Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Egg Rolls

Wow, time flies. My last post was in March? What happened? Well...pregnancy, that's what. As much as I wanted nutritious supper in 10 minutes or less hands-on time, my stomach wasn't feeling very creative.

But, here's a new one thanks to a wonderful homeschooling mom friend who also happens to facilitate the delivery of our real milk lifeline each week.

INGREDIENTS

• Egg Roll Wrappers (found in the refrigerated produce section in our Kroger)
• Bag pre-chopped cole slaw, fresh
• Additions, such as:
fresh mushrooms
purple cabbage
onions
green onions
chopped chicken
• Garlic, ginger, salt & pepper, to taste
• Oil for frying
• Sauce for dipping (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Gently saute over low heat cole slaw, additions (I get my additions from the salad bar at our Kroger for super-fast, dump-it-in-the-pan preparation) & spices in a little oil. When vegetables begin to soften (after 4-5 minutes), turn off heat, cover & let sit until ready to wrap. Veggies will continue to soften as they sit covered. (2 minutes hands-on)

Pour a generous amount of oil in a frying pan & turn on medium heat. Wrap 2-3 Tbls. of vegetable mixture in each egg roll wrapper, seal, & place in hot oil. See back of egg roll wrapper package for instructions on how to fold the wrapper. (Be sure to moisten the last flap you fold to attach the rolls together.) Flip egg rolls when they are brown & crispy on one side; fry the other side until brown & crispy. In medium-hot oil, each side will take 3-4 minutes. (7 minutes)

Put on a plate, sprinkles with salt & serve with a dipping sauce, if desired.

Caroline has told me that her mom used to serve these when she was growing up. They were never part of grandma's dinner repertoire, so I am loving them! We needed something different. Plus, I've always loved egg rolls but will never allow myself to eat them in the Chinese restaurant because of the MSG content.

Yum!

Optional Ginger Peanut Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup raisins, soaked in 1 cup hot water for 15 minutes or more
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 clove raw garlic
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. mustard
1/4 tsp. salt

Drain raisins after soaking but reserve soak water. Add 1/4 cup soak water to all other ingredients (including raisins) in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Add more of the soak water if needed to achieve desired consistency.

5 comments:

Jude said...

dude, why didn't you just tell me this recipe was here instead of typing it all out ; )

Anonymous said...

those eggroll wrappers are great for making ravioli's, too.

Anonymous said...

there's a concept of not eating fruit with other foods. Something about putrifying in your stomach. What do you figure?

julie said...

Ravioli - great idea! I'll try that one since I'm sitting on 2 packages of wonton rolls in the freezer. As far as not eating fruit with other foods, I'm not much into the to-combine-or-not-combine food theories out there, nor the putrification allegations, since everyone has a theory about something or other putrefying in the stomach. (Usually I hear meat & dairy.) Stomach acid is some seriously strong stuff, so myself, I have my doubts about anything putrifying for long. That said, some people are really sensitive to fructose in general, even more so than table sugar, which is why I'm a huge believer in knowing your own body. I don't think any diet is one size fits all. Some people feel *GREAT* on a raw foods diet - it works for them. Others feel *GREAT* on a high animal protein, low carb diet. It works for them. In fact, as far as diet goes, I think many people's needs change throughout their different life stages. My needs during pregnancy & nursing are very different than when it's just my body to tend to, for example. So before I write a book about diet, I'll recap my opinion. Listen to your body. Pay attention to what it's craving. Avoid fake chemical foods. Try to eat fermented foods whenever possible to help your digestion - look for the ones your body likes. Avoid sugar - especially those your body hates. Try to eat only those things you could reproduce in your own backyard & kitchen, in some climate. And remember that 90% of your immune system is in your gut, so give it the things it needs to work & don't douse it with a bunch of chemicals, GMO's, sugar & junk. ;-) AND JOIN YOUR LOCAL CSA! (had to throw that plug in there) :-)

Rob said...

Well said. Listen to your body! Right right.

You can stuff ANYTHING into those wrappers and steam them... yum! Be sure to oil them on the outside a bit so they don't stick to the steamer!

And fermented food? More yum! And fun to make! Kim chi.... ginger beer... saurkraut ....

Cheers and good luck on the CSA.

Amy S. sent me this link the other day. Good to see you healthy and happy with a beautiful family.