Name: Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 12 spring roll rice wrappers; 1-2 pounds cooked shrimp, shells and tails removed; 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into matchsticks; 2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and sliced into matchsticks; 1 English cucumber, sliced into matchsticks; 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves; 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves; 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, unsweetened; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 tablespoons rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil; 1 garlic clove, grated or finely minced; 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated or finely minced; 2-3 tablespoons warm water

30 Minutes or Less

One-Pan Hunan Chicken

By Samantha Russo August 30, 2023

Seriously flavorful and delicious restaurant-style hunan chicken! Bites of tender chicken and stir-fried veggies tossed in a savory hunan sauce. Super quick and easy to make, ready in just 15 minutes!

overhead image of hunan chicken in a skillet with sesame seeds and sliced green onion on top.

What is Hunan Chicken?

Hunan Chicken is a healthy, popular Chinese-American dish made with pieces of tender chicken stir fried with veggies and tossed in a tangy, sweet, and spicy sauce. This dish originates from the Hunan province of China and is traditionally hot, spicy and loaded with chilies. In this Hunan Chicken recipe, you can control the spice level by adding as much chili paste as you like.

close-up image of hunan chicken in a skillet.

What You’ll Need To Make Hunan Chicken

Chicken Breasts – This dinner recipe starts with one to two pounds of boneless and skinless chicken breast. To prepare them, start by patting each chicken breast dry with a paper towel, then thinly slice them into bite-sized pieces. Once cut, season them well with salt and black pepper, before coating in corn starch, then stir-frying!

Corn Starch – Coating this hunan chicken in corn starch before cooking will help each piece cook up a whole lot crispier and delicious! However, if you don’t have corn starch, you can certainly use arrowroot starch or tapioca starch instead. And if you’d like to cut down on the amount of corn starch, you can leave it off the chicken pieces, and instead add just a tablespoon of starch to the sauce ingredients. You’ll need at least a tiny bit of starch in this recipe, to help thicken up the sauce.

Soy Sauce – Any kind of soy sauce you’d like will work! If gluten-free, be sure to use tamari instead of soy sauce. Tamari is the gluten-free equivalent to soy sauce. Or, for a healthier option, use 1/3 cup of coconut aminos instead.

Fish Sauce – Most hunan chicken recipes are made with oyster sauce, which is a thick, dark sauce made of soy sauce, oyster extract, and sugar (lots of sugar!). So to make this classic recipe just a bit healthier, I swapped out the oyster sauce for a tablespoons of honey, plus a teaspoon of fish sauce. The honey helps to sweeten things up, and the fish sauce gives this dish its signature briny flavor. I also figured, while neither oyster or fish sauce are super common in most kitchens, fish sauce would be a bit easier to get your hands on!

Tips and Tricks

If you have a wok, use it! Wok’s cook quickly, and heat to a higher temperature, which is perfect for this stir-fry recipe. However, if you don’t own a wok (it’s ok, I don’t either), use either a large stainless steel or cast-iron pan instead.
Once done, if the sauce isn’t as thick as you’d like it to be, then add in some corn starch. But don’t simply add the corn starch in by itself. Instead, whisk 1 tablespoon of corn starch with 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl until dissolved. Then, pour that corn starch slurry into your sauce and give it 2-3 more minutes to thicken.
Serve this hunan chicken however you’d like! I enjoyed mine over cauliflower rice for an extra healthy meal. Though it also tastes delicious over white rice, brown rice, or even quinoa!

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

Make it Paleo: Turn this into a paleo chicken stir-fry by using tapioca starch instead of corn starch, and coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce.

Make it Vegan: Make a hunan tofu by replacing the chicken breasts with a large block of extra-firm tofu, cut into 2-inch cubes! Also, leave out the fish sauce, and replace the honey with maple syrup.

5 from 4 votes

Hunan Chicken

Seriously flavorful and delicious restaurant-style hunan chicken! Bites of tender chicken and stir-fried veggies tossed in a savory hunan sauce. Super quick and easy to make, ready in just 15 minutes!

