Summer Rolls + Two Dipping Sauces

Well hello again, I have missed you terribly! A lot has happened in the last couple weeks. After my last post Soba Noodles with Tofu, Broccoli & Carrots, I left for vacation to the beautiful Kings Canyon. The area we visited is located in the eastern sierra's located between Mammoth and Bishop just off the 395 called Rock Creek Lake. It's gorgeous up there with clean air, nice temperatures and nature all around. How does it get any better than that? You can see many of my pictures here. In that time, the 4th of July also came and went. I extreme cleaned the house, you know the unclutter, going behind closed doors and rearranging the furniture kind...feels good to be done with that! I did all those things I have put off doing while focusing my energy on this blog the last year. Speaking of which, The Simple Veganista also turned 1 on July 1st. I can't believe it's been a year already. I really wanted to do a special post for this occasion but it just didn't happen so it was a quiet celebration. When I first started this blog I had no idea where things would go but thanks to everyone who has a love for clean vegan food...this blog has done remarkably well in that short amount of time and I thank you all for following along with my passion. I intend to keep it going as long as it stays fun for me. I love all the aspects of being here...from testing and preparing the food, taking pictures, editing, writing (a few of these I'd like to improve on), sharing, getting feedback from everyone. It's truly fun for me and I'm so happy to be a part of your lives and hope you get lots of inspiration for clean, healthy eating habits along the way. And remember, that's all it is...creating NEW habits and making them healthy habits! Cheers to another year of creating those healthy habits that stick... 

So without further ado...let's eat!

Summer, spring or salad rolls, known as Goi Cuon in Vietnamese, are fresh, versatile and so easy to put together. You can use all kinds of vegetables to suit your taste...make them simple with just a few ingredients like the first picture or add more for a variation and rainbow effect like the picture above. I love these rolls and you can be sure that this is the first of many I will like to try out and share. The recipe today is a very basic, all around summer roll. Nothing complicated, everything should be readily available and easy to find. For a great tutorial on rolling a closed end roll like the image just above (they were cut in half) go here: How to Roll Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls – A Photo Tutorial

You can find rice paper in the Asian section of your grocery store. There are different shapes and sizes so if you're new to this be sure to experiment with a few to see what works best for you. 

I have included two different dipping sauces because some of you may be allergic to nuts. One will be a peanut or almond butter based dipping sauce and the other will be rice vinegar based. A sauce for everyone here. Both are excellent. I love my peanut sauce but was very pleased with the vinegar based sauce I adapted from Martha Stewart. Even though I'm not much of a vinegar lover...it was delicious! 

Summer rolls are commonly filled with a few herbs like mint, cilantro and/or Thai basil. Feel free to use one or a combination. I find in these rolls that they all taste great together. If you can't find Thai basil, regular basil will be just as good! I especially love the basil with the peanut dipping sauce...the flavors pair so well.

Next you can choose from a variety of greens to add to your rolls. Use one or a combination if you like. Depending on what style roll I'm making, I may use two types of greens.

Lastly, choose your veggies and cut them into thin strips by hand or using a julienne tool. These are just a few of the veggies you can use. Try adding avocado, green onions, bean sprouts, etc. Many recipes for these rolls also use rice noodles, and you can too, but I prefer a roll full of veggies instead having one or two extra if needed. I can eat two or three of these and be completely satisfied for a few hours. 

Adding in some sliced tofu is an option. I do like to add it to my rolls when not using the peanut sauce as it adds some protein to the meal. 

Summer Rolls + Two Dipping Sauces 

Ingredients (2 - 3 servings)

• 6 rice papers (preferably the circular sheets)
• 2-3 medium carrots, cut into match sticks or 1/4 inch sticks
• 1/2 cucumber, cut into match sticks or 1/4 inch sticks
• 1/2 bell pepper (yellow, red and/or orange), thinly sliced
• 1/4 red cabbage, thinly sliced
• greens of choice: leafy lettuce, pea shoots, spring salad mix or micro greens
• radishes, thinly sliced (optional)
• organic tofu (firm or extra firm), sliced (optional)
• mint, small handful of leaves
• cilantro, small bunch of sprigs
• basil, small handful leaves

Sweet Chili Sauce (2 servings)

• 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 2 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
• juice of 1 lime

Peanut Sauce (2 servings)

• 3 heaping tablespoons peanut or almond butter
• 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 tablespoon warm water
• 1 - 2 tablespoon rice vinegar, optional
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

Mix your dipping sauce together first, let set so the flavors can mingle. It will taste much different after a few minutes. Taste for flavor before serving.

