Summer Salad Rolls

These guys have definitely been the favourite lunch in our house this summer!  Surprisingly quick and easy to make...VERY low cost...and you can change the ingredients easily for each person's serving based on their taste buds or diet!  If you let your little boys make their own I promise they will gobble them up too!  Great for entertaining, or for enjoying alone in your backyard:)

I've tried many many different dipping sauces...here's links to the last 3 that I've tried.  My favourite green salad dressing is also AMAZING with these rolls!

The rice paper rounds can be found in the Asian section of your grocery  store.  They are usually around $2 a pack and you get about 20....that's a steal!  Follow the directions on the package for soaking.  If you haven't tried them before...you literally soak them in hot water for about 5 seconds and then let them sit for about 30 seconds...then stuff them and roll them...that's it!

You can totally make these ahead of time...or pack them for the beach...just lay a damp paper towel over them to prevent them from turning back into crunchy rice papers:)


SUMMER SALAD ROLLS

INGREDIENTS

Rice paper rounds (about 3-4 per person)
*Brown Rice noodles...prepared according to directions, drained very well (noodles...NOT pasta)

any or all of the following, sliced thinly...options are endless!
spinach
lettuce
avacodo
sprouts
red peppers
mango
carrots
red cabbage
cucumber
basil
cilantro
green onions
tuna
salmon
shrimp
quinoa

*totally optional...including them makes for more of a 'meal'...but they taste great without too!


SAUCE
Mustard Soy-Sauce
Easy Thai Peanut Sauce
Favourite Green Dressing

Alright....it's high time I got OFF Pinterest...and actually updated my blog with one of the many fabulous recipes that I try from there!!

Sorry I've been a little MIA this past month:)  Had a wonderful long trip to Ontario to visit family...ate lots of yummy food...did a little detour to Atlanta to hang out with some amazing people and eat local organic peaches...I still think about them daily.  Now we're home and back into the swing of things...picking from our garden daily and shopping at the Farmer's Market as much as we can!  I love summer in the Okanagan!!

Last Friday morning I made a HUGE batch of quinoa...just plain.  I love the versatility of this super grain.  These cookies were the result of the first few servings of the quinoa.  Then I used some more to make a salad for great friends who just had a sweet baby girl.  THEN there was still enough left to make one of these!  There are not many foods that you can be that creative with!  My bag of quinoa is now currently gone....so to Costco we must go!

These cookies are an amazing and healthy treat to whip up...and are super quick if you're already cooking quinoa for something else anyhow!  Our boys loved them...they are super high in protein...so they held them over until a late dinner that night.  We brought them to a friend's house to share while we hung out together in their backyard on a Friday afternoon...I recommend you do the same:)

Nut Butter Chocolate Quinoa Cookies
original recipe found here

sidenote:  You can choose to make these with warm quinoa (I did) and the result will be an actual chocolate-looking-cookie...or you can used cooled quinoa and the result will be a chocolate-chip-looking-cookie.  
 
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 cup nut butter (I used almond...I think peanut would taste better!)
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut (optional...I used it!)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
 
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine quinoa, peanut butter, maple syrup, salt, and oats in a large mixing bowl.   Mix with spoon or mixer...I found a spoon to work no problem.

Stir in coconut and chocolate chips.

Roll small balls of dough between hands and flatten on cookie sheet.

Place cookies on parchment-paper-lined baking sheets and bake for approximately 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are nicely browned.

ENJOY!...nice cold almond milk is a GREAT partner to these:)