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Creative Cooking for Healthy Bones
1. Cut the cucumber, bell pepper, and avocado into slices about 4 inches long and ½ inch wide (10 × 1 cm). Cut two slices of feta of similar size. Chop the cilantro. Arrange these ingredients on a large plate with the shredded carrot and alfalfa sprouts. Sprinkle the fillings with the lemon juice and a pinch of salt to season lightly. 2. Pour some warm water onto a large plate. Submerge the rice paper in the water to moisten it on both sides. As soon as the paper is softened, transfer it to a plate or cutting board. Place two or three slices of avocado in the center, about two-thirds of the way down the rice paper. Layer half of the alfalfa sprouts, shredded carrots, cucumber, bell pepper, feta cheese sticks, and cilantro on top. Wrap the ingredients quickly, firmly pressing down as you roll up the rice paper halfway. Then fold in the edges and continue rolling, applying light pressure to create a well-formed cylinder. To maintain the moisture of the roll, coat the surface of the roll with a small amount of sesame oil. 3. Repeat the process with the second piece of rice paper and other half of the fillings. Cut each roll in half to create four pieces. Arrange the rolls on a serving plate. 4. Make the dipping sauce: In a mini blender, combine the almond butter, water, apple, maple syrup, vinegar, garlic, and ginger and blend thoroughly. Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl and sprinkle crushed almonds and scallions over the sauce. 5. Serve the rolls with the dipping sauce. Any leftover sauce can be refrigerated for a few days.
1 Persian cucumber, trimmed½ medium bell pepper, stemmed and seeded½ avocado, pitted and peeled2 sticks (4 inches [10 cm] long) feta cheese or vegan feta cheese3 or 4 cilantro sprigs1 small carrot, shredded¼ cup (10 g) alfalfa sprouts1 teaspoon fresh lemon juiceSea salt2 rice paper wrappers, 8½ inches (22 cm) diameterSesame oil
½ cup (130 g) almond butter¼ cup (60 ml) filtered water¼ cup (30 g) shredded apple1 tablespoon maple syrup2 teaspoons rice vinegar½ garlic clove⅛ teaspoon ground gingerCrushed almondsSliced scallion
California Rainbow Spring Rolls
California rolls are a refreshing option for a quick and easy small meal, and craft-ing a roll is fun and artistic. This playful recipe uses lots of vegetables instead of the usual sea greens, and you can experiment with other fillings. I like to include avocado because of its nourishing fats and heart- and bone-health benefits.
Small Meals
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double up on the rice paper to ensure the skin is strong enough to securely hold the shape of the rolls.Add BBQ Tempeh (page 230) to make this as a main dish. This option is a quick and easy solution when you’re feeling extremely hungry and not in the mood for an extensive cooking session.
Keep the feta in the refrigerator so it stays firm until you are ready to slice it. When moistening the rice paper, act swiftly to make the rolls. As soon as the paper is softened, promptly stuff it with vegetables and roll it up. If you’re new to working with rice paper, you can
