Fruit Spring Rolls with Mint Lime Dipping Sauce

Total disclosure: This recipe was discovered by Miss Susie (Blue Room) and is totally and completely taken from the Food Network's Giada's deLaurentiis. (I am a huge fan of giving credit where credit is due.) And, what a great idea it is! When I read over the recipe (and watched the you tube video), I thought that it would be really fun (and slightly adventurous) for our preschoolers. In addition, it is light, refreshing and goes perfectly with our curriculum surrounding the use of fresh herbs.

Look at these gorgeous ingredients: fresh mango, fresh strawberries, fresh mint...all of which required the use of a BRAND NEW CHEFS KNIFE, which was recently donated by the PTO. Thank you so much! It has been put to good use already!

First we discussed the use of herbs in our previous recipes: we used rosemary in our foccacia, parsley in our meatballs, cilantro in our salsa...and now, we have mint for our Fruit Spring Rolls. Everyone examined the mint then separated the leaves from the stems so we could chop up the leaves for our recipe!

First, we snipped some cooked rice noodles with kitchen sicssors....

Added some honey...

...then, we added some finely chopped fresh mint...and stirred.

The kids were fascinated by the rice paper. Here the Blue Room is holding up their individual sheets!

To prepare the rice paper for the Spring Roll, we submerged it in water for 30 seconds. It required our "gentle fingers" to take it out of the water and place it on a paper towel.

Then, we began assembly. This step required a LOT of grown up help, so I was especially thankful for my parent volunteers this week! 

We discussed how the translucent rice paper allowed us to see all of the ingredients we wrapped up!

Overall, some were very unsure about the rice paper, and some chose to open up the roll and eat the ingredients separately. But, there were definitely some who totally enjoyed the newness of this snack...and who asked for seconds!

Quote of the Day:

"Those noodles look like Elsa's hair!"

Fruit Spring Rolls With Lime-Mint Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cooked pad thai noodles, cooled and drained
1/4 cup honey
1/4 packed cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
6 (8-inch) rice paper rounds
6 medium strawberries, stemmed
1 mango, halved, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
6 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

Dipping sauce:

1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup finely chopped mint

Directions
For the rolls: Put the noodles in a medium bowl and add the honey and the mint. Using 2 forks, toss the ingredients together until the noodles are coated. Lay a damp kitchen or paper towel on a work surface. Soak a rice paper round in warm water for 20 to 30 seconds until softened. Put the rice paper on the damp towel. Add 1/4 cup of the noodle mixture in the center of the rice paper and form into a 3 by 2-inch rectangle. Using a paring knife, slice a strawberry lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange the slices over the noodle mixture. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon almonds on top. Arrange 2 to 3 mango slices on top of the almonds. Roll the rice paper around the filling and seal the ends with a little water. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Wrap the finished spring rolls in damp paper towels and store in the refrigerator.

For the dipping sauce: In a small bowl, combine the mint, honey and lime juice. Pour into a serving bowl.

Arrange the spring rolls on a platter and serve with the dipping sauce.

Thank you to Vanessa Havener, Owen's mom (Green Room) for her help on Thursday.

Thank you to Susie Foster, Zack and Olivia's mom (Blue and Orange Rooms) for her help on Friday.

And, thank you to Joy Pochatila, Petra and Lindy's mom (Green and Yellow Rooms) for joining our cooking party on Friday.

It is always so much fun to have parents come into the Cooking Kitchen to help. What a party!