually measure it... let me know if you would like some more info on them!
Ana

Cris said...

Que interessante... nunca usei rice paper, devem ser ótimos para levar num picnic. :-)

Ana said...

Cris, sao muito gostosos e levinhos!!
Quanto a levar a pic nic nao sei como deveria ser feito, pois acredito q os rolinhos ressequem rapido... eu nao deixei eles em geladeira ou quietos por muito tempo, fiz e logo comemos. Precisamos nos informar com alguem q entenda mais do papel arroz! hehe!
Obrigada pela visita, fiquei contente!
Ana