Spring Rolls!

I love fresh spring rolls! Let's be honest I love fried spring rolls even more, but I've been trying to be a bit healthier lately so I went for the fresh version this week.  They are incredibly easy to make and you can really adjust them to be whatever you want them to be. For example, most recipes call for mint or thai basil, which I'm sure tastes awesome, but I didn't have thai basil just lying around the house so I just skipped it.  Here's what I did...

Ingredients:
Shrimp
Spinach
Shaved Carrots
Asparagus
Spring Roll wrappers (can be found in the Asian food section of the grocery store)
Other Options: bell peppers, rice vermicelli, bamboo, cilantro, cooked pork or chicken, lettuce, the possbilities are endless!!!!

First I steam the shrimp with some garlic just to infuse a little flavor (but you could easily buy precooked shrimp or boil them or sautee them, you get the idea).  Tip: you can tell shrimp is done when it is nice and pink and in the shape of a "C", if it's in the shape of an "O" it's over cooked.  Then I rinse the shrimp in cold water and remove the casings and tails. While the shrimp is steaming, I cut the asparagus into smaller pieces and blanche them (put in boiling water just long enough to turn bright bright green, but still be crunchy).  Again run them under cold water when done.  Now you're ready to make your spring rolls!

Take a spring roll paper and soak it in hot water until it becomes soft, gently take out and put on a Tea Towel over a plate. repeat this step so that you have a double layer of spring roll paper (I always do a double layer of wrapper so they don't fall apart). use the tea towel to dab gently at the wrappers to remove excess liquid. Now add your ingredients! Shredded carrots, spinach, 3 pieces of shrimp and asparagus.  Then roll it like a burrito! Sides in first, then as you roll make sure you are tucking the ingredients in to make a tight roll.

Dipping Sauce! Which is really the whole point to the spring roll am I right?
I make a quick peanut sauce by heating vinegar, water, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and some peanut butter until its smooth and creamy and tastes how I want it to.  You can adjust all the amounts to make it taste how you like it, including adding teriyaki, fish sauce, sriacha or whatever else you have on hand and like.

I also have a tiny bowl of Soy Vey Teriyaki sauce for dipping along with my peanut sauce. Yummmm!