i like simple food. fresh food. i don't like to cook with a lot of ingredients. it's not my style. (besides, it takes a lot longer and who wants that?) i think the food you eat should taste like the food your eating. not masked with a bunch of extra junk. just keep it simple. i make these vegetable spring rolls quite a bit, they taste good, their low in calories, they have a lot of veggies in them and their fun to make. i also like to add cooked shrimp from time to time. i have only been able to find the rice paper at asian markets. but living in atlanta, there's no problem there. i like to prep all my veggies before i get my assembly line going. i generally just slice up what i have on hand. cucumbers, peppers, onion, cilantro or basil, fresh garlic and ginger, spinach, water chestnuts, carrots. you get the idea. once everything is ready for rolling, get a sheet of rice paper and run it under very warm water. you could fill a large shallow bowl and dip the rice paper, but i find you need to stop every few dips and change the water out. so, i just run it under the faucet. on a clean surface, lay the rice paper down and fill the paper with the sliced veggies, leaving about 1/2 inch or so from the end you start at. roll it like a burrito. it might take you a few tries, but after a while you'll get the hang of it. you can keep them in the fridge a few days by putting them in an air tight container with a damp paper towel over them (keeps them from drying out). i suggest if you serve these to company, cut them into bite size pieces, at an angle. leaving it whole resembles... um, well, a prophylactic.
