California Summer Rolls

I have an addiction to sushi. When I think of foods that I love, sushi beats chocolate, bread, even cheese – melty, gooey, cheese. Okay, cheese is a close second. But, sushi is my greatest weakness. Most people I know don’t understand it. In fact, a lot of people I know are afraid to even try sushi. My husband has only recently come around to my thinking and we enjoy “Sushi Saturday” every weekend at our local Japanese restaurant. And, as much as I would like to make it at home, I refrain.

What I can make at home, with great ease in fact, are California Summer Rolls.

California Summer Rolls

Preparation

Start by preparing the vermicelli per the package instructions. Once prepared, set aside in the fridge to chill while you prep the other ingredients. Chop the lettuce into long strips. Julienne the cucumber with a julienne peeler. Cut the seeded and peeled avocado in half, then further into long sections. Then, take 3-4 crab sticks and dice finely. You should end up with about 1 cup of diced crab stick. In a small bowl, mix the diced crab stick with 1 tablespoon of Kewpie mayonnaise (2 if you like it extra creamy).

Put some hot water into a dish.  Take a spring roll wrapper and soak for a couple of seconds in the hot water, then transfer to another plate. Place some of each of the 5 roll ingredients (vermicelli, lettuce, crab mixture, avocado, cucumber) into the center of the wrapper. Fold the top of the wrapper down over the ingredients. Fold the sides of the wrapper in, then roll towards you to form the summer roll.  If using the seaweed sheet, cut an eight of a sheet and incorporate however you would like – 1 square, several strips or cut up into little bits with the vermicelli – you’re limited only by your imagination.

For a dipping sauce, you can do something simple, like mix light soy sauce and wasabi – or they go nicely with a peanut sauce.

Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 126