Don’t get me wrong, I love salad, but if I’m being honest, I sometimes get a little bored of a bowl of veggies with dressing on it.
In search of a healthy, fresh meal option, Clark and I were inspired by our favourite local Vietnamese restaurant and created these delicious little salad rolls! They do take a little time (about 30-45 minutes to prepare), but the preparation is part of the fun for us. We usually don’t make these when we’re in a starving rush to get dinner ready, but they’re a weekend staple, and we’ll probably make them at least once over the holidays!
My specialized diet allows me to have most seafood and lean chicken, so we usually add shrimp to ours. You could totally do it without shrimp and they still taste great!
These salad rolls are packed with veggies and we like to add mango to ours. You could easily leave out the mango if you’re not a fan! I love the fresh taste of lime in both the shrimp and the sauce. I realized once we had devoured the almond lime sauce that I didn’t get a single picture of it. Opps! It’s pretty simple, so hopefully no photos needed!
If you’ve never used rice paper, don’t be afraid! Most grocery stores now have an international foods section; we get ours at the Real Canadian Superstore. They are really easy to use! Just fill a large frying pan with warm water (don’t heat it on the stove) and let the rice paper soak for about 20 seconds. Once they have softened remove them from the water and place on a clean surface.
To build your salad rolls, simply pile everything on in whatever order you wish! The more full you make it, the harder it is to roll, but go crazy if you want! The amount pictured below is a great amount for an easy, full roll.
It may take you a little practice to get the roll right but keep practicing! Fold away from you, tuck in the sides and roll away to finish it off!
It should all tuck in like a little envelope!
You could eat these as a side dish, a snack, an appetizer, or you can enjoy them as a light meal! That’s what we do! Dip in the almond lime sauce and enjoy!
- 12 Round Rice Paper Sheets
- 4 ounces of Thin Vermicelli Rice Noodles
- 1/2 cucumber
- 4 lettuce leaves
- 1 red pepper
- 1 carrot
- 1 mango
- 12 mint leaves
- 12 raw peeled shrimp (optional)
- 12 Raw Peeled Shrimp
- 1/2 tsp lime zest
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- Juice from 1 lime
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 4 Tbsp of Almond Butter
- 1 Tbsp Agave Nectar
- 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 salt (omit if using salted almond butter)
- Water
- If using frozen raw peeled shrimp, defrost by bathing in a bowl of cold water. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Prepare vegetables while shrimp is defrosting.
- Cut cucumbers, carrots, peppers, mango into long thin slices (about 4 inches long).
- Cut lettuce into 3 inch x 3 inches pieces.
- Cut mint leaves into small pieces.
- Whisk together lime zest, cumin, salt, pepper lime juice and olive oil in a small bowl.
- Add defrosted shrimp to mixture.
- Let sit for 10 minutes to marinade.
- Heat a small flying pan on medium heat.
- Add shrimp to hot pan.
- Cook for 2 minutes on each side or until shrimp are pink.
- Remove from pan and let cool slightly.
- Butterfly cut shrimp in half.
- Whisk together almond butter, agave nectar, rice vinegar, cayenne pepper and salt.
- Add water until sauce is desired consistency.
- Prepare vermicelli noodles according to package directions (place noodles in boiling water for 3-5 minutes and strain when noodles become soft). Set strained noodles aside in small bowl.
- Fill large frying paper with hot water.
- Soak one piece of rice paper for 20 second in hot water.
- Remove from water and place on a clean surface.
- Add 1 3 inch piece of lettuce, a small pile of rice noodles and 2 pieces of shrimp.
- Add a couple pieces each of cucumber, peppers, carrots and mango.
- Sprinkle on mint leaves.
- Fold the rice paper away from you until it just covers the pile of filling.
- Fold each side in like an envelope.
- Roll the remainder away from you until the roll is enclosed. Try to roll it as tight as you can. This part takes a little practice, but don't give up! Paper should be sticky enough to hold itself together.
- Repeat for each roll.
- Cut in half and enjoy with almond sauce!