Healthy Vegan Spring Rolls

I had been wanting to make a batch of spring rolls for a long time, but I guess I was just scared for some reason. I have never worked with rice paper before and I wasn't exactly sure about the rice noodles, either. Luckily, there are easy directions to follow on both packages and I pretty much was winging it from there.

Pro tip: Head to the International section of your grocery store to find the rice noodles and rice paper. I think these would be the perfect quick appetizer to bring to a party or even holiday gathering. I taught my mom how to make these recently and she had fun learning how to roll them up and actually enjoyed the tofu that was inside. My coworker mentioned she adds herbs to hers, but I just went plain on my first couple of recipes.

Spring Rolls
yields 30 rolls

1 block of tofu
teriyaki or soy sauce
1/2 bag of rice noodles (~5 oz.)
30 rice papers
1/2 small purple cabbage, chopped (~3/4 c.)
1/2 white cabbage, chopped (~3/4 c.)
1/4 head of lettuce (~3/4 c.)
6 carrots, grated

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil for your tofu.
2. Slice tofu into thin strips and toss in teriyaki or soy sauce.
3. Space out strips onto the cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes, tossing them over after 15.
3. After tofu is placed in the oven, boil rice noodles for three minutes. Remove and place in colander to cool until the veggie mix is prepared.
4. Chop the veggies and toss in a large mixing bowl.
5. Prepare your "rolling" station and warm a bowl of water.
6. Submerge one sheet of rice paper for five seconds and move onto a cutting board.
7. Place one slice of tofu, a palmful of rice noodles and a palmful of the veggie mix.
8. Roll the paper like a burrito, tuck the sides and finish rolling.

Once you've rolled them all, you may have some leftovers, but you can always toss this into a stir-fry at your next meal. Dip these in a homemade peanut sauce or even just soy sauce. Enjoy!