Brussels Sprouts and Turkey Spring Rolls with Peanut Dip

Sightings of Brussels sprouts and late season carrots are the perfect fillings to make fresh spring rolls into a Fall inspired dish. And best of all, these rolls are fresh, healthy and super easy to make, especially when you can make your own delicious peanut dip.

Though spring rolls are filled with fresh vegetables, some consider them a seasonally specific dish that is eaten in Spring or Summer, thus calling them “Spring Rolls ” or “Summer Rolls”. We’re here to tell you that these fresh rice paper rolls can be made throughout the year and Fall is a great time to enjoy spring rolls when Fall produce comes into season.

One of the simplest and satisfying meals to make are these fresh rice paper spring rolls, yet many finding it an intimidating dish to prepare. It could be possible that some see it as a time consuming process to prep all the filling ingredients. Maybe it’s working with delicate rice papers that makes new home cooks a little shy about making spring rolls. But when you can challenge yourself to learn the process one step at a time, you’ll find that making spring rolls is as easy as making a sandwich.

We’re here to share with you how to easily make spring rolls throughout the year and how you can easily throw a spring roll party.

The recipe starts with some fresh shredded vegetables and with the help of our KitchenAid® 13 cup food processor, prepping the vegetables are completed in a matter of minutes.

The precision of the blade allows us to shred two pounds of Brussels sprouts and carrots to perfect the perfect thinness and best of all, the 13 cup work bowl allows us to prep lots of vegetables at a time without having to keep emptying out the bowl.

The wonderful variations in the blades also allow us to control specific cuts and slices for different vegetables. So for our grated carrots, we dropped in the larger grating blade so that we can have a variety of textures to bite into for the spring rolls.

And best of all, the 4 cup mini bowl allows us to finish off this dish with making the peanut dipping sauce. So all the prep work is finished in this one wonderful appliance. Making spring rolls couldn’t be easier!

For the rice paper, make sure to just dip it in warm water. That’s it, just dip it. Often times people soak their rice paper for too long and thus, the rice paper breaks apart. By just dipping the rice paper for a few seconds in water, it will slowly start to soften. Without all the excess water, you’ll be able to have a strong and soft rice paper to work your rolls to perfection.

Once you have all your ingredients ready and plated, it is as easy to feed two as it is to feed a group of friends for a party. All you need is to have bowls of warm water within reach of your guests, as well as all the mis-en-place ingredients. Everyone can dip their own rice paper and roll their own spring rolls! It’s a wonderfully fun gathering and everyone loves being able to roll each spring roll to their liking.

Tips to a successful spring roll party is to have all your vegetables, ingredients and dips prepared the night before. Since the rolls are eaten cold, just have your plates and platters ready to hold the fillings, provide your guests with a rolling plate and dip bowl and you’re all set. It really is that easy. All you need is a little planning and pre-prep and you’re ready to host a spectacular dinner party that’s fresh, healthy and fun.

Happy Fall!

diane and todd

Brussels Sprouts and Turkey Spring Rolls with Peanut Dip

INGREDIENTS

For the spring rolls

1 pound sliced cooked turkey breast (or turkey deli slices)
2 pounds of Brussels sprouts, washed & ends trimmed
2 Tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 large carrots
1 large cucumber
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1 package of rice paper spring roll wrappers

For the peanut dip

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1” knob fresh ginger, minced
About 2 cups of water
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup roasted salted peanuts
1 tablespoon fish sauce, or more to taste
1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce

DIRECTIONS

Make the peanut dip: Heat a saucepan on medium heat. Add oil, then garlic and ginger. Cook till translucent and fragrant.

Add water, peanut butter, peanuts, fish sauce and chili garlic sauce. Gently stir till dip is combined well and smooth.

Turn heat to high and let dip some to a gentle boil. Then reduce heat and cook on a low simmer for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let dip cool completely.

Once dip is completely cooled, pour into 4 cup bowl of food processor. Puree dip till smooth, about 1 minute. If you prefer a chunkier dip, then puree the dip just enough till it becomes the texture you want.

The dip become thicker as it sits, so add additional water if needed. If you have time, refrigerate dip overnight for a more flavorful dip.

Make the spring roll fillings: In food processer, using the thin slicing blade or thin slicing setting, shred the whole Brussels sprouts. Discard any tough or thick center slices of Brussels sprouts. When finished, set aside.

Next, grate the carrots in food processor using the large grating blade. Set aside.

Thinly slice the cucumbers into matchstick sizes. Set aside.

Heat large sauté pan on medium heat. Add oil, then garlic and onions. Cook till translucent and soft. Add the shredded Brussels sprouts. Gently stir and cook the Brussels sprouts till they are slightly wilted and become a bright green color. This should take about 3-5 minutes. Do not overcook the Brussels sprouts.

Add soy sauce to Brussels sprouts and stir well to combine. Then remove Brussels sprouts from heat and allow to completely cool.

Spring roll assembly

Gather all your ingredients to be ready to wrap: Brussels sprouts, sliced turkey, fresh mint, fresh grated carrots, sliced cucumber and rice paper wrappers.

Fill a large bowl with warm water. For a photo tutorial on how to roll springrolls get the link here.

Gently dip each rice paper wrapper in warm water for a few seconds till damp. Don’t over soak the rice paper.

Place rice paper on plate or clean cutting board. As rice paper begins to absorb the water, it will become more soft and pliable.

On the 1/3 section of the rice paper wrapper closest to you, start laying your fillings: about 2 Tablespoons of Brussels sprouts mixture, a few pieces of turkey, a few mint leaves, shredded carrots and slice of cucumber.

Start rolling the wrapper over the fillings away from you, tucking the rolling the wrapper with your fingers. Make sure all the fillings remain tight and round. Serve with peanut dip.