Today I am back at work after the most spectacular bachelorette party on Martha’s Vineyard. One of my best friends, Carolyn, is someone who is driven, passionate, and most importantly she knows how to get down on the dance floor.  She goes out of her way for those that she loves and it was no surprise that she brought together a powerful and diverse group of women. We all represented various aspects of her life and yet we moved through the weekend as a true group – getting to know one another, reminiscing about the past, and building new memories.   I cannot wait to see these women again at the wedding in August and celebrate the union of Carolyn and Tom!

Since my last post I’ve been busy recording all of my weekly fruits and veggies after being inspired by this great post about eating the rainbow by Laura over at FeastWisely.   In the post (which you should go and read for yourself) she encourages you to reflect on the number of different types of fruits and veggies that you consume in a typical week without changing your meal plan. So, I followed her lead and tracked my week here keeping a list each time I consumed a new fruit or veggie. Here’s my week —

• Friday: cucumber, spinach, kale, carrot, radish, swiss chard, garlic scapes
• Saturday: jalapeno, corn, tomato, avocado, mushrooms, spinach, garlic
• Sunday: bell pepper, potato, red onion, granny smith apple
• Monday: nectarine, brussels sprouts
• Tuesday: bean sprouts, bibb lettuce, green onions
• Wednesday: fuji apple
• Thursday: watermelon

For my totals I consumed 25 different fruits and veggies but surprisingly had only 4 different types of fruit! Fascinating.  Apples are one of my favorite foods, and I have one every day, but it was interesting to see that my veggie consumption is more diverse than fruits.  Laura’s challenge is to get to 30 and so I plan to work on increasing both of these numbers over the duration of the summer.

As for these summer rolls, they are the perfect summer treat, particularly as you don’t need to turn on the oven or stove. In terms of filling I found this video on the Kitchn to be incredibly helpful. We used their method of first stuffing the veggies in the lettuce and found that those rolls stayed together better than others.

You can add a range of veggies including red cabbage to these rolls and you can also adjust the herbs to anything from thai basil, mint, cilantro or parsley. What are your favorite ingredients when making these?

Shrimp Summer Rolls

• Servings: 8-10
• Time: 40 prep = 40 mins
• Print

These shrimp summer rolls are filled with carrots, cucumbers, and sprouts and pair perfectly with this peanut dipping sauce for a fresh summer treat!

Ingredients

• 1 pound of cooked shrimp
• 4 oz dried rice stick noodles (cooked and set aside)
• 1 package of rice paper
• 1 english cucumber
• Bean sprouts
• Basil
• Bibb lettuce
• Shaved carrots
• Scallions

For the peanut sauce

• 3/4 cup natural style creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 tablespoons of hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 4 1/2 teaspoons of soy sauce
• 2 1/4 teaspoons of sriracha
• 1 medium clove of garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Steps & Notes

1. Locate a dish that the rice papers can fit fully inside. Then fill with 1 inch of warm water.
2. Prepare the rice noodles according to the package and set aside
3. Cut each shrimp in half lengthwise
4. Setup all veggies in an area for rolling
5. One at a time place the rice paper into the water for about 15 seconds until it becomes soft (you will feel the difference fairly quickly). Then, transfer it carefully to a wooden cutting board trying not to let it stick to itself.
6. Place the shrimp skin side down 1/3 from one edge.  Then, cover with some rice noodles.
7. Lay a piece of bibb lettuce in your hand and add veggies. Wrap it into a roll and then place onto the wrapper.  Fold the edge first over the lettuce/veggie wrap and then finally over the shrimp.
8. Once rolled place onto a clean plate or tray.
9. To make the peanut sauce combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve as a dipping sauce immediately