As you know by now, I’m pretty adventuresome in the kitchen. I’m not scared to tackle recipes that take hours to create or experiment with ingredients I’ve only read about online.
But, I do have a secret. I’m horrible at making Asian food. Sure, I can steam rice and toss together a fabulous tofu or tempeh stir-fry type meal in an Americanized way.
But true Asian delights like spring rolls, egg rolls, dumplings and wontons are only savored when I’m at a restaurant. And even then, it’s rare since I follow a gluten-free diet and not all restaurants are equipped to handle their food to avoid cross contamination.
So, I’ve been trying to gain a bit of courage. A girlfriend (Hi, Lisa!) recently talked me through how to prepare and use rice paper. The package that’s been sitting in my refrigerator for the last six months has finally been opened! And I must say, they were pretty easy to soak, fill and roll. Of course my spring rolls were loose and flimsy, but they tasted good, and that’s all that really mattered.
Then, I got courageous. I decided that if they are tasty cold, why not fry a few and make them into an egg roll of sorts?
Long story short, the oil got too hot, the kitchen filled with smoke, the dog hid under the table as the fire alarm blared and my cooking experience wasn’t fabulous.
However, the first few rolls did come out OK. The last ones were oil-soaked, burnt and kind of gross.
So, for now, I’m sticking to the occasional gluten-free friendly Asian restaurant and easy-to-prepare frozen dinners at home.
A few weeks ago the nice people at Feel Good Foods reached out to see if I wanted to sample their gluten-free Asian food. Oh, yes! So, I headed to my local Hy-Vee grocery store and picked up a few boxes of egg rolls. Unfortunately they didn’t have the dumplings or entrees available, but maybe they will get added to the store’s assortment in the future.
So, I gave the frozen egg rolls a whirl. After all, they have to be better than my oil-laden, half-burnt attempt. So, here it is:
Wowee! I have to admit, I was skeptical of a really enjoying a frozen egg roll. But, these bake up nicely in the oven. The outer roll is light and crisp. The inner cabbage filling is soft, spicy and delicious.
I will admit, I ate these egg rolls along with some jasmine rice for three lunches in a row. Don’t judge me. I’m a sucker for easy lunches.
Do you have a favorite vegetarian, gluten-free Asian recipe or frozen food I should try? Tell me about it in the comments below!
Until next time,
Choose healthy!
Angela
PS: I’m on Facebook! Visit with me at Cupcakes and Yoga Pants!
Disclosure: The Feel Good Foods product mentioned in this blog post was provided free of charge for review purposes. All thoughts expressed on Cupcakes and Yoga Pants are solely my own. ~Angela
