I’ve been using rice paper to wrap Summer Rolls and learning I can roll almost any kind of sandwich into rice paper to avoid bread and save calories. For traditional summer rolls tho, it’s as easy as a little prep ahead of time — chopping vegetables into slivers and having them ready in stackable plastic containers so I can easily lay them out in front of me when I’m making the roll. 

I start by filling the fridge with stackable plasticware containing uniform strips of the vegs that will go in the rolls. I wash, dry, slice and stack when I get home from the store.

I make my dipping sauces, see recipes below.

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Crispy tofu here with broccoli

This was FAR AND AWAY the best tasting, CRISPIEST tofu I’ve ever made. See the original at the vid at Sweet and spicy tofu from tifflovestofu on TikTok 

FIRST, PREPARE THE TOFU AND LET IT SIT
Squeeze excess water out of block of tofu,
Press on a towel for 60 mins at room temp to dehydrate.

NEXT, PREPARE THE VEGETABLES SO THEY’RE READY
Chop garlic (for me, 6 cloves)
ginger (for me, a thumb sized piece)
mushrooms  (3-4 oz)
scallions (maybe 6-8 chopped, you’ll saute the white parts and set the green parts aside to sprinkle on the dish before serving)
bell peppers ( one whole chopped)
onion (one small)
You’ll end up with 4 cups of chopped raw vegs
It’s not in her recipe, but I add broccoli to everything, see pic. Continue reading →

I’ve been making some of these. Warm your tortilla before assembling, it will make it more flexible. The Mission spinach herb tortilla wraps are a little more tender than the corn or flour, so I always make sure I have a solid layer of greens on the bottom (think whole lettuce or collard green leaf) with a few drops of ranch so when I get a bleed thru with the hummus and carrots, it’s not a mess.  For these, I drizzled ranch dressing on the wrap, not much, then romaine leaves followed by a thin layer of carrot matchsticks and a blob of hummus spread over the top. For these, I used the parsley garlic hummus with added cayenne. You can also add a thin layer of pickles, pepper rings, a little cheese.  THIN layers tho so it holds folds in a way you can hold it when wrapped.,

Having 3 hands would help.

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Turkey sandwich with kraut, microgreens, bibb lettuce

I love to read menus to get inspired to make new salad and sandwich combinations at home.  Reading the menu was always a fave part of dining out, deciding what sounded good in the moment, reading the ingredients and realizing wow I can do that at home! Here were some faves from the now closed Tempo Bistro To go in Gainesville, FL:

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I’m not someone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen. (Wait, I wrote this 2 years ago, now I’m constantly cooking.) Maybe because I worked from home for so long that I got in the habit of eating most of my meals out. I have a handful of favorite dishes I cook for myself and for friends and one of my favorite things to cook is soup.  Sometimes I’m just looking in the fridge at the leftovers. Sometimes I do this in a structured manner, like deciding on split pea soup and buying just those ingredients, but most often I find myself in the store looking at a juicy stalk of fennel next to a fat leek and the ideas start to flow. If I have no direction in mind, I can just let the fresh vegetables of the day direct me. 

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I love soup. Some dishes I make extra soupy just to have more broth. I like my curries extra brothy so I add at least a cup more broth or water and spices to the recipe below. 

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Andrea’s Spicy Low Fat Seafood Chowder

Marinate 1 lb of shrimp or bay scallops in the juice of 2 lemons while you begin
Saute 6 cloves freshly chopped garlic in 2 tblsp olive oil
Dice and add:
I giant whole leek
1 fat stalk of fennel
I parsnip
2 whole carrots
Corn from one raw ear
4 stalks celery

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ITEMS TO BUY AT AN ASIAN MARKET Keep these items on hand and by the time you read the recipes about them a few times, you’ll feel adventuresome enough to make the delicious, classic tom yum soup.

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Split Pea soup Image kalhh, Pixabay

Split pea is a favorite of mine because I can make it in 35 minutes. Even though I make only one quart of it at a time, I saute my vegs in a 2 quart pot so I can get them all browning and carmelizing.  (Double the recipe if you want 2 quarts.)

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The tops are crisp with a light breading, underneath are chewy and carmelized

Mmmm breaded Roma tomato slices roasted, crispy AND chewy! Basically 1/3 of the way to a dried tomato. The resident food critic pronounced them the best he’s ever had, anywhere. I’d have to agree. I like Roma tomatoes because they’re not very watery, they stay firm and flavorful. Plus I can grow tomatoes from the slices!

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