Shrimp Summer Rolls with Asian Peanut Sauce

So this one was an attempt at a shrimp spring roll type deal. And while I think the base is there, it needs some playing around to make it what I was hoping for.

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound medium shrimp - peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup shredded napa cabbage
• 2 tablespoons shredded carrot
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 4 (8 inch) round sheets rice paper
•  
• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Directions

1. Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan for medium-high heat.
2. Place the shrimp in a bowl and toss with olive oil and salt and black pepper.
3. Grill the shrimp on the preheated grill until opaque, 2 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and set aside.
4. Combine the cabbage, carrot, garlic, 1 tablespoon ginger, teriyaki sauce, and lime juice in a bowl, stir well.
5. Working with one at a time, wet rice paper with water and lay out on a clean surface. Place a quarter of the cabbage mixture in the center of the paper, top with a quarter of the shrimp. Shape the filling into a log shape and roll the rice paper around the filling, tucking the ends in as you go. Repeat with the remaining rice papers.
6. Whisk together the peanut butter, teriyaki sauce, sesame oil, hot sauce, garlic, 1 tablespoon ginger, salt and pepper. Slice the rolls in half on an angle, and serve with the peanut sauce on the side.

I did double the recipe, because I had about a pound of shrimp and didn't have a specific use for it other than this recipe. The shrimp was the already cooked frozen shrimp, which I have to say is my usual go-to when it comes to buying shrimp! I also doubled the sauce, but that was wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too much! We barely ate more than a couple of tablespoons for all the rolls. Brean chopped veggies for me, while I sauteed the garlic, salt and pepper, then added the shrimp just to cook until it was heated up. Then combined everything for the filling in a bowl (including the shrimp mixture, which we drained first) and let it sit for a few minutes. So reading over this recipe I just realized that I tripled the amount of sesame seed oil in the sauce...whoops! I think my main complaint was that the sesame taste was over-powering, and while I think it would be better without my whoops moment, I still think decreasing it even more would be beneficial.
We soaked the rice paper individually in warm water for a couple of seconds, which worked pretty well. I had never done anything with rice paper before, so I was a bit nervous, but after the first couple I think we got the hang of it. The flavor of the rollups themselves was good, but just not as fresh tasting as I was hoping for. I think I'll play around a bit more with this one, because the hubby liked them. I will let you know how it goes! ;) I should also point out that ours did NOT look as pretty as the picture...think more a loosely wrapped spring roll with teryaki sauce in it.


     In other news, it was my birthday this week, and fun was had by all. (well, at least me) I wandered around Jackson (wandering in a specific route I should say) to be fed all the free food I could eat. I think the best way to do it would be to find a birthday twin and traverse together - then you BOTH get free stuff! Otherwise you're just dragging another person along who has to pay for everything, or just watch while you get free food. Weird!
     I also got a massage yesterday. It was great, but I felt really weird/out of it for the rest of the day, and even today! I heard that sometimes post-massage feels like being stoned, and while I have not partaken in the stoning myself, I feel like that's what I feel like. ;) I feel like I'm just in a cloud-filled state and my brain is not really engaged. Very weird! Hoping it changes soon!
    Going to see Hope Springs tomorrow with some very dear friends - here's to hoping it's good! I'm tired of watching bad and mediocre movies! There are enough movies being made that you think that at SOME point it would be easy to find the good ones! Like maybe because of the sheer number of movies it would have to spontaneously HAPPEN at some point. We shall see. But here's to hoping! ;)