Veggie Spring Rolls with Coconut Cashew Sauce

Hey friends!

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? The semester started to pick up and I finally started to feel like a senior in college. After weeks of having minimal homework, this week has been wild. Two presentations, two exams, an eight page paper, and a group project later – spring break is here! So I’m kickin’ it off with a spring-y recipe.

This week’s recipe is super simple veggie spring rolls paired with a tasty, creamy, coconut cashew dipping sauce. I’m obsessed with this sauce and even used it as a salad dressing the other day. I was inspired to make this recipe because for lent, I gave up dairy products and added sugars or sweeteners (yep – even honey!) and let me tell you… For someone who LOVES ice cream, yogurt and chocolate, this has been quite a journey so far. While finding dairy alternatives isn’t too difficult, finding things without sugar or sweeteners is an entirely different story. Going sugar and sweetener-free has really challenged me to be better about checking ingredient lists. Of course, it’s pretty well-known that most processed food has sugar, but even things like salad dressings and pasta sauces have sugar in them. I can’t even grab a salad from Panera because their chicken has sugar in the seasoning. I’ve had to rely on meal planning and prepping to be successful.

So that’s where these yummy spring rolls and cashew sauce come in. I didn’t want to eat the same things every day, so I threw these together for a satisfying lunch.

Coconut Cashew Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 c. coconut milk (I used canned)
1/3 c. raw cashew butter (make sure cashews are the only ingredient)
1 tbsp. liquid aminos
1 tbsp. tahini
1 tsp. fresh ginger
1 tsp. fresh garlic
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. turmeric
juice of one lime

Veggie Spring Roll Ingredients (these are totally customizable but here’s what I used):

Spring roll rice paper wraps
Carrot, thinly sliced
Cucumber, thinly sliced
Red cabbage, thinly sliced
Avocado,sliced
Fresh mint leaves

For the sauce, measure out your ingredients and add them to a blender. Blend until all ingredients are combined and the sauce is smooth and creamy.

You can customize the spring rolls to your liking. I used carrot, cucumber, red cabbage, avocado and mint for mine. To start, fill a large, shallow dish with warm water. Gently immerse your spring roll wrapper and place on a smooth (or damp) surface. I usually let mine “rest” for a minute or so, until the wrapper is soft and stretchy.

Place your “filling” ingredients in the center of the spring roll wrapper. Fold the side nearest to you over, then fold in the sides, and roll. The wrapper is sticky and will adhere to itself so do this carefully.