Shrimp Spring Rolls

I've always been hesitant to try any Asian recipes because whenever I look at the ingredient list, I have no idea what they're talking about (just wait for my post on Miso Soup)! I finally decided to get over this fear and try my hand at one of my favorite appetizers/light lunches-- Spring Rolls. Did I mention these are really healthy? These are really healthy.

This all started when I decided on a whim to take a trip to the Asian grocery store. I used Yelp to find one close to me that had good reviews (although I didn't know what to make of the reviews because most people were praising ingredients I had never heard of). If you live in Salt Lake, I highly recommend (based on no other experience whatsoever..) the South East Supermarket on 422 East and 900 South.

In retrospect, I REALLY wish I had taken pictures while at the market. It was completely overwhelming as most of the labels aren't in English (duh) and I didn't know exactly what I was looking for.The good news is that this store had LOTS of help on staff who were very knowledgeable and friendly. I also noticed that the produce was ridiculously cheap, especially the fresh herbs. Score.

I googled some of my favorite sushi restaurant's menus and looked at the ingredients for their spring rolls and then just went to town buying up ingredients.

Recipe: Spring Rolls
Ingredients

• Bell Pepper
• Sprouts
• Mint
• Rice Noodles
• Rice Paper / Wonton Paper
• Shrimp
• Carrots
• Cucumber
• Chives
• Bok Choy

This was also my first time deshelling, deveining, and cooking shrimp. It was no where near as hard as I thought and have no idea why I was so intimidated before.  I used this tutorial and was done in no time. Anyway, start with your raw shrimp. I used a half lb. I recently went wade fishing with my family, and my boyfriend had to put the live shrimp on the hook for me because it was just too gross. So it took a bit of courage for me to work with these shrimp even if they are dead. I think it's the eyes.

Peel and devein. It's kind of gross but just remember the shrimp are already dead and can't feel anything. That helps me, anyway. You should have seen Bella's face when I pulled the heads off. I was like," Listen, don't look at me that way. I am not a monster!"

Next, boil the shrimp until they turn.. shrimpy-colored. Like this:

Now they don't look so awful! Now I want to eat them. I also hear you can boil them with shells ON for maximum flavor. I'll have to try that next time.

Next, it's time to make the rice noodles (aka vermicelli). Follow the instructions for  your noodles and cook. Drain and set aside. Very easy. Here's a picture of mine in case you don't know what to look for.

After you have the shrimp and noodles cooked, it's time to start chopping veggies!  Chop 'em up and pull the leaves off the herbs. Make sure to use small portions, you don't want to bite into a big chunk of anything. I didn't have it but you can also use basil instead of/in addition to mint. Doesn't this look beautiful? A rainbow of goodness.

Carrots, Chives, Bell Pepper, Cucumber, Bok Choy, Sprouts, Mint, Shrimp, Rice Noodles.

Now for the fun part! And by that, I mean the intimidating part. I was pretty anxious about rolling up the noodles and working with rice paper, but once again, it was for nothing. Grab a bowl of warm water for dipping the paper into. Make sure you have everything you need readily accessible so you can work quickly. You can buy rice paper frozen or ready to go. Here's what I used:

Submerge the paper in warm water for about a second or two and place on a flat surface (I used a cutting board.) I put down a layer of rice noodles, veggies, and topped with shrimp along one of the edges. Now roll like a burrito! That means you pull the sides in, then roll up. You'll see that the paper is very sticky and pliable. Much easier than a burrito, actually.

Yum! How pretty do these look? Cut in half and dip into some peanut sauce. You can buy it from the store or make your own. The Asian grocery store had SO many kinds. I didn't love the recipe I tried so I won't be posting it. Sorry.

Ta-da! They tasted delish and were fun to make once I got the hang of it. A Spring Roll Rolling Party seems like a great idea to me. Everyone could pick whatever ingredients they want and make their own dinner. Any dinner where the guests cook for themselves is always a good idea, right?

Baked Sweet Potatoe Fries

Do you want to hear something gross? When I was younger (like 12-ish) I used to get the extra large fries from McDonalds (Think an extra large soft drink cup filled with fries) and a large milkshake and call it lunch. Isn't that awful? I didn't realize at the time that was like 6000 calories but to be honest I probably didn't care. Oh, young/fast metabolism. Come back to me. Anyways, I still LOVE fries and splurge occasionally  However, these sweet potato fries easily fill that craving and are the perfect side dish for sandwiches/burgers/etc. Because some things just NEED  a side of fries and no salad can substitute that. So here's my go-to recipe for fry emergencies.

1. Preheat oven to 400 Degrees.

2. Peel one large sweet potato and chop into (somewhat) equal strips. I have a horrible time trying to make the strips equal. Sigh.

3. Coat with sea salt and 1 tbsp. EVOO. You can experiment with different seasonings here, like rosemary or chili powder or pepper. I prefer the classic way, though. Because some things are fine the way they are, okay?

4. Place on a cooking sheet and spread out so that the fries aren't overlapping.

It's pretty embarrassing when you state not to let the fries overlap and then you post a picture where some fries are in fact overlapping. Just try to get past it.

5. Bake about 10 minutes (or until soft)

6. Broil on low for 2-3 minutes or until crispy. Be careful they don't burn!

7. Enjoy! This made about 3 servings.

Nutritional information: 100 calories, 4g fat.

Turkey Burgers

Sometimes I really want a hamburger, you know? While nothing could ever REALLY be a substitute for a good hamburger, this turkey burger comes pretty close. It's definitely a nice hearty lunch option that actually tastes good. And that's all any of us could really ask for, isn't it? By swapping out turkey for that fatty ground beef and using sandwich thins instead of carb bombs hamburger buns, you get a much healthier version of a hamburger but with much of the same satisfaction-- especially if you make some sweet potato fries to go alongside it.

First, you'll need some patties. Look, mine are on sale!  Now your meal is healthy AND cheap. Win, win. Make sure you look for patties that say lean because, surprisingly, a lot of ground turkey options have a ton of fat, which I didn't even know was possible because I thought turkey was like 98% fat free? Mysteries. 

Now we need some "buns." It's also helpful if you warms these up over a grill or in the oven before serving. Gives it a little somethin' extra.

Now, grab some EVOO and put it in your skillet on medium heat. While that heats up, season your patties with salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, & paprika. You can change any of these or add others if you prefer. I just had a brilliant idea of using actual burger seasoning but it's too late now. Ugh.

Put the patties in the skillet and let cook 12-15 minutes, turning occasionally. It looks like I poked holes in these patties, but I swear that I didn't. They just came that way.

You'll be able to see when they're done. If you're feeling fancy, use your meat thermometer. I don't have one so I can't help you with that. Turn heat to low and add a slice of provolone cheese on top till melty. My spell check is saying saying "melty" isn't a word but there's just no other way to describe it.

Garnish with 1 tbsp Light Mayo made with Olive Oil, spinach, pickles, sweet onions, & whatever other veggies you like! Some people don't like Mayo (how?) so feel free to use mustard or whatever your little heart desires. Toast the sandwich thins if you want to make them extra yummy. These go great with baked sweet potato fries, recipe coming up next!

Nutritional info: 395 calories, 30g protein.