Fresh Spring Rolls and naturally gluten-free, delicious, fat-free and oh so good for you! Stuffed with an assortment of vegetables, these little packets of goodness are easy to make and can be made and presented in under 30 minutes. You can add shrimp as we did, or make them with vegetables only, either way, they will be a great addition to your recipe favorites.

Fresh Spring Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 lb. large shrimp, shelled & deveined
• 3/4 cup finely shredded carrots
• 1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 12  large rounds of rice paper
• 3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 3/4 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
• 3/4 cup bean sprouts

For dipping sauce

• 1/2 cup gf hoisin sauce
• 3 Tablespoons water
• 3 Tablespoons gf soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1-1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon freshly minced ginger

Step 1

Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the shrimp; cook until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Drain and immediately transfer shrimp to a bowl of ice water. When the shrimp have cooled, cut into 1/4 inch pieces.

Step 2

In a small bowl toss the carrots and scallions with rice vinegar. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Step 3

Fill a pie dish or dinner plate with warm water. Working with 4 sheets of rice paper at a time, immerse them in the water and let stand for about 45 seconds or until very pliable. Carefully arrange the soaked sheets in a single layer on paper towels to drain. Working with 1 soaked sheet at a time, put the sheet on a clean, dry work surface. Arrange about 1 tablespoon of cilantro leaves in a horizontal line across the bottom, leaving a 1 inch border on the bottom edge and on each side. Top the cilantro with about 2 tablespoons poached shrimp. Top the shrimp with about 1 tablespoon of the carrot mixture. Lay about 1 tablespoon of peppers on top and finish with about 1 tablespoon of bean sprouts. Roll up filling tightly in sheet, folding in 2 sides of the sheet to completely enclose the filling, and continue rolling.

Make more spring rolls in the same manner with remaining 3 soaked sheets. Transfer assembled rolls to a tray and cover with dampened paper towels. Repeat procedure with the remaining 8 sheets of rice paper and filling ingredients. Tightly cover tray with plastic wrap (keeping dampened paper towels directly on spring rolls.) Spring rolls can be made 6 hours ahead and chilled.  Just before serving, cut each roll in half with a sharp knife.  To serve, stand roll halves upright so that the cut side is up.

For the sauce, combine the gf hoisin sauce, water, gf soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and minced ginger in a small bowl. Serve as a dipping sauce along with the spring rolls.

- Chef Yvonne