The Recipe Box: Simple Spring Rolls
Being diagnosed with a pelvic pain disorder may be more than just uncomfortable. Sometimes a diagnosis, such as IC or endometriosis, carries with it a new way of eating. Many people with chronic pain disorders are put on anti-inflammatory diets by their doctors or nutritionists, which may include scary words like "gluten-free". At Lokahi Physical Therapy & Wellness, we're interested in whole-person healing, so we're starting a blog series of recipes to help you navigate a new way of eating.
Today's recipe: Simple Spring Rolls
Yield: 4 Rolls
Prep time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 *eggs
- 1/2 cup finely chopped spinach
- 1/4 cup finely chopped grape tomatoes
- 2 Tbs finely chopped cilantro
- 2 Tbs finely chopped green onions
- 1 cup cooked rice *vermicelli
- 4 *rice paper sheets
Preparation:
After thoroughly washing the produce, finely chop your spinach, tomatoes, cilantro, and green onions and set each in its own separate pile on a plate or cutting board. Lightly salt your *eggs and scramble them. Set aside to cool. Bring six cups of water to a rapid boil, then add rice *vermicelli. Boil the vermicelli for 6-8 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water.
Assembly:
On a long table or counter, set up your Spring Roll Assembly Station. First, put 4 rice paper next to an over-sized shallow dish with about half an inch of cold water in it. Next to that, put a large plate or cutting board, your plate or cutting board with your prepared ingredients, and an empty plate for the finished spring rolls.
To make a spring roll, take one *rice paper and immerse it in the water for 10-20 seconds. Remove it from the water and set it on an empty plate or cutting board. Put your ingredients in, vermicelli first, then eggs, then produce. Do not overfill, as you will be unable to roll your spring roll if it contains too much food! When you have placed the ingredients on the rice paper, roll it like a burrito, folding up the ends first, then rolling it *tightly from the side. Serve up and enjoy!
*A few notes on making our spring rolls: 1. It is recommended for those on soy-free diets to get soy-free eggs, as high levels of soy have been found in the yolks of eggs laid by chickens who are fed a soy-based diet. 2. Rice vermicelli and rice paper can be purchased at Asian supermarkets and some health food stores. If you are gluten-free, make sure to read the ingredients, as some may contain wheat flour. If you prefer to be rice-free also, some stores sell sweet-potato-based vermicelli and paper. 3. The rice paper can tear if handled too roughly.
