Simple Summer Salad Rolls

These salad rolls are the perfect summer lunch or dinner. They’re grain-free, fresh, satisfying, easily customizable and incredibly easy to make!

Have I ever told you guys about the summer I spent living in Portland? Well, three years ago I spent four months living and working in good ol’ Portlandia. It was my first time living completely on my own in a brand new city without any friends or family, and it was awesome and miserable at the same time.

Awesome in the sense that for the first time I was truly adulting in a brand new place, and proved I could live on my own and take care of myself. I matured so much in that short time, and am so grateful for the strong sense of independence I gained through that experience.

It was miserable in the sense that it was the hottest summer ever (only a minor exaggeration), and I lived in a 450 square foot studio apartment in an old brick building. I don’t think I have ever been so uncomfortably warm for so long. With that, cooking wasn’t always at the top of my list. A hot stove can heat up a 450 square foot apartment real quick.

Thankfully, I was able to get out of my sweaty little apartment to do a lot of exploring and found that Portland has tons of delicious places to eat (there’s a hole in my heart where Salt & Straw ice cream used to be). Apparently,  it is also a great place to eat some really good salad rolls. Conveniently I lived right next door to a Thai restaurant where I could order delicious tofu salad rolls until my heart was content. They especially hit the spot when I was too lazy or it was was way too hot to cook.

I found myself in a similar predicament recently, when I wasn’t in the mood to make a fussy dinner and all I wanted was a nice cold salad roll. Unfortunately, there isn’t a Thai restaurant next door to me anymore so I did what I do best – made my own with what I had on hand. Oh, and I made peanut sauce for dipping. Gotta have the peanut sauce.

These salad rolls are held together with a collard leaf, which is refreshing and delicious. Plus it’s an extra veggie. I’m always ok with that.

They’re also super customizable. This version is perfect for my plant-based friends. Want to make this paleo? Feel free to sub the tofu for shrimp or chicken and the peanut butter for almond or sunflower seed butter in the dipping sauce. Have other veggies on hand? Slice them up, and throw them in. Do you, boo boo.

Simple Summer Salad Rolls

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Ingredients

• Salad Rolls:
• 1 Bunch of Collard Greens, stems removed
• 6 oz Firm Tofu, cut into strips
• ½ Cucumber, Julienned
• ⅓ Cup Shredded Carrots
• ½ Avocado, cut into strips
• ½ Bell Pepper, cut into strips
• Cilantro (optional)
• Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
• Peanut Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• ½ Tablespoon Coconut Aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce)
• 2 Teaspoons Honey (sub agave for vegan)
• Dash of Lime Juice
• 1-2 Tablespoons Warm Water to Thin (optional)

Instructions

1. Cut all veggies into thin strips to prepare for assembly.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and blanch the collard leaves for no more than one minute to soften. Remove from pot and immediately rinse with cold water. Pat dry.
3. You will use one collard leaf per roll. To assemble the salad rolls, place a strip of tofu at the top of the leaf, then top with vegetables, avocado and cilantro. The amounts will depend on how large your collards are, but you don't want to add too much, as that will make it difficult to roll.
4. Once the ingredients are on the collard, begin tightly rolling towards the stem end. As you reach the part of the green where the stem has been removed, tuck in the sides of the roll to keep the filling in, and continue tightly rolling.
5. Slice into pieces.
6. To prepare the peanut sauce, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. If a thinner consistency is desired, add a few tablespoons of warm water to thin.

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Have you ever moved to a brand new city by yourself?
What’s your go-to meal when it’s too hot to cook?