This summer roll direction will be for the open end roll as shown above. For the closed end roll please see the tutorial here. 

Fill a large shallow bowl 1/2 way with warm water...a large pie dish works great for the circular rice sheets which is what this recipe will use. Making one roll at a time, dip the rice sheet into the water making sure to get both sides and all edges, no need to let it soak until completely soft. Lay on a flat surface and fold in half, the rounded side will be the top and the flat side the bottom. The paper will still seem a bit stiff but will keep absorbing the water and soften as you layer your veggies. In the center, layer your ingredients...greens, herbs, tofu and veggies. Fold the end corner over the layer of veggies, give a nice tuck and roll. 

Serve with choice of dipping sauce. 

Enjoy!

GRILLED PEANUT BUTTER & APPLE SANDWICH

I do love a good sandwich every now and then. And one with sweet crisp apple, warmed nut butter, hints of cinnamon and maple are right up my alley! This sandwich includes plenty of protein, fiber and other good nutritional values to keep us running and happy. I set out to put this into the collection as a nice twist on the old classic PB & J. It could also go as a PB & B if you have some bananas on hand. How great would that be? Very I think! I happen to love versatility when preparing a meal and decided to showcase it here. I've used different breads, mainly because of the various tastes we have in our home. I love the fruit, nut and seed loaf while my daughter prefers a simpler maple oat loaf. Both breads are wonderful giving their own special flavor to the sandwich. I love what the fruit and nut loaf adds to this sandwich and recommend finding one, it really adds a nice touch and pairs perfectly with the ingredients. I used fuji apples as they are our favorites. I think the tart green apples would be great here too. I also varied up the nut butters. I love my almond butter and my daughter loves her peanut butter. So it goes, we have variations and each one of us had our own special version to suit us perfectly... and it was delicious! I encourage you to use your favorite of everything here, this is more of a template than a recipe. You may also consider adding some Coconut Bacon to the middle of this sandwich. Happy creating and eating. Cheers!

Spread nut butter on all slices, top with apple slices, dash or two of cinnamon and a drizzle of pure maple syrup...

Cover with top slice and grill until nice and golden on each side...



Slice in half and enjoy the simples!

GRILLED PEANUT BUTTER & APPLE SANDWICH

Ingredients

• 2 apples of choice 
• nut butter of choice
• cinnamon
• maple syrup
• 4 slices bread of choice 
• coconut oil

Wash your apples and slice in half. Using a teaspoon, scoop out the core. Remove any area from the stem and calyx (bottom indentation) of the apple. Place sliced apple half in standing position and cut into 1/4 inch slices. You should get 3 or 4 slices per half, depending on the size of your apple. Cut the slices in half, vertically.

Add a nice layer of nut butter to both slices of your sandwich, layer one slice with apples, sprinkle with cinnamon and add a light drizzle of maple syrup over top. Place top half on sandwich.

Grease your griddle/skillet with coconut oil and heat over medium. You can also add a very light coating of coconut oil to the top of your bread slice using a silicon brush, or whatever method you prefer. Place sandwich, oil side down, and cook for about 2 - 4 minutes. Brush top half lightly with coconut oil, flip and cook another 2 - 4 minutes. Remove from heat and serve with any remaining fresh apple slices on the side.

Serves two.

Notes:

This would be great with a little Coconut Bacon in the middle.

Make gluten free by using your favorite gluten free bread.

This sandwich can be breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Enjoy the simples!

I'd love to see your masterpeices!
#thesimpleveganista

ALMOND BUTTER COOKIES (4 Ingredients)

As you can tell from my recipe collection, I'm not much of a baker. Now I know why... If I bake it, I will eat it! I'm usually very content with dipping my dark chocolate in almond butter every night but have been wanting to test out a new nut butter cookie. I'm not a fan of all the typical ingredients that go into many baked goods like butters, tons of sugar and flour. This is why I love my raw cookies and balls so much. They are clean (meaning whole foods), easy and always come out great, unlike baking which is a little tricky sometimes, probably another reason I don't bake very much. So the trick for me is finding baked goods that use minimal ingredients and taste great too. These cookies fit the bill for me! For the person who usually uses butters and such in your recipes this cookie will be a bit different to you but I encourage you to give it at try and see for yourself. It reminds me more of a no bake cookie but with a wonderful baked outside texture. For someone who is already adapted to eating this way....you should have no problem with these!

