CSA Recipe - Week 7: Nicole's Spring Rolls

Nicole's Spring Rolls
This week's recipe is from fellow CSA member (and amazing physical therapist) Nicole O'Hair! She sent me this recipe she got from Sunset Magazine and says she substitutes out a lot of the ingredients for whatever is in season. Whether it's zucchini, salad turnip, carrots or whatever fresh, crunchy thing she has on hand, she cuts them up and puts them in the roll. Similar to taco night, you can put out a bunch of options and have people make their own roll! 

4 servings

3 1/2 ounces (half of a 7oz package) thin rice noodles
1 red bell pepper, rinsed
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
2 tablespoons sweet Asian chili sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts
12 ounces shelled cooked shrimp, tails removed
8 ounces shredded cooked chicken
6 ounces mixed baby greens, rinsed 
1 cucumber, rinsed, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced into half-moons
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 cup each loosely packed fresh mint leaves and fresh cilantro
12-18 rice paper wrappers

1. In a 4-5 quart pan over high heat, bring 3 quarts water to a boil. Add rice noodles, stir to separate, and cook until tender to bite, 3-5 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water until cool, and drain again. Using scissors, cut noodles into about 3" lengths.

2. Meanwhile, stem and seed bell pepper; cut lengthwise into 1/4" slices, then crosswise into 2" lengths. In a small bowl, stir together fish sauce, sweet chili sauce and lime juice.

3. Mound rice noddles in the center of a large platter. Drizzle 1 tablespoon fish sauce mixture over noodles, then sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Mound bell pepper, shrimp, chicken, greens, cucumber slices, shredded carrots, mint and cilantro around noodles.

4. Pour 1" hot top water into a large, shallow bowl. Submerge rice-paper wrappers, one or two at a time, until flexible and tender, about 30 seconds. Carefully remove and let drain briefly; stack on a plate.

5. Offer platter of fillings for diners to assemble their own summer rolls, with remaining fish sauce mixture alongside for dipping. To roll, add desired fillings in a strip across center of a wrapper; fold in sides over filling, then roll up tightly from the edge closest to you, like a burrito.

Peanut sauce is also great for dipping these into! Thanks for sharing, Nicole!