Fresh Vietnamese Spring rolls are fabulous to eat, and I order them almost every time I see them on a menu. While I was developing recipes for this book, I thought I’d put spring rolls in, but after making the 20th spring roll, chopping, dipping rice papers into warm water, patting them dry, stuffing them, and rolling them up, I decided that I never wanted to make another spring roll, ever. But what if I used the elements of the spring rolls and made a main course salad? Bingo! Goodbye rolling and hello fabulous main-course vegetarian salad with loads of flavour.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 (12 Oz./350 g) packages extra firm tofu
- 8 oz whole grain or whole grain plus protein spaghettini
- 3 ripe mangos peeled and julienned
- 2 julienned red peppers
- 6 thinly sliced green onions whites included
- 6 julienned radishes
- 1 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves thinly sliced
Dressing and Marinade
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup lower-sodium or lite tamari
- ¼ cup natural rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp wasabi paste
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp freshly grated ginger
- 2 lime zest
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
METHOD
- Drain the tofu and cut each block into ½-inch Set aside.
- Make the dressing and marinade. In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, tamari, vinegar, wasabi paste, oil, ginger, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour half of it into a resealable plastic bag and reserve the rest.
- Place the tofu into the plastic bag and seal, making sure that the marinade coats all the Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours.
- Break the spaghettini in half and cook according to the package directions. Drain w Mix the drained pasta with the reserved dressing and transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours.
- To make the salad, combine the mangos, peppers, green onions, radishes, cilantro, mint, and pasta in a very large bowl. Make sure to scrape out any extra dressing.
- Add the marinated tofu and any of the marinade that wasn’t a Gently toss together. Serve right away or refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
NOTE: Ataulfo mango’s, sometimes called honey mangoes, are my favourite variety. They have sweet, firm flesh without any fibres and have a whole lot of fruit on each seed pod. They are grown in Mexico, Ecuador, and Peru and are available from March to June.
1 serving = 2 cups
Per serving: 294 calories, 5.1 g total fat, 0.8 G saturated fat, 0.8 g trans fa,
0 mg cholesterol, 654 mg sodium, 44.7 g carbohydrate, 5.4 g fiber, 15.6 g sugar,
0 g added sugars, 14.6 g protein, 426 mg potassium
carbohydrate choice = 2½ choices
