I love spicy foods almost as much as I love sushi. I pinned this recipe about two weeks ago on Pinterest and I have already made it twice this week. The first time it was too spicy, but I really think I nailed it the second time around. I made a few changes, including adding ginger and more vegetables, but feel free to make your own substitutions.
Or, see my updated recipe here!!
I think quinoa is one of the greatest words in the English language. It can be used as a question “Would you like some keeen-wahh?”, a declaration “I bought keenwah!”, or statement of sorrow “We’re out of keenwah…” Quinoa is ridiculously adorable-it starts out as a tiny seed and puffs itself up into a little ring when you cook it. It’s a great source of protein and vitamins for a hungry vegan, and is as easy to cook as rice. Seriously, if you haven’t tried this stuff, you’re missing out. Get off this website and go buy some. Now.
A friend of mine mentioned quinoa recently, reminding me of a lonely box sitting in the bottom of my pantry. I scoured Allrecipes (read:searched for 23 seconds) for a recipe that would fit with what I had on hand. I found this recipe for quinoa and black beans that I altered slightly. It would be great as a side dish or wrapped up in tortilla, but it worked easily as well as an entree.
After a friend was seriously injured in my apartment in Washington, I spent the night in the hospital and went straight to work. The last thing I wanted after my shift was to go back to the place of the accident. I was graciously invited to have dinner with a Vietnamese family and the meal is something I’ve never forgotten.
They served a family-style spring roll meal-there were rice noodles, bean sprouts, chopped herbs, stacks of wrappers, and a table-top stove for cooking meats. After everyone arrived, we sat down and the fun began. Each person would dip their wrapper in a bowl of warm water, swirl, and the top with any of the ingredients-roll them all up in the wrapper and devour. I ate until I couldn’t eat anymore and slept like a baby in the car ride home.
Spring rolls usually involve shrimp or shredded pork in some way, but I think they’re even more delicious without those ingredients. After you get used to soaking the wrappers, this is an easy, delicious, and mostly raw lunch.
