Kiwi Mango Fresh Rolls with Lime Dipping Sauce

Starting this blog has encouraged me to try new things in the kitchen that I may never have challenged myself to do otherwise, like making a savoury crepe dish and shaped yeast bread, and using familiar ingredients in new ways, like asparagus ribbons and frozen banana ice cream. The best part about trying new things is that I realize how easy recipes that have always intimidated me actually are.

These fresh rolls are a perfect example of something I’ve always wanted to make but have been too scared to actually try. The idea of trying to make the filling myself and then somehow wrap it up in rice paper seemed like something only professionals could do, but it turns out they’re not only easy to make, but fun too! You just have to make sure you don’t put too much filling in a roll, then roll it up tightly around the filling. And be careful with the wrappers because they get quite sticky, so if you accidentally fold it in a way you don’t like, it might be hard to undo!

The hardest part about them was actually finding the rice paper rolls in the grocery store (I ended up finding them in the international aisle) so if you’re unsure what to look for, here’s a picture of what I used to give you an idea:

For my first fresh roll attempt I chose a recipe for kiwi summer rolls from Eating Well, but decided to throw some mango in there too, since it complements the other flavours in the roll really well. These didn’t take very long to make and turned out so pretty! They were also really tasty and so different from anything I’d usually eat. All the flavours – lime, honey, mango, kiwi, mint, and a hint of chili pepper - worked well together, creating the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. The rolls really absorb the lime dipping sauce which I loved, so I definitely wouldn’t recommend leaving the sauce out!

These would be a great appetizer to bring to a party if you want to impress your friends! You can customize the recipe below to your tastes (I should note that if you don’t like spicy food you might want to omit the red pepper flakes in both the rolls and the sauce) or create your own flavour combination – have fun!

Kiwi Mango Fresh Rolls with Lime Dipping Sauce

Adapted from Eating Well

Makes 8 rolls

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces thin rice noodles (vermicelli)

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, divided

1/4 cup honey, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

8 round rice-paper wrappers (8-inch)

4 kiwifruit peeled, sliced in half lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise

1 mango, julienned

1/3 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Cook the rice noodles according to package directions (mine only required boiling them for 1 minute). Drain and rinse under cool water, and pat dry with paper towels. Transfer to a medium bowl and toss with the chopped mint, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 1 tablespoon of honey.

To make the dipping sauce, whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons honey, lime juice, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl.

For each roll, soak a rice paper wrapper in a bowl of warm water until softened, according to package directions (10-30 seconds). Transfer to a work surface or clean tea towel. In the centre of the right half of a wrapper, lay 1/8 of the noodle mixture, 1/8 of the kiwi, 1/8 of the mango, and 1/8 of the peanuts. Fold the top and bottom of wrapper over filling. Wrap the right end of the wrapper tightly over filling, then roll tightly toward the left to enclose filling. Cover with a damp tea towel until ready to serve. Repeat with remaining wrappers.

Cut each roll in half on the diagonal (if desired) and serve with dipping sauce.

Mango Banana Bread

When my twin sister first started eating vegetarian, I had no problems with it, as our older sister had become a vegetarian long ago. But some of the meals she made disgusted me. I mean, lentils? The name alone was enough to turn me off, not to mention their puke green colour. And quinoa? I couldn't even pronounce it, let alone cook it. However, as I started learning more about healthy cooking and the benefits of protein-rich legumes and grains like lentils and quinoa, I finally decided to give them a try myself, and reluctantly admitted that as usual, my sister was right. They were not only healthy and filling, but versatile and delicious. I never would have imagined that something called lentil loaf would become one of my favourite meals, but it did.

Then she started branching out into even weirder foods. Bags of strangely named ingredients started overpopulating our cupboards, like chia seeds, chickpea flour, and flax seed. Whenever she tried to make me try her popcorn that she topped with nutritional yeast, I flat out refused. But, as you've probably guessed, I've since discovered that ground flax seed is a great source of fiber to add to smoothies, and nutritional yeast is not only healthy but adds a delicious cheesy flavour to vegetables and other foods.

Now, she's started using her weird ingredients for baking, and this is where I drew the line. Experimenting with meals is one thing, but baking is something that I've learned not to mess with. As much as I'd love to make all my baked goods fat-free and healthy, no matter what, they just never taste as good as the real thing.

So when I saw this recipe for a vegan mango banana bread, I was hesitant. But I had a bunch of ripe bananas on the counter that were starting to attract fruit flies, I absolutely love mango, and this recipe didn't contain any strange ingredients, so I decided to be brave and give it a try. And once again, I was wrong to doubt. This bread was everything I love about banana bread; it was moist and dense with a strong banana flavour, but kicks it up a notch with a hint of spice and surprise bites of sweet mango.


I didn't change any of the ingredients, so head on over to Joy the Baker's blog to get the recipe. And if you haven't looked around her site before, you should definitely spend some time there, she has tons of amazing recipes and is really funny too!

In addition to discovering a great healthy banana bread recipe, I've learned to be more willing to try new ingredients and recipes, as they might surprise you. And I've also learned that my sister is usually right, and I'm usually wrong.