Recipe for my Blogger Friends who are making Lifestyle Changes!!

I have a few blogger friends now that are making some lifestyle changes (i.e. diet). I have went on my own weight loss journey and learned a few things along the way. Today I'm posting a very simple recipe that I learned from my Vietnamese sister-in-law. Here is her before-the-wedding (traditional ceremony) picture. One of these days I will post a story about that ceremony, it was another childhood dream come true!

One of the things I love about my big multi-cultural family is that I get to try all sorts of interesting dishes.

One evening when we were eating at V& Little M's house, she made a dinner out of these Vietnamese Salad Wrappers. They are made of rice, tapioca and water. One serving is 10 wrappers! The calories come from what you put in them! And, how many you eat!!

You can put all sorts of things in them: meat, fish, chicken, shrimp, veggies....when I was working on losing a lot of weight and watching my wheat intake because of migraines, I would eat this for lunch instead of a sandwich made of bread.

Here's the recipe, or instructions that is, and if you have any questions please e-mail me or leave them in the comment section.

Vietnamese Salad Roll Wrappers
2 dry rice papers (Vietnamese Salad Roll Wrappers)
1/4 c. slivered sliced baby carrots
1/3 c. chopped chicken
1 0r 2 leaves of bok choy, knappa caggage or lettuce of your choice
1/4 c. water, milk, soy or rice milk

Directions:
Place one dry rice paper on a dinner plate. Pour 1/4 c. liquid of your choice in small bowl. With a pastry brush or paper towel, moisten both sides of the rice paper. Any portions that you leave dry will be crunchy and hard to chew. This is not difficult but does take a little practice.

Place 1 or 2 leaves of your choice (either cabbage or lettuce) in the middle of the rice paper to form a line. Add chicken and carrots on top of the leaves. You may use 3 cooked shrimp, shredded beef, cooked fish, or even just an assortment of vegetables. Don't be limited to using carrots. You could use avacado, mushrooms, green beans, pea pods, whatever vegetables you have on hand.

Very carefully fold the rice paper over the lettuce/meat mixture like you would fold a burrito. First, fold one section over, rolling it a little and pulling it tight. Then fold both smaller corners over and finish folding. It will look like a burrito.

If you put too many ingredients in the paper it will break because when moist, it is very fragile. You may eat it like this or prepare a dipping sauce. This is a great meal to share with friends and family because you can put an assortment of toppings on the table and people can put whatever they want in them. My kids love them!!

You can moisten 6-8 and lay them on top of each other, you just have to be careful when pulling them apart to separate them. This may sound hard but it is quite easy once you try it a few times and a great replacement for sandwiches.

Dipping Sauces: Hoisin w/ Peanut Butter & Sesame/Vinegar Thai Sweet Chilli

Directions for Hoisin:
1Tbsp. Hoisin Sauce
1tsp. creamy peanut butter
1/4 tsp. warm water

Mix this in a small bowl until creamy. Add more water if it is too salty or less Hoisin. You may also use just Hoisin and water. Feel free to warm it until bubbly if you like. When I was watching my weight I would make this for my family, but I would use the Thai sauce.

Directions for Sesame/Vinegar Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce:
1 tsp. Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce (this is warm but not HOT, unless you use too much)
1/4 tsp. rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. sesame oil

Mix this in a small bowl until the oil and vinegar is not separated from the chilli sauce. Adjust the amounts of these ingredients to your taste.

Here are some photos of some of the ingredients. You should be able to find everything in your local grocery store, except maybe the Salad Wrapers - Rice Papers. These you may need to get at any Asian Market and I'm sure you could find a place to order them over the internet.