I’ve been traveling quite a bit for the past couple of weeks. One of the beautiful places we stayed at was a woodsy campground on Rainbow river. Last night we came home, repacked and now we’re back on the road, heading south to Miami. As much as I love traveling, it’s always challenging to eat well on the road. These rolls are an easy and refreshing solution for your next summer road trip.
I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I’ve noticed that the world is divided into those who love watermelon and those who prefer all other melons to it. I definitely belong to the first group and will pick juicy sweet watermelon any time of day. Occasionally though, I’ll run into a honeydew or cantaloupe that is so irresistibly delicious that I’ll forget about my unconditional love for watermelon. A good melon tastes particularly amazing when framed by the flavor of fragrant herbs like basil and mint. Add the crunch and beautiful color of purple cabbage and carrots, almond pesto and sweet and spicy dipping sauce, and you’ll get just about the perfect summer meal.
Melon Basil Summer Rolls
Ingredients
Instructions
Cut the melon in half, remove the seeds, peel and slice the flesh into strips
Prepare cabbage and carrots.
Prepare a large bowl of warm water and a working area covered with a damp dish towel. Start dipping your wrappers in the water, one at a time, for a minute or so, until it begins to soften. Don’t keep the wrapper in the water too long to prevent tearing.
Place each wrapper on a damp dish towel (one at a time) and begin to fill it. Spread about 1 teaspoon of pesto in the middle of the wrapper, followed by cabbage, 1-2 melon strips, carrots and herbs.
Fold the bottom part of the wrapper over the filling, followed by the sides, then roll it tightly.
Serve right away with the sauce or keep covered with a damp dish or paper towel until ready to serve. These rolls are best when eaten within a day or two.
Pesto
Ingredients
Instructions
Combine basil, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor (or blender or magic bullet) and pulse until coarsely chopped.
Add the cheese to the mixture and pulse until combined.
Slowly pour olive oil into the mixture until it reaches desired consistency.
Season with salt and pepper.
Tamarind Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
Instructions
In a medium bowl, mix together all of the ingredients thoroughly. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.