Munch


With all this wet weather, I've been filling up on tons of cozy, comfort food. Tamales, soups, chowders. Last night's dinner of light fare was a nice change. I made a big greeky salad, some steamed asparagus with olive oil (only Bariani will do when the oil takes a seat right in front..for cooking, I'll use almost anything extra virgin) and lemon zest, and these really interesting broccoli nuggets from TJ's. This morning I started day dreaming about these spring rolls that I like to make with banh trang (rice papers), cello noodles, basil chiffonades, mung bean sprouts, jullienned carrots, cukes and red bell peppers. Usually I serve them with peanut sauce and cock sauce. But then I found this recipe for a new dipping sauce. I think I'm going to try it out tonight since we already have everything but the cukes, basil and banh trang.

Vietnamese-Style Spicy Dipping Sauce with Apple & Carrot
Serve with anything spicy and Asian from the grill, and a bowl of plain rice. A sprinkling of peanuts would add a nice crunch, scattered on top just before serving.
INGREDIENTS:
1 apple, cored and cut into julienne
1 carrot, peeled and shredded on the large holes of a grater
1 garlic clove, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
About 1 tablespoon sugar or honey
About 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
Several very large pinches of hot red pepper flakes
Water as needed
2-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
INSTRUCTIONS:
Combine the apple, carrot, garlic, lime juice, rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and hot pepper flakes. Slowly add a few tablespoons of water, until the mixture is the desired balance of sweet and sour. Chill until ready to serve, and then stir in the chopped cilantro.
Serves 4-6
PER SERVING: 30 calories, 0 protein, 8 carbohydrate, 0 fat (0 saturated), 0 cholesterol, 93 mg sodium, 1 g fiber