Feels Like Spring Roll

Last week, four inches of snow covered our front lawn. Today, we wore shorts and t-shirts on our Saturday afternoon dog-walk. Louisiana weather loves to surprise.

I broke a light sweat midway through our walk, and my sun-fueled food associations went like this: "It feels like spring. I MUST make spring rolls!"

Fortunately, I'm prepared for such out-of-the-blue food cravings, and I keep a stocked fridge/freezer/pantry. This is how anal retentive I am: Once a month I grate 1 head of red cabbage, 3 carrots, 10 mushrooms, and 1/2 red onion in the blender, just in case I may want potstickers, spring rolls, or dumplings at some point in the next 30 days.

I mix everything with 1 tbsp. sesame oil and 1 tbsp of Bragg's Liquid Aminos. Then I divide the mixture into four pint-sized freezer bags. I add other ingredients depending on factors as random as, you guessed it, the weather.

The dirty little secret of spring rolls is that they look difficult, but require minimal to no cooking depending on the ingredients. Figuring out a "roll" technique (especially for weirdo lefties like me) presents the greatest challenge.

Fortunately, I will overcome all challenges for food. (The photo doesn't lie).

What you need:

1 cabbage/carrot/mushroom/onion mix, thawed

1/2 bag frozen peas, thawed

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

1 package of rice paper (I bought mine at an Asian grocery)

soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Amino's

1 jar of red or green curry paste

1 bowl hot water

2 plates

What to do:

Saute the cabbage mixture in a wok, until the liquid evaporates. Turn the burner off, then add peas and cilantro.

Take one piece of rice paper and stick it in the bowl of hot water. The paper will soften and become pliable. Once this happens, remove the rice paper to a plate. Add a few spoonfuls of veggies about two inches from the bottom edge of the rice paper; spoon the veggies so that they form a thin vertical line. Roll up like a burrito, making sure to fold and tuck the edges as you go. Move the rolls to your second plate.

Mix a tablespoon or two of the curry paste with a few tablespoons of soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos for a dipping sauce.

BTW: I served my spring rolls with Dal with Cilantro and Coconut Cream.