Salad Rolls

Fromm time to time a food trend pops up that is through-and-through good for you.  A couple of years ago a variety of salad rolls started popping up on menus at fancy restaurants, then in cafes, and now even at deli counters in grocery stores. 
Salad rolls come in different forms, but perhaps the most trendy a couple of years back was the rice paper salad roll.  Rice Paper is basically just how it sounds - it's a thin, paper-like wrap made out of rice.  These salad rolls are typically stuffed with vermicelli rice noodles, shredded carrots, peppers and cucumbers, and often shrimp.  When dipped in a hot sauce or a teriyaki sauce, these salad rolls are virtually fat-free.  You can find great instructions here.  If you are not a fan of vermicelli rice noodles, you can also fill them with lettuce instead and dip them in a light dressing or a sweet chili sauce. 
Besides rice paper, you can also make salad rolls using lettuce as your wrapper.  Large leaves of iceberg, green leaf or romaine wrap well around many stuffings.  You can make them a light side (romaine stuffed with chopped veggies), a fresh summer meal (green leaf stuffed with chopped chicken, diced grapes and apples, parsley and yogurt), or a heartier entree (iceberg stuffed with quinoa, cooked with mushrooms, peppers and onions). 
I've listed some other ideas for fillings and wrappers below - don't be afraid to experiment!  These are an easy meal to make low-fat and the possibilities are endless!

Wrappers and fillings:
Seaweed wraps (nori) - rice noodles, mango, avocado and lettuce
Zucchini or cucumber ribbons - alfa-alfa sprouts, chicken, tomato, peppers
Thin slices of chicken breast - lettuce, peaches, pineapple, strawberries, yogurt
Precooked lasagna noodles - peppers, mushrooms, olives, tomato sauce
Low-fat tortillas - lettuce, black beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers, lime juice
Egg Whites, scrambled and cooked flat - asparagus, peppers, lemon juice, capers

Most salad rolls work best when you julienne strips of veggies.  If chopping and thinly slicing is not your idea of fun, consider getting a julienne peeler, like this one. 

Mrs. VanderLeek