<strong>Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce</strong>

Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

 These Vietnamese spring rolls are fresh, not fried! They’re the perfect party appetizer or light meal. The peanut sauce sends them over the top. Recipe yields 8 spring rolls.

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INGREDIENTS

Spring Rolls

  • 4 ounce rice vermicelli or maifun brown rice noodles*
  • 2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 cup torn butter lettuce, ribs removed
  • 2 cup very thinly sliced red cabbage
  • 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks or sliced into strips with a julienne peeler
  • 4 Persian (mini) cucumbers or 2 small cucumber, thinly sliced or sliced into strips with a julienne peeler
  • 4 medium jalapeños, ribs and seeds removed, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh mint
  • 16 sheets rice paper (spring roll wrappers)

Peanut Sauce

  • 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 4 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 4 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
  • 4 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
  • 4 to 6 tablespoons water, as needed
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Chicken Soup with Black Rice

Chicken Soup with Black Rice

Friday was coming to a close and the coughs that had been spreading through the office had found me. The boss started this and like in any great organization the rest of us had followed our leader. I was getting ready to leave and he was coming down the hall he heard me cough, stuck his head in my door and asked if I got it too. With a humorous jester I shock my fist in his direction and coughed. By Saturday afternoon I was in rough shape and I was ready for that all time cure Jewish Penicillin, Chicken Soup. I had to use what I had on hand, there was no way I was going out it had been switching from sunny and bright to near white out conditions all day. So I stuck my head in the cupboards and freezer to see what I had.

Ingredients

  • I frozen chicken breast bone in.
  • 3 carrots cut into bite size pieces.
  • ½ larger sweet onion roughly chopped.
  • 3-4 sprigs of celery cut into bite size pieces.
  • 2 cloves of garlic.
  • A little bit of bell seasons. Looked like maybe ¼ teaspoon
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil.
  • Salt and Pepper to taste.
  • Couple of good pinches dried of oregano maybe 1 Tbsp.
  • Couple of good pinches of dried cilantro maybe 1 Tbsp.
  • 2 bay leaves.
  • 6 cups of water ( I had no broth, what kind of house do I keep).
  • Good couple of pinches of red hot pepper flakes I wanted something to clear the sinuses.
  •  I cup black rice
  • 1 ¾ cup water

How:

Heat the oil in large pot and add onions, carrots and celery sauté about 5 minutes add garlic and the pinch of bell seasoning stir for a few seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer. When the chicken appears to be cooked remove to a cutting board, peel chicken off bone cut into bite size pieces return chicken and bone to pot and continue to simmer. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Cook the rice according to directions and always store outside of soup. A word about the rice I was using what I had on hand. I had used the rest of my wild rice for a batch 2 weeks ago for Lyn after her operation. So the type of rice is your choice but the package said forbidden rice how could I resist?

BTW I feel so much better now!