Book of Yum

This weekend I hosted our local Celiac Bay Area potluck at a local Sunnyvale, California park just in time for a heat wave. Whoops! Luckily our park was well shaded and somehow managed to have a slight breeze that kept us and the delicious feast everyone had brought relatively cool. I always like to make spring rolls for picnics, but this time I was inspired by a recent sighting of Pineapple spring rolls at Whole Foods to make a fruit spring roll as well as a savory mint roll. The DH has always been a fan of apple in spring rolls, and my pineapple experiment was met with enthusiasm. He liked the peanut sauce so much he suggested putting a layer in the roll itself- which I did later in rolls I made for us at home. (I try to keep allergens separate for our group members with multiple allergies). For anyone that was allergic to nuts, I made a homemade sweet chili sauce.
Yes, premade ones exist, but I always get nervous when reading Trader Joe’s allergen statement about wheat on the lines, especially when cooking for other Celiacs. Besides, homemade sweet chili sauce is just so satisfying! I’ve been making variations of the sweet chili recipe from Real Vegetarian Thai cookbook for years- it is a classic! (And for under $6 the book is a real steal with many recipes that can easily be adapted to be gluten-free.) Despite the fact that I had a friend and her significant other over to help with spring roll assembly and we made a veritable mountain of them, I ended up with very few leftovers, alas. Luckily I had lots of filling ingredients left over that I was able to use in spring rolls that became our dinner the next day. Fruit rolls are natural alternatives to the usual savory tofu rolls i make- but you can also make an absolutely delicious savory roll without any soy by leaving out the tofu and including a mint leaf, rice noodles, carrot, jicama, and cucumber. Mmm, tasty and gluten-free picnic fare.

Pineapple Fruit Spring Roll Recipe Main Course  Vegetables  Thai

Ingredients Rice spring roll wrapper (dried, must be soaked in warm water to soften) Filling: thick sticks of fresh pineapple medium thick sticks of peeled cucumber thin slices of peeled apple thin sticks of carrot fresh lettuce leaves Directions soak dried rice wrapper in warm water until it softens and then lay on a flat cutting board. Layer pineapple, apple, and carrot in a small pile in the center of the wrapper. Cover loosely with a small piece of lettuce and fold the wrapper around the filling as if you were making a burrito. Serve with a sweet peanut sauce or other sauce that you like…

Rating:  7 Original Source:  Contents of my brain, please do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1428 Added:  June 29, 2009 Last Modified:  June 30, 2009

Soy free peanut sauce Sauces & Condiments  Thai

Ingredients 1 sliced medium onion 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 teaspoon sugar 3/4 cup NATURAL peanut butter or 1 cup dry roasted salted peanuts 1 tbsp. fresh peeled ginger, grated 1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste) 2 tablespoons lime juice Water (to taste, start with 1/2 cup and add more as needed) Directions Saute onion in oil til tender. Cool. Place in blender, add everything else, and blend carefully. Slowly and carefully add enough water to form a creamy paste. If you will be keeping sauce in refrigerator until serving, you may need to add more water later for the same texture as it thickens over time.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Modification of previous Book of Yum Recipe. Please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1429 Added:  June 29, 2009 Last Modified:  June 29, 2009

Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce Sauces & Condiments  Vegetables  Thai

Ingredients 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup brown rice or other favorite vinegar 2 tbsp. minced garlic 1 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. chili garlic sauce (or less, to taste) Directions Combine ingredients through the salt in a saucepan and bring to boil, whisking occasionally. When sugar has dissolved, turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce forms a syrup after 20 minutes or so. Whisk in chili garlic sauce, let cool and serve.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Adaption of Real Vegetarian Thai cookbook, please do not replicate without permission. Recipe ID:  1430 Added:  June 29, 2009 Last Modified:  June 29, 2009

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