Vegetarian Rice Paper Rolls

Name: Vegetarian Rice Paper Rolls
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 8 Sheets Rice paper; 1/2 Red pepper; 1/2 Cucumber; 1 C Spinach; 1/2 C Sprouts; 1 handful Mint leaves; 1 dash Red pepper flakes; Coconut aminos (for dipping)

It’s finally May! Is anyone else breathing a sigh of relief?

The temperatures are getting warmer, the trees are getting greener and the sun seems to shine a bit brighter. As the flowers start to bloom and the birds start singing I am reminded of hope and renewal. I know I need that reminder right now so maybe you do, too!

This is the perfect recipe to pull out when you are craving something light and refreshing.

We love this recipe because it’s flexible, healthy, and easy to make.

How to enjoy Vegetarian Rice Paper Rolls

You can enjoy these Vegetarian Rice Paper Rolls as s side-dish paired with a protein source such as grilled chicken or smoked salmon. Also, there are several vegetables would work well in this recipe if you don’t have these veggies on hand feel free to use up whatever is in your refrigerator instead.

Nutritional benefits of Vegetarian Rice Paper Rolls

Vegetarian Rice Paper Rolls are a fun way to consume more raw veggies. There’s a lot of debate when it comes to eating raw versus cooked foods. Whether or not one is better than the other depends on exactly which nutrients you are comparing. For example, if you were to examine vitamin C, you would find that it’s typically higher in raw vegetables since it can break down when exposed to heat. On the other hand, some nutrients become easier to absorb when the food is cooked. We don’t recommend stressing over the small differences in nutrient content in raw versus cooked vegetables – simply focus on eating several servings a day with a mix of both cooked and raw for an optimal diet.

By now we have probably all heard to eat the rainbow but do you know why? Consuming pops of color through your fruit and vegetable choices ensures a variety of antioxidants and phytonutrients. Antioxidants are like parents who stop their children (free radicals) from doing damage in the body. While phytonutrients aren’t essential for keeping us alive like vitamins and minerals are, they are key to preventing disease. For example, spinach which is rich in lutein can protect the eyes and potentially prevent cataracts and macular degeneration.

These Vegetarian Rice Paper Rolls provide copious amounts of vitamin A, necessary for the health of our skin, eyes, respiratory, urinary, and intestinal tract. This is also a great source of vitamin C, one of the key nutrients necessary to boost the immune system and to build our stress hormones that are a vital part of everyday life.

Tips for preparing Vegetarian Rice Paper Rolls

Get your kids involved! For the younger kiddos, have them wash the veggies and choose what they want in their rolls. Get the older kids involved with the peeling and slicing. It is also a fun science experiment for them to watch the hard rice paper turn soft and pliable once placed in water.

Prepare the veggies ahead of time. You can easily wash, peel, and cut your veggies ahead of time and store them in sealed containers in the fridge ready to go. Then when you are ready to assemble this recipe most of the work will already be complete. We don’t recommend assembling ahead of time since the rice paper can become soggy.

We hope you enjoy these as much as we do!