The recipe I share with you today is something other than what was intended. It was originally going to be a peanut butter cookie but I ended up using almond butter instead. I also expected it to look like a traditional cookie once done. My first try came out flat, which wasn't a bad thing but they were too soft to pick up without falling apart. Flavor wise they were perfect, although a little too sweet. I tried again using less sugar and baking them a little longer to see if that would help stiffen them up. The result was cookies that reminded me of lace cookies, or something close to that, hence the original title. Once cooled a few minutes, they were sturdy. Perfect! So voila, we have 4 ingredient almond butter cookies. or almond butter thin cookies. And even more so, my baking experience wasn't a total loss. After a few attempts with ingredients and baking times, I finally have a recipe that I can stand behind. They have a nice density and chew, good texture and not too sweet. A little crispy on the edges with a nice chewy middle. And with only four ingredients, well technically five if using the flax egg, this is such an easy recipe to make. And they pair perfect with a nice glass chilled glass of non-diary milk or lemon water. I have been thoroughly enjoying all this cookie testing! I hope you will enjoy this cookie...not too soft, not too crisp...just perfectly in the middle. And, for what they are with only 4 ingredients...I'm completely satisfied with the outcome. If you appreciate a clean cookie, you may really enjoy these too! 

Just a note: I tried making these with peanut butter hoping it would be the same results but didn't care as much for the outcome with this recipe. It was a more traditional looking cookie that was soft and tender with a velvety texture. Maybe that is something you might like to try! I hope to have a peanut butter cookie recipe soon as I know not everyone has almond butter available and I want a go-to peanut butter cookie recipe! 

 

Gather your few ingredients...

 

Mix dough well, place rounded scoops on baking sheet, flatten and bake...

Remove from oven and let cool. Enjoy these incredibly simple and flavorful cookies!

ALMOND BUTTER COOKIES

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond butter (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar or organic pure cane sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 flax egg (1 heaping Tbsp flaxseed meal + 3 Tbsp non-dairy milk or water) or 1/3 banana, mashed
• 3 level tablespoons oat flour or flour of choice, optional (see notes)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Start by making your flax egg. In a small bowl, place flaxseed meal and water/milk, stir and set aside to set, about 15 minutes ideally. Or if using banana, mash well in a small bowl and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine nut butter, sugar, vanilla and flax egg/banana. Mix well until dough is stiffened and hard to mix, about 1 minute. Line baking sheet with a silpat, parchment paper or lightly grease with oil. Using a tablespoon measure, scoop out rounded scoops, place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Using a fork or your index and middle finger, gently press to flatten, making a crisscross pattern. Your dough will seem oily and stick to the fork, it's normal with the almond butter, just be patient..you'll be rewarded soon. Feel free to sprinkle a little sugar or salt over each cookie. Place baking sheet on middle rack and bake 12 - 15 minutes. (edit: I tried different baking sheets with different results. Cooking time will vary from sheet to sheet. The sheet shown was baked for 15 minutes, other sheets require lower cooking times or the edges will brown more than you may like.) Remove from oven and let cool.

These are best stored covered on a couple paper towels, the paper towels will help soak up some of the natural oils.

Makes approx. 14 cookies (that's if you don't eat the batter!).

Notes:

For this recipe I used Trader Joe's Raw Almond Butter, Creamy and Crunchy, both worked well. Keep in mind that other brands of almond butter may contain added sugars...adjust the sugar slightly by reducing a tablespoon or so if you like. Also, keep in mind that your cookies may vary in shape depending on what type/brand of almond butter you use.

Try subbing in 1/3 of a banana for the flax egg. I did a few trials with this method and had great success!

As noted above, I tried making these with natural peanut butter hoping it would be the same results but didn't care as much for the outcome with this recipe. Of course, you can try if you like and find you like it. They were soft, tender with a velvety texture.

If you want a more traditional cookie (like the ones below), add 3 level tablespoons flour (oat, spelt, whole wheat pastry or all purpose gluten free) to the mix and bake for 12 - 13 minutes. The addition of the flour will help soak up some of the natural oils making these a crisper cookie with a nice chew. I used chunky almond butter for the cookies below. Again delicious! (If you want a traditional looking cookie without the flour, try using refrigerated almond butter and mix the batter once the oven is ready. I didn't test this out yet with the almond butter but I have a feeling it will work great!)

However you like your cookies...enjoy the deliciousness!

I'd love to see your masterpieces!
 #thesimpleveganista