Healthy, Filling, And Easy- And Cheap!

A few days ago I found a simple delicious recipe over at Food Party Blog. It looked so simple I knew it was something I could whip up fast. I made my spring rolls with frozen shrimp. To give them a little flavor, first I sauteed some crushed garlic and ginger in a little bit of sesame oil.

I leave the garlic and ginger in large coarse pieces so I can remove them easily after they've rendered their flavor into the oil. Then I add the shrimp to saute a bit.

I also added some good tamari sauce.

I'm always thinking 'layers of flavor' when I cook.

While that's cooking, I prep my filling ingredients, which can be anything you like. I've used Spinach before, but this time I only had lettuce, which is nice and crunchy. I also added thinly sliced carrots, green onions

and lots of cilantro- plus peanuts. Last time I used cucumber but I didn't care for the way it made the sauce 'watery'.

Once everything is ready to go, I begin simmering some water for the rice wrappers. It does take some practice, because they tend to curl up on you. Tongs felt cumbersome, so I just used my fingers and quickly rotate them to soften all the edges in the water then quickly place them in a plate.

And it's on to fill and roll the wrappers, like a burrito.

Don't forget the sauces in the filling!

I'm thinking these healthy treats can be made without the rice wrappers by merely wrapping your veggies in nice big lettuce leaves. It's really the sauces which give so much flavor to the rolls. I've made them with grilled chicken like the other blogger and they are equally delicious. And though they appear to be appetizers, you can really fill up on them as a meal. My family said four per person was a good amount. I fill up on one. They are just so good! Good Eats! And did I say they were cheap? The only thing I had to buy in this case was the shrimp. I think it was a one pound package for $2.97. And it was enough to feed all three of us with plenty of leftovers.