Cold Rolls

Pssst... here's a secret: Sometimes I don't feel like cooking! Yes, it's true. Sometimes when I get home late from work, mostly on the days when Mike's working late, I make a very simple dinner for myself: cold rolls, aka fresh rolls. While I often think of them just as vehicles to eat large amounts of peanut butter and sriracha hot sauce, they are healthy (well, as long as sodium's okay!), easy, versatile and fast. I eat them pretty much every week.

For protein I usually go for tofu, and if I'm smart the night before, I'll cut some up and place them in a 'marinade' of lemon juice and pepper. It makes the tofu a little tangy, and really good. Alternately I use those little flavoured tuna cans (I buy them on sale, and man are they ever convenient) in thai chili flavour, or lemon pepper, or peanut satay. Whoever thought of those is a marketing genius. I've also used cold chicken on the rare occasion we buy rotisserie chickens.

Next up are the veggies: usually chopped bell peppers, and matchstick carrots and cucumbers. Bean sprouts if I'm feeling fancy (and can finish a whole bag in two days before they turn slimy). Cilantro is delicious but I rarely buy it just for rolls. And I always add dabs of (natural) peanut butter. Then it's time to roll! The rice paper package says to soak towels and place them between the papers (blah blah blah) but really you can just run the paper under the tap and let it sit for a minute while you assemble the roll. They'll become sticky and malleable.

Assemble, cut into halves, eat while dipping into hot sauce. Delish! While it's not the healthiest dinner (the rice papers are full of salt, as is my beloved sriracha) I figure the large amount of raw veggies balances everything out.

This is my go-to dinner when Mike works nights, which means I also eat it while watching my guilty pleasure TV shows. I happily chomp down while sitting at my laptop with Gossip Girl, Glee and Grey's Anatomy. Happy times.