Spring Rolls with Almond Butter Dipping Sauce

These pretty spring rolls with almond butter dipping sauce make a colorful entrée or appetizer.

This sponsored recipe is brought by the Almond Board of California as part of Food & Nutrition‘s Recipe Roundup program. Click for more recipes.

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Spring Rolls with Almond Butter Dipping Sauce

Recipe by Deborah Murphy, MS, RDN

Ingredients for the Rolls

• 1 14-ounce package (457 grams) extra firm tofu, drained
• 1 red bell pepper (173 grams), thinly sliced
• 5 inches English cucumber (101 grams), halved and thinly sliced
• 2 medium carrots (164 grams), peeled, cut into matchstick pieces
• 1/8 medium head purple cabbage (92 grams), thinly sliced
• 4 small radishes (43 grams), thinly sliced
• 2 green onions (43 grams), cut into 3-inch segments and sliced lengthwise into strips
• ½ cup (56 grams) chopped almonds
• 1 tablespoon (14 milliliters) canola oil
• ½ tablespoon (8 milliliters) less sodium soy sauce
• ½ tablespoon (8 milliliters) Sriracha sauce
• 1 clove garlic (6 grams), minced
• 8 rice paper sheets/spring roll wrappers (67 grams)

Ingredients for the Almond Butter Dipping Sauce

• 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) water
• 1/3 cup (90 grams) creamy unsalted almond butter
• 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) less sodium soy sauce
• ½ tablespoon (8 milliliters) Sriracha sauce
• 1 tablespoon (8 milliliterss) rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) room temperature water
• ½ teaspoon (5 grams) grated fresh ginger root

Directions

1. Drain the tofu and cut in half lengthwise through the center. Line a plate with a few paper towels or a dishtowel and place halved tofu side by side on the plate. Top with a couple more paper towels or dishtowel and top with something heavy like a cast iron skillet. Set aside for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cut up vegetables and chop almonds, if not already prepared. Arrange in rows on a plate or cutting board to make assembling rolls easier.
3. Uncover tofu. Cut each piece into 4 strips and then halve the strips. You’ll end up with 16 rectangle-shaped pieces about 2-inches long. Heat the canola oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Gently transfer the tofu to the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking pan gently, until the bottom of the tofu is golden brown.  Use a fork to gently turn tofu pieces onto the next side and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat until all 4 long sides are golden brown and crispy. Turn off the heat. Transfer tofu to a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up any excess oil. Next, transfer the tofu to a small mixing bowl and add the soy sauce, Sriracha and garlic. Toss with a wooden spoon until tofu is coated in sauce. Set aside.
4. To make the almond butter dipping sauce, combine all sauce ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Use a fork to stir vigorously until creamy sauce forms.
5. Add 1 to 2 inches of room temperature water to a pie pan. Line a cutting board with a damp kitchen towel. Soak a rice paper wrapper in the water for 10 to 20 seconds until softened and lay flat on the damp towel. Arrange 2 pieces of tofu on the center of the roll paper in a line. Top with 1/8 of vegetables and almonds. Roll paper like a burrito, making sure that the ends are sealed. Repeat until you have 8 rolls. To serve, dip rolls in almond butter sauce. Serves 8.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 2 rolls (237 grams), 2 tablespoons (34 grams) sauce

CALORIES 458; TOTAL FAT30 g; SAT. FAT 3g; CHOL. 0mg; SODIUM 356mg; CARB. 32g; FIBER 8g; SUGARS 9g; PROTEIN 23g; POTASSIUM NA; PHOSPHORUS NA

Note: Couldn’t find reliable potassium and phosphorus nutrition info for rice paper wrappers.