Delicious Summer Rolls!

Sometime I just don’t want to cook a large meal. I want something that’s filling and doesn't take forever! This dish I love, because it’s so simple, filling, and fun to make. This is an item that can be made into a meal or also makes a great appetizer for guests. I enjoy making these in the summer, because all the ingredients are fresh and in season. The sauce compliments really nicely with it too. You don’t have to use this sauce; you can also make your own or just eat them as is. Also you can be creative and make them just vegetables, or with chicken, shrimp, crab, whatever you want.

Prep: 5 min                                 Cooking time: 10 min

Serving: 1-2 (Depends on quantity made)    Calories: Sauce 170

                                                                     Rolls 436

*Note: Calories can change depending on what form of protein you add into rolls.

Gluten Free and Dairy Free

Ingredients:

¼ Cucumber (once julienned makes about ½-3/4 cups)

1 carrot (once julienned makes about ½-3/4 cup)

½ Avocado

Rice noodles (once heated should make about 1 cup – 1 ½ cup)

3 sheets of Spring wrappers (rice paper)

½ Cooked chicken breast Shredded

Sauce:

1 Tablespoon of chunky peanut butter

1 Tablespoon of Srirarcha (more if you want spicier)

1 Teaspoon of low sodium soy sauce (Gluten free soy sauce can be used)

1 Teaspoon of minced or dry ginger

¼ teaspoon of Sesame oil

4 oz of water

Preparation:

1. First thing you want to follow the instructions on how to do your rice noodles. Usually you want to place them in hot water for 10 minutes.

2. With a Julianne tool or knife.  Julianne cucumbers and carrot.

3. Slice avocado into five slices.

4. Have a bowl of hot water and for 10 to 15 seconds then pull it and place on your cutting board.

5. First place noodles on center of rice paper, a little golf ball worth

6. Place 1/3 of carrots of carrots, cucumber, and avocado on top

7. Add 1/3 of chicken on top

8. Fold in sides, then wrap like around tight. Like a burrito.

9. Repeat until all are done. You can cut in half for appetizers

Sauce:

1. Mix in Peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, sriracha, ginger and water. Mix well until becomes thick like a sauce. If too thick add more water. If you want spicier add more sriracha or red chili flakes.

It’s that simple! You’re done and I hope you enjoy!

From my kitchen to yours, enjoy!   

What are you Eating?! Fun health facts about Spinach and Asparagus.

Last week I posted a meal with two ingredients. Those ingredients were asparagus and spinach, why am I typing about those ingredients? The reason why is I think it is great if you know the benefits of the items in your diet. When you’re “dieting” you’re trying to load your body with many nutrients. I say “dieting” because, you shouldn’t think about it as a diet. Think of this is a lifestyle change. Your body is like a temple, it needs to be cleaned and cared for to keep it looking amazing. The way you do that, is by loading your body with healthy items. Stuff that come from earth and not processed or has additives. A clean eating diet is the best way to help keep your body cared for and clean. So let’s start with the two of the ingredients that I added Asparagus and spinach.

Asparagus

This is a great Vegetable! 

Asparagus is known to have a large amount of vitamins A, C, E, and K, with a little bit of minerals as folate, iron, chromium, potassium, and manganese. Also it contains fiber and protein. Vitamin K in asparagus plays a key role, this is excellent for healthy blood clotting and strengthen your bones. Vitamin A helps with bettering your vision.  Some of the nutrients help to keep your heart healthy. It has trace amounts of minerals that help boost your immunity system.  With the mixture of B vitamins, fiber, and anti-inflammatory compounds can help prevent in heart disease. These also can help lower your risk of obtaining type-2 diabetes.

Potassium is good in helping your kidney function regularly. This also can help prevent the kidneys from forming kidney stones. Amino acids are found in asparagus as well.  Amino acid is a natural diuretic. This helps increase urination, which doesn’t only allow fluid release, but helps rid the body of excess salts.

It contains an antioxidant glutathione, which is known to attract toxins and free radicals to it. Then once they are attached to the glutathione it carries the toxins and free radicals out of the body. It also contains many other antioxidants such as beta-carotene and selenium. This vegetable contains high levels of anti-inflammatory compounds.

This nifty vegetable also contains inulin. The thing makes inulin so special, this compound stays undigested until it travels into the large intestine. When it gets in the large intestine it helps absorb nutrients in there and also cuts the chances of colon cancer.

Spinach

Mom has always told you to eat your spinach, because just like Popeye it will make you strong. Little did she know what many other great things spinach can do for you! 

Spinach has an abundant of vitamins as well. It also contains Vitamin A, C, E and K, it also has Beta-Carotenoids. As said before Vitamin A helps protect, maintain and can strengthen the health of your eyes. Vitamin A also helps reduce free radicals in the body. Vitamin K again can help blood clotting and bone health. This is very good for those who are trying to better your body as well working out. An added bonus is Vitamin C, which is an increase in antioxidants and even help in anti-aging. This is great on helping you looking younger! With having beta-carotenoids, vitamin E, Lutein and Vitamin C this gives spinach large amounts of antioxidants. This is crazy! 

Not many vegetables have this amount of nutrients in just one, this is very rare.

Speaking of antioxidants, researchers have found 13 different flavonoid compounds. This is great because these guys serve as antioxidants and anti-cancer agents. This can help prevent different forms of cancer in the body. Spinach is rich in Lutein, this can help prevent cataracts and age related macular degeneration. This is one of the main things that can help prevent blindness in people aging and elderly. Hypertension prevention is another valuable trait of spinach. Spinach contains one of the 4 principal nutrients, this can play critical role to keep the balance of Na-K (Sodium and Potassium) pump by lowering the potassium in the body.

Spinach can help improve learning capacity and motor skills in the brain. This is a good vegetable to eat, especially for students for those long study session times. Most times you can get stressed while studying for exams. Well not only can this help strengthen your study skills, but spinach can also relax your body. The source that helps relax the body is Magnesium and replenishes all the lost energy within seconds. Fatigue is caused magnesium deficiency and spinach can easily take care of this. So this can help you stay alert and feel replenished. No wonder why Popeye loved spinach so much!

Who knew that just these two vegetables where so amazing! And these are just two of the many fruits of vegetables that are out there. So stay tuned as I keep adding more information of all the yummy food out there. Hopefully these facts can help with your diet.

From my kitchen to yours, Enjoy!