Am I the only one that gets stumped for lunch all the time? For me, lunch is typically leftovers or some random concoction I create from mystery pantry items. BUUUUUUT, I’m here to tell you that you can give your lunch a facelift with these healthy and tasty spring rolls! And depending on your hunger level, you can eat 2 or 4 of these at a time! They are packed with fiber and protein to keep you full for hours. Did I mention these are vegan?!
The other great thing is, they are extremely versatile and you can mix and match pretty much whatever ingredients you want. Don’t have carrots? Sub for some cucumber instead! Not a fan of tofu? Replace with some tuna or other favorite fish! The sky is the limit, so feel free to make it your own! I kind of wish I had put avocado in these too, but I’m really good at coming up with better ideas after I’ve already made something.
A word to the wise before making these… make sure you have all of your spring roll stuffing materials READY. TO. GO. Why? Because rice paper will soften quickly and then you’ll be working with rice paper pieces instead of one sheet. But on the other hand, it doesn’t dissolve in 30 seconds. You have a few minutes to work with it to make sure you get a beautiful, tightly packed spring roll.
To start, I prepped all of my ingredients. Shredded the carrots, cut the tofu, tore my seaweed sheets in half, and mixed the cooked brown rice with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. I also cut the green onions into pieces about the same length as the tofu so everything would be a uniform length in the spring roll.
Once your ingredients are ready, wet the rice paper in lukewarm water and place on a plate or other flat surface. Layer the seaweed sheet first, then all of the other ingredients on top. Then you’re ready to roll! Get it?!
Rolling these bad boys is probably the hardest part. If you’ve ever rolled a burrito, it’s a similar process. If not, just start by bunching up all of the filling on one side of the spring roll as tightly as possible while folding over the spring roll wrapper. Still need help? Here’s a great video to show you the process. Apparently there’s a wet towel trick that helps?! Who knew?
Next, fold over each of the two sides so the filling doesn’t fall out of the roll. Otherwise it might be more like eating a mushy taco, which is not the goal here!
Lastly, continue rolling the spring roll tightly to seal it off and to ensure all of the ingredients are in their own little rice paper cocoon. It gets easier the more you practice! Or if the rice papers don’t work out, you can always put everything in a bowl instead. There’s always room to improvise if needed!
Once you have rolled all your spring rolls, just mix up your dipping sauce and you’re ready to go! A little peanut butter, soy sauce, and Sriracha. Easy peasy. Enjoy!
Healthy Spring Rolls
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown rice cooked
- 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 4 sheets rice paper
- 1 cup carrots grated
- 1 cup tofu, extra firm cut into strips
- 2 scallions sliced
- 2 sheets seaweed cut in half
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- 2 tsp Sriracha
Instructions
Spring Roll
- In a small bowl, combine rice and 1 tbsp of low-sodium soy sauce. Set aside.
- Wet 1 sheet of rice paper and place on a plate. Layer the seaweed first, followed by the tofu, carrots, scallions, and rice.
- Start rolling the rice paper lengthwise, making sure to wrap tightly. Once rolled about halfway, fold in each side to close off the ends and finish wrapping the roll to seal. Repeat with remaining rolls.
Peanut Sauce
- In a small bowl, combine peanut butter, remaining 2 tbsp of soy sauce, and 2 tsp of Sriracha until mixed evenly.