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What’s this all about?

We love whole grains! We have found that we prefer their flavor. They are also far healthier than the refined foods which characterize the typical modern diet.

Switching to whole grains helps maintain a low glycemic diet. That means you will have more sustainable energy levels throughout the day, and probably fewer problems with weight control.

We created this website with one goal: to build an online community of like-minded people who either share our enthusiasm about whole grains or just want to learn more about them.

Recipes

Appetizers

Soba Spring Rolls

Written by Whole Grain Gourmet

Monday, 11 August 2008 05:00

Soba Spring Roll

Fresh Vietnamese spring rolls make the perfect warm weather treat. They burst with freshness from the flavors of fresh mint and cilantro. Spring rolls make a great appetizer, or a delicious alternative to sandwiches for a picnic treat. Our version is made with Soba noodles.

Soba is a traditional Japanese buckwheat noodle with a rich history. The flavor is mild and works quite well as an alternative to the white rice noodles commonly used in spring rolls. While technically not a grain, buckwheat’s groats are used as a grain and are packed with nutrients. Buckwheat is rich in the bioflavonoid Rutin which is known to have antioxidant properties and has been shown to prevent oxidation of LDL cholesterol, thus reducing the risk of heart disease.

We have made these rolls for years. Sometimes we keep them simple, at other times we may sauté the shrimp in garlic and olive oil, or use other greens or herbs to spice things up differently. However we decide to spin things, we always end up with a nutritionally rich and satisfying treat that the entire family enjoys. We hope you enjoy it as well.

Soba Spring Roll

Ingredients:

8 oz dried Soba noodles
8 rice spring roll wrappers
8 medium cooked shrimp sliced in half lengthwise
8 large leaves of green leaf lettuce, with rib removed
8 oz shredded cooked chicken
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup julienned cucumber
1/2 cup mung bean sprouts

Peanut sauce

1 1/2 Tbsp organic Tamari or soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup organic crunchy peanut butter
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp crushed red chili flakes

Preparation:

Prepare the peanut sauce by combining all of the listed ingredients, or you may always purchase a good prepared peanut sauce, as we often do.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, add the soba noodles and boil for 5 minutes. Drain the noodles. Pour cold water over the noodles to prevent over cooking and to keep the noodles from sticking.
Fill a wide bowl with 3 inches of warm water. Briefly dip a spring roll wrapper into the water. You will want the wrapper to begin to soften, but not get too soft. The wrapper will continue to soften as you work with it. If it is too soft it may tear.
Lay the wrapper flat and place two shrimp halves, sliced side up, about three inches apart near the center of the wrapper. Center a lettuce leaf over the shrimp.
Lay some of the soba noodles across the lettuce. Top the noodles with some shredded chicken, along with some of each of the remaining ingredients, being careful not to over stuff the roll.
Begin to roll the wrapper around the contents. Stop half way and fold in the edges to enclose the contents from the sides. Continue to roll to complete the enclosure.
Repeat steps 4-6 for each roll.
Slice each roll in half diagonally and serve accompanied with the peanut sauce

Serves 4

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