Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Never mind that my wrapping skills are terrible and it looks crazy because it's still refreshing and tasty! You can roll whatever your heart desires... using different kinds of meat, shrimp or all vegetarian. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 pack vermicelli noodles

1 head leafy lettuce

1 pack bean sprouts

1 bunch Mint (leaves only)

1 bunch Cilantro

1 Vietnamese meat loaf

1 pack spring roll wrappers

SAUCE:

¾ cup water

¼ cup peanut butter

¼ cup hoisin sauce

3 tsp vinegar

1 tbsp cornstarch

Boil noodles according to package. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside to dry. 

Cut meat loaf. I like to cut it in half length wise and slice thin. 

Wash cilantro, lettuce, bean sprouts and mint and set aside. 

TO ASSEMBLE:

Fill large bowl (big enough to fit wrapper) with really HOT water. 

Dip wrapper in bowl of hot water and place it on a mat/plate. 

Add lettuce

Add noodles

Add bean sprouts, cilantro & mint leaves

Add meat

Roll.

Start with folding the bottom up. Fold sides in and continue rolling forward to seal. 

SAUCE:

My co worker gave me this recipe and I swore his tasted a lot better! 

Stir ingredients in small saucepan over low heat until thickens.  If it's too thick add little water at a time until you get to preferred consistency.  Add more hoisin sauce if you like it a little sweeter. 

I added more hoisin sauce than what the recipe calls for. And I had to use more water because it was too thick. I also added Sriracha! 

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Chocolate Banana Bread

We were at the market and I grabbed a bundle of bananas. When we got home, my husband said "Oh, I grabbed a bundle of bananas too" so we ended up with too many bananas. I can only make so many smoothies.... Instead of freezing it, I decided to have my 4 year old son help make banana bread. I still can't believe he turns 4 today. It's bitter sweet. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sugar

4 mashed bananas (about 1.5 cups) 

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

1.5 cups flour

1.5 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. 

Mash your bananas 

In a bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, & oil. 

Pour in bananas and add vanilla.  

In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, & chocolate chips. Stir to combine. 

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix (don't over mix). Logan asks "Why is it brown now mommy? Is it because of the yummy chocolate chips?" :)

Spray loaf pan with nonstick spray and pour in batter. 

Bake for 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. See the giant hole I put in it using a chopstick? Haha I never use toothpicks because it's so short!

Birthday boy approved!

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Vermicelli noodle salad with crispy pork

I was a little too optimistic when planning my son's 4th birthday especially since I'm 21 weeks pregnant and already very uncomfortable. I didn't really have a plan as far as food theme. I was craving a spicy salad that was both salty and sour. I call it the "Mien salad" because I grew up eating it. For those of you who don't know what Mien is... It's what I am. Some kind of Asian from Southeast Asia (at least that's how I explain it because it's one of the problems Mien people have: explaining what "Mien" is).

Anyway... In the end I was glad I made it because it satisfied my craving! 

An old friend gave me this recipe 3 years ago.... 

INGREDIENTS:

(see end of post for more info on ingredients)

5 lbs lean ground pork

1-2 English cucumbers 

1.5 packs of vermicelli noodles (clear glass noodles)

1/4 cup fish sauce (or salt to taste)

1 1.4 oz pack tamarind powder (soup base)

7-8 limes

1 bunch Cilantro

2 bunch green onions

1 loaf Vietnamese pork

Black pepper to taste

Fresh chili pepper (or not, up to you)

DIRECTIONS:

Cook pork until it is crispy and brown

Boil a pot of water for the noodles. Once water boils, turn off heat and put noodles in. Stir. This only takes about 30 seconds to cook. Drain and rinse with cold water. Cut noodles into smaller pieces (you can choose to do this before cooking but it's easier for me after). 

Combine pork, noodles, cucumbers, meat loaf and stir. 

Add black pepper, fish sauce, tamarind powder, lime juice & chili peppers. Stir to combine. Adjust these ingredients by adding more fish sauce if you want it saltier, lime juice if you want it more sour and tamarind powder to taste.

Add cilantro & green onion and stir again.

Yum yum yum!

INGREDIENT INFO

You can pick up these at any Asian Market. 

Fish Sauce:

Potent smelly sauce but mmmm so good  (to me).

Vietnamese Meat Loaf: 

There's many varieties but I just grabbed this one. 

Tamarind powder: 

There's also many brands of this stuff. Any will do. 

Vermicelli noodles: 

This is the thin, clear kind. They usually come in this pink net package. I'm not sure why. 

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Fried Bananas

I love fried bananas and coconut ice cream. I decided to use shredded coconut on the bananas and get vanilla ice cream instead. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 bananas

Shredded coconut

1/4 cup flour

Milk (or water)

Butter 

Ice cream

DIRECTIONS:

Mix flour with enough milk to coat bananas

Cut bananas in half length wise and width for a total of 4 pieces if bananas from each banana

Coat bananas in flour mix

Coat bananas in shredded coconut

Heat butter in pan and cook on each side until golden brown. 

Enjoy with ice cream. So simple. So delicious!

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