Spring Rolls

I know I've been away for awhile. And I can't promise that I'm back, but I did want to post these awesome spring rolls that I made. They came out tasting so good and they were so easy to make. I've wanted to try and make them for years but never came across rice paper in my store and I never went out of my way to try and acquire it. When I saw it sitting on the shelf of my supermarket the other day, I grabbed a package and took the spring roll plunge! The rice paper was a lot easier to work with than I thought it would be! I'm now planning on making these again and again. By the way, this is my version, I'm not claiming these to be authentic to any cuisine. It was from my memory of spring rolls I've had in restaurants combined with ingredients I had on hand! :)

Rice Paper Sheets
shrimp
avocado
romaine lettuce
shredded carrot
julienned cucumber
cilantro or basil (optional)

Boil the shrimp in salty water until cooked through. Do not overcook! You don't want rubbery shrimp. Set them in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Prep all your ingredients. Finely cut the lettuce, shred you carrot, julienne your cucumber and thinly slice your avocado. Chop your herbs if you plan on using them.

Take a large shallow bowl and fill with hot to the touch water. Gently slide one wrapper in the hot water and let it sit for about 5-10 seconds. When it is very pliable, gently lift it up and try to keep it from folding on itself. Spread it out on your cutting board. In the bottom part of the wrapper, about one and half inches from the side, stack your ingredients. Place your shrimp down first (if your shrimp is small, use two), followed by avocado, carrots, cucumber, and lettuce. Take the bottom edge of your wrapper and pull it up and over the shrimp pile. After one complete turn, fold the left and ride sides of the wrapper over the shrimp and lettuce and then continue to roll until you reach the end of the wrapper. Repeat with the rest of your ingredients!

Peanut dipping sauce
melt about a tbsp of peanut butter in a small dish. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and honey to taste. You can also add chili paste for a hotter dip.

Ginger- Apricot dipping sauce:
Grate some ginger in a small bowl. Add a tbsp of apricot jelly. Add soy sauce and rice wine vingar to taste.