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 15

Servings: servings

Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
salt and black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup corn starch, or tapioca starch
2 tablespoons avocado oil
1 cup broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced

For the hunan sauce:

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/3 cup soy sauce, or tamari if gluten-free
1-2 tablespoons chili paste
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil, optional

Instructions

Season chicken with salt and pepper, then toss in a bowl with corn starch until evenly coated.
Heat avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook chicken 2-3 minutes per side or golden brown and cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
Add broccoli, bell pepper, and zucchini to skillet – sauté for 5-6 minutes or until tender, but still crisp.
While veggies cook, whisk together all sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
Add cooked chicken back into skillet along with the sauce, reduce heat to low and cook for a few minutes or until sauce has thickened.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal

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30 Minutes or Less

Summer Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

By Samantha Russo July 12, 2023

These summer rolls are loaded with fresh, crunchy vegetables and served with a savory peanut sauce! In just 20 minutes you’ll have a fun and healthy lunch or snack.

overhead image of peanut dipping sauce on a serving platter with sesame seeds on the side.

What are Summer Rolls?

Summer rolls are a traditional Vietnamese side dish. They’re an assortment of vegetables wrapped in rice paper. Think of them like a sushi roll, but instead of rice and seaweed, you just wrap everything up in a thin sheet of rice paper.

Summer rolls are most commonly served (and best served) with a side of savory peanut dipping sauce. The peanut sauce is honestly my favorite part. I could drink that stuff straight up. Creamy peanut putter, soy sauce, and fresh ginger come together in the most incredible, flavorful way possible! Dipping these summer rolls loaded with crisp, fresh veggies into luscious peanut sauce is nothing short of a dream come true. Guys, you gotta give this recipe a try. They’re vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free!

summer rolls being dipped into peanut sauce.

What You Need To Make Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Rice Wrappers – You’d be surprised by how easy rice wrappers are to find! I often locate them in the ethnic/asian aisle of my grocery store. And if all else fails, I can always find them at my local asian markets. If you’re not familiar with rice wrappers, they look sort of like a thinner tortilla. When you remove them from their packaging you’ll find that they’re dry and stiff. Though they simply need a bit of water to help rehydrate them for this recipe. Try not to overthink the process, follow the steps in the recipe below to prepare your rice wrappers.

Tofu – Tofu is an incredible source of protein and contains all nine essential amino acids! It also just sort of takes on the taste of whatever else you’re eating it with. In this case, the tofu soaks up the peanut sauce, which is DELICIOUS. Not only is tofu super easy to come by these days, but it’s super cheap too.

Peanut Butter – To me, peanut butter is typically only ever associated with sweet recipes. Though we turn the tables here by adding savory ingredients such as soy sauce and rice vinegar to create this peanut butter-based sauce. I prefer creamy peanut butter for a smoother sauce, though chunky works too. Just please, whatever you do, make sure the peanut butter you use has NO added sugar! Any sugar in the peanut butter would completely throw off the balance of flavors in this delicious sauce.

summer roll sliced in half on a plate, with cucumber, carrots, and tofu inside.

Adjust This Recipe

Make it Nut-Free: For a nut-free sauce, replace the peanut butter with tahini.
Add Shrimp: Make my shrimp spring rolls recipe instead!
The types and amounts of vegetables and herbs are simply suggestions – you can swap or remove anything you like!

5 from 1 vote

Summer Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

These summer rolls are loaded with fresh, crunchy vegetables and served with a savory peanut sauce! In just 20 minutes you’ll have a fun and healthy lunch or snack.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 20

Total Time: 20

Servings: servings

Ingredients

12 spring roll rice wrappers
14 ounces extra firm tofu, sliced into about 12 sticks
1 cup julienned carrots
2 cups julienned cucumber
1 cup napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup green onion, sliced

For the peanut sauce:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, optional
1 garlic clove, grated
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
2-3 tablespoons warm water

Instructions

Fill a shallow bowl with warm water, submerge one sheet of rice wrapper in water for about 5 seconds then transfer to a clean, damp dish towel.
Place filling in the center of wrapper and fold the end closest to you over the filling, then tuck sides in and towards the center, finish rolling to create a sealed summer roll. Repeat with remaining rice wrappers.
Make the sauce by adding all ingredients to a bowl and whisking until completely smooth.
Serve summer rolls with peanut dipping sauce and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Change up the filling ingredients however you’d like, use up whatever leftover fresh veggies you have on-hand!

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal

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30 Minutes or Less

Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

By Samantha Russo April 11, 2023

Fun and delicious shrimp spring rolls with an irresistibly good peanut dipping sauce! These spring rolls are an easy and exciting way to pack veggies into your diet – they’re super healthy and tasty.

overhead image of shrimp spring rolls on a plate with peanut sauce on the side.

What You’ll Need to Make Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Spring Rolls Rice Wrappers – These light little rice-based wraps are what hold these spring rolls together! I’ve had lots of luck finding these at my local grocery store, in the ethnic food aisle. However, if you can’t seem to track these thin rice sheets down, I recommend ordering these on Amazon. Leftover rice wrappers? Try making my summer rolls recipe next!

Cooked Shrimp – Buy pre-cooked shrimp, or quickly boil it yourself before adding to your shrimp spring rolls. The only thing to note here is that you must remove the tails from your shrimp for this recipe! Removing the tails can happen either before or after cooking – it makes no difference.

Fresh Mint and Cilantro – These Asian-inspired rolls taste extra fresh thanks to a few sprigs of fresh mint and cilantro! I highly recommend adding fresh herbs to your rolls. Though if you don’t like cilantro, or don’t like mint, simply swap it out for a different fresh herb.

Peanut Butter – Unsweetened creamy peanut butter is the base to our peanut sauce. However, if you don’t like peanut butter, you can use cashew butter instead. Or, for a nut-free version, try tahini!

Soy Sauce – Found in most Asian recipes, soy sauce adds the perfect savory component to this dish. However, you can certainly swap out the soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos if that’s more your thing.

shrimp spring rolls on a plate with peanut sauce and fresh limes on the side.

Tips on Handling Rice Wrappers

Submerge one rice wrapper at a time in the water! If you attempt more than one, they’ll stick together and you won’t be able to separate them.
Don’t leave the rice wrapper in the water for too long. Just 5 seconds submerged in a shallow bowl of warm water will do the trick. Leaving the wrapper to soak for too long will make it too soft and difficult to handle.
Place each rice wrapper (one at a time) on a damp paper towel or dish cloth before filling and rolling. The wrapper will lift easily off the damp cloth, making rolling a breeze. If you place the rice wrapper on a kitchen counter or cutting board, it’ll stick and be a nightmare to remove!

shrimp spring rolls being dipped into peanut sauce.

Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs

Make it Vegan: For vegan spring rolls, use extra firm tofu cut into strips in place of the cooked shrimp!

Make it Gluten-Free: The only non gluten-free ingredient in this recipe is the soy sauce. Therefore, use tamari instead, which tastes just like soy sauce but is 100% gluten-free!

Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

0 from 0 votes

Recipe by Samantha Course: MainDifficulty: Medium

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

0

minutes

Total time

20

minutes

Fun and delicious shrimp spring rolls with an irresistibly good peanut dipping sauce! These spring rolls are an easy and exciting way to pack veggies into your diet – they’re super healthy and tasty.

Ingredients

12 spring roll rice wrappers
1-2 pounds cooked shrimp, shells and tails removed
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and sliced into matchsticks
1 English cucumber, sliced into matchsticks
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
For the peanut sauce:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, unsweetened
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 garlic clove, grated or finely minced
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated or finely minced
2-3 tablespoons warm water

Directions

Fill a shallow bowl with