Spring Rolls

Recipes for spring rolls are floating around the blog world right now, and I'd be lying if I said I was not inspired by them.  Actually, I don't think inspired quite covers it, considering I have eaten spring rolls at least once a day for the past four days.  Having never made spring rolls before, I assumed the process was going to be difficult and completely unsuitable for a weeknight (read: easy) meal.  Surely those delicate wrappers would rip the second I tried to work with them, right?  Nope, not even close.

Well, of course some care is needed in handling these little guys, but I would not go so far as to say any skill is required here.  And really, no recipe is required either.  The beauty of the spring roll is its endless adaptability.  Want to use up some leftover salad?  Perfect!  Don't have time or energy to bother with kitchen appliances?  I hear you.  Or, maybe fast forward a few months to fall/winter and all you want to do is turn on your oven: roast some veggies and wrap them in rice paper. 

The process is easy:

1. Soak the rice paper in a shallow dish (larger than your papers) filled with an inch of warm water for 15 seconds or so, then remove and lay it out on a flat surface.
2. Pile your chosen fillings in the center of the rice paper.
3. Drizzle with Sriracha (or other hot sauce) and a bit of dipping sauce.
4. Roll everything into a neat little bundle the same way you would wrap a burrito.
5. Slice in half, dip into sauce, and just try to stop yourself from making more tomorrow.

For more filling and dipping sauce ideas, go here.  I chose to make an almond butter sauce from My New Roots, and I highly suggest you try it if you (like me) usually use spring rolls as a means to consume massive amounts of peanut sauce.

Enjoy!