Fresh Spring Rolls

Edit 1/12/14: Here from Pinterest? Good day to you! This is my most viewed blog post, due to many repins on Pinterest. I know I'm not very specific with my ingredient amounts, so please feel free to leave a question in the comments if you need help. Also, if you ended up making these, I'd LOVE to see a photo! Thanks! -Angela

Happy (technical) spring to you! The weather here still has not let up! It's proving difficult to sustain sanity while I wait for sun and warmth, but I did kick off the season with one of my favorite recipes! Have you ever had fresh spring rolls? They are one of my most favorite guilt-free snacks. I went to a dinner party last night and they were my contribution. And why yes, I'd love to share my recipe with you: ) 

Fresh Thai Spring Rolls:

For the rolls, combine the following:
Carrots
Cucumber
Iceberg Lettuce
Cilantro
Basil
Black Pepper
Sea Salt
Maifun Rice Noodles
Juice of 1 lime
TBSP of peanut oil
Then soak spring rolls wrappers in warm water until soft, and roll!

Whisk these ingredients to create the peanut sauce:
Peanut Butter
Sweet Thai Chili Sauce (red)
White vinegar
Brown sugar
Juice of 1 lime
Soy sauce
Just keep tasting it until you reach the desired taste and consistency. (I barely use any brown sugar or vinegar, but lots of PB and sweet chili sauce).

These can't sit around all day. Make them and enjoy immediately! So delicious: )

Foodagram

I really do enjoy remembering the great things I ate, so I take pictures and make them pretty on Instagram. Haters, they gonna hate. And I'm gonna drool.

Lunch the other day - Morningstar veggie burger topped with cheese and lots of veggies, notably avocado. Also mozzarella sticks with marinara and granny smith apples, strawberries, and blackberries.

Vegan meal from a Symphony event we volunteered for. I'm not certain of all the ingredients, but the way they cook their tofu is excellent and to die for.

One of my favorite dishes to make - avocado enchiladas. I make the sauce myself and it is so worth the effort. This would be vegan if I didn't put the cheese on top, which makes it even more rewarding! Mmmm.

Someone at work had these! I asked where they got them and they let me try one! I'm so excited because of the viral youtube video from this summer, "Hot Cheetos and Takis."

White sangria. I'm on a white wine kick these days. I think I'd like red more if it was something people drank chilled.

And the vegan banana coconut cake I shared my recipe for. It's so good I can't even

Vegan Banana Coconut Spice Cake

I am very picky about how ripe my bananas can be if I'm going to consume them straight from the peel. Once I can't see anymore green or a brown spot starts forming, they are too sweet for me and I save them for a delicious treat like the vegan banana coconut spice cake I made today: )

What you need for the cake:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup mashed rip bananas (about 2 bananas)
1/2 cup almond buttermilk (1/2 cup almond milk and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice)
1/2 cup vegan butter
2 egg substitutes
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon

What you need for the icing:
4 oz of vegan cream cheese
2 tbsp of melted vegan butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8" or 9" round or square pans.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, spices, and salt. Add banana, buttermilk, vegan butter, "eggs," and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until well combined.

3. Pour batter into two 8" or 9" round or square pans and bake for appx 35 minutes, or until knife comes out clean. (My oven only took 25 minutes, so keep an eye on it)!

4. Combine icing ingredients and use electric mixer to combine until smooth. When cakes have cooled, carefully remove from the pan and ice the bottom layer first, then add the second layer and ice the top and sides.

5. Enjoy! Serves at least 8.

I hope you had a delightful weekend! I can't wait to enjoy my cake all week!