Fresh Mango, Avocado & Tofu Spring Rolls with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

A fact of life: you’re going to cook what you have around the house. Or at least that’s a fact of my life. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel every time dinner rolls around. The way I’ve been able to branch out – slowly, but surely – is to start accumulating interesting or exotic ingredients. Rome wasn’t built in a day (I became the proud owner of a bottle of soy sauce only earlier this week) but having things like fish sauce and rice noodles around the house encourages stepping-out-of-the-box.

Rice paper sheets are the best because you can stuff them with essentially anything you want. I haven’t yet attempted a dessert version but it is absolutely doable (I’m thinking pan fried banana and peanut butter spring rolls??) This time I had stocked up on vegetables from my neighborhood cheap Asian grocery store – avocados, mangoes, green onions, tofu, etc. Hence: avocado mango spring rolls.

Fresh Mango, Avocado & Tofu Spring Rolls

4 rice paper sheets
4 leaves Romaine lettuce
1/2 block firm tofu, pressed dry and cubed
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red Thai chili, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 green onion, sliced
1 avocado, sliced
1 small mango, sliced
bean sprouts/carrots/cucumber

Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sriracha
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon lemon/lime juice
1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Heat peanut oil in a pan and add garlic and ginger. After about a minute, stir in tofu and sauté until tofu has lightly browned sides – set aside. Dip rice paper sheets into 1 inch of water and soak for 10 seconds.  Remove, lay on plate or flat surface and blot dry with paper towel. Lay leaf of romaine lettuce on top of rice paper and layer tofu and remaining desired ingredients. Scoot lettuce leaf to edge of rice paper and pick up edge of paper to wrap ingredients with rice paper and lettuce together. At the half way point, fold in sides of paper and continue wrapping until a tight spring roll. Set aside, and repeat.

In a small bowl, whisk together dipping sauce ingredients and serve with spring rolls.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Fresh Mint & Sourdough Croutons

My Sunday cooking extravaganza didn’t stop with strata muffins. I still had a big chunk of the whole wheat sourdough bread left to use, and what is more satisfying than dipping a chunk of crusty bread into soup? If you’ve never roasted your own red peppers, I suggest trying it. 450 for 45 minutes and you’ve got tender, charred veggies that beat the hell out of the soggy jarred version.

I know most of you out there are experiencing the sticky heat of summertime and this soup is a refreshing dinner to serve on the porch with a chilled glass of chardonnay. Or sitting in a sweatshirt at your kitchen table, in my case.

Especially if you’re serving overs…how impressive is chilled soup? Recipe inspired by Palate/Palette/Plate.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Mint & Sourdough Croutons

Serves 2
2 red bell peppers, halved
6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper
1 ear sweet corn, kernels sliced off
2 tablespoons mint, chopped

2 slices sourdough bread, cubed into 1” pieces
drizzle olive oil

Preheat oven to 450. Place bell peppers sliced-face down on a tin foil covered baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes, then flip over and roast for another 15-20 more minutes. Wrap peppers in tin foil and allow to cool before peeling off skin.

At same temperature, spread tomatoes, onion and garlic onto baking sheet and toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes, or until tomatoes start to release their juices. Set aside to cool.

In a food processor, combine all ingredients except for mint and corn and blend until smooth. Adjust liquid to attain desired consistency. Stir in corn and chill for at least 1 hour or until chilled.

In a pan over medium low heat, heat a drizzle of olive oil and add bread cubes. Toast until golden and crunchy. Top soup with mint and croutons.

Kale, Mushroom & Feta Strata Minis

One of my mental shifts that has come with adulthood is the concept of Sunday.I love Sunday. I might like it even more than Saturday. There’s no pressure to be cool (but the option is there if you feel like it), I can wake up late (7:15!), put my proverbial ducks in a row, and cook all day if I feel like it.

Proper Sunday breakfast: Fried egg on toasted chunk of wheat sourdough, with mango and berries sprinkled with chia seeds.

Though I did do a few other things with my day, I spent most of it in the kitchen. After the errands came lunch of course: nectarine, cucumber, corn, tomatoes, parmesan, mint…what didn’t I put in it? Reason #368 why I love summer.

I have yogurt/cottage cheese with fruit for breakfast everyday. I decided to change things up (I live my life on the edge) and make mini veggie packed egg-stratas that I can grab for breakfast instead. This recipe is loosely based off of this strata recipe and a concept I saw on Pinterest.

From basic strata recipe –> to cute muffin portions.

Boom. Breakfast is served…for the next 6 days.

Kale, Mushroom & Feta Strata Minis

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 bunch kale, chopped
4-5 cherry tomatoes, quartered
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk of your choice
4-5 cups rustic bread (I used whole wheat sourdough), cubed
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, thyme
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375. In a large pan, sauté shallot in olive oil for 1-2 minutes before adding garlic. Stir briefly before adding mushrooms and kale. After 2-3 minutes, add in tomatoes and sauté mixture until vegetables are tender – sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Stir in bread cubes and vegetable mixture. Let sit for 10-15 minutes to soak.

Spray muffin tin with cooking spray. Scoop mixture into cups and fill completely. Sprinkle parmesan over the tops and bake for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through. Allow to cool completely before covering and putting away. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.