Cooking together doesn’t have to be boring. We all have to eat anyways, so why not combine it with some company? Here’s a hot tip for you: start an unpretentious dinner club with a group of friends or family and cook for each other. Perhaps you meet every week, every month or just a couple times a year. It doesn’t need to be more complicated than that.

Imagine how wonderful it would be on a tired Tuesday to arrive to a set table and be served fresh spring rolls with crispy vegetables, amongst people who make you smile. This menu is both easy on the chef and the guest with think it’s delectable! You can vary the filling depending on the season or what you happen to have leftover at home. It’s not so particular, just let your imagination flow!

Fresh Spring Rolls with Crispy Vegetables, Smoked Tofu and World-Class Dipping Sauces
(4 servings)

You need:
Rice paper and a large bowl of crispy vegetables.
And maybe something cooked. Here’s some suggestions:

1 cucumber
2 carrots
1 beetroot
1 bundle of radishes
1 organic pepper
1 avocado
1 handful of bean sprouts
1 handful of sunflower shoots
1 pot of baby kale or tuscan kale (alt or 2 handfuls chopped fresh kale)
5 oz/150g of shiitake or other mushroom
1 teaspoon cold pressed canola oil
9 oz/250g of organic firm smoked tofu

Peanut sauce with ginger:
½ cup crunchy peanut butter
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoons tamari (gluten-free soy sauce with an even deeper flavor)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
½ cup water
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mango sauce with cayenne:
5 oz/150g of frozen mango, thawed
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tbsp water
1 handful of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
salt

For serving:
8-12 rice paper
fresh cilantro and/or mint

Start with the tofu. Cut into slices, place on a baking sheet and heat in the oven at 150°C/300°F while chopping up the vegetables and preparing the sauces.

Cut all vegetables into thin slices or sticks. Massage the kale with the oil until it becomes soft and glossy. Saute the mushroom in a little water until it softens, season with salt and pepper. Mix together the ingredients for the different dipping sauces and taste with salt and pepper. If you want runny dips, add some water.

Time to roll spring rolls! Boil water, allow to cool for a few minutes and then pour into a pie dish or in a frying pan with at least the same diameter as your rice paper. Soak a rice paper at a time for about 30 seconds, until it softens. Place the rice paper on a plate and fill with vegetables, tofu and herbs (place everything at the bottom of the paper). Fold up the base over your filling, fold in both sides and then roll together to form a roll.

Serve with dipping sauces!

Tip!
Think tacos! Show off all the ingredients on the table and let your guests make their own spring rolls. Even simpler and more fun!

This is a guest post. The opinions expressed are the writer’s own.