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Why It's Good:
Recycle your leftovers into spring rolls (don't worry, your dinner guests won't notice a thing). Got leftover BBQ? Make BBQ pork spring rolls. Yesterday's noodles? Roll with some chicken bits into chicken-noodle spring rolls. Anything you roll into an egg-roll wrapper (available, sometimes frozen, at most supermarkets) with a smattering of scallions becomes a new type of spring roll. Rolling dinner for two takes ten minutes. Cooking takes ten more – the directions are on the wrapper package. If you're anti-fry, bake your rolls instead.
Why It's Green:
Saving food isn't only good for your pocketbook, it's also good for the planet. Food in landfills releases methane, a more potent greenhouse gas than CO2. Not to mention that 5% of Americans' leftovers could feed 4 million people for one day. Staggering.
Spring Roll Dinner
Spring Rolls
1 pound store-bought shredded cabbage and carrots for coleslaw
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup leftover cooked meat, fish, shrimp, vegetables, or any other foodstuff, chopped
3 Tablespoons Asian savory marinade or sauce, such as World Foods nasi goreng.
8 spring roll wrappers
Oil for frying or brushing
1. In a skillet or wok over high heat, heat oil until almost the smoke point. Add all the slaw at once, along with the chopped leftovers and the Asian marinade. Stir-fry over high heat until the cabbage is soft, about 5-7 minutes.
2. Roll filling into spring roll skins according to directions on package, folding the sides in first, then the bottom, and rolling away from yourself. If baking, brush the rolled pieces with oil, arrange on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees until crisp, about 10 minutes. Otherwise, fry according to package directions. Serve with duck sauce, or make your own Vietnamese Sweet-Tart dipping sauce, or nuoc cham, using the recipe directly below.
Serves 4
Vietnamese Sweet-Tart Dipping Sauce, or
Nuoc Cham
1 minced red Thai chili (or a pinch of chili flakes)
1/4 cup bottled fish sauce (either Golden Boy or the widely available Tiparos – both are MSG-free sources of savory "umami" flavor),
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup grated carrot
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup warm water
Combine ingredients. Stir until sugar dissolves.
Spring Roll Dinner
1 recipe spring rolls, above
1 head lettuce, shredded
1 ripe tomato, halved, and then thinly sliced
1 package Asian vermicelli noodles (8 ounces), cooked, rinsed, and tossed with a drop of oil
1 cup light dressing, such as a vinaigrette or 1 recipe Vietnamese Sweet-Tart Dipping Sauce, or nuoc cham, above
4 cups fresh herb sprigs, such as basil, mint, and cilantro
1. Prepare the spring rolls; keep warm in a 250 degree oven. Arrange the lettuce and tomato in four large serving bowls, leaving one half of the bowls empty for the noodles. Arrange the cool cooked noodles beside the salad.
2. Cut the spring rolls in half, and arrange four halves atop bed of noodles. Dress the dishes well with the dressing before serving with herbs to be added at the table.
Serves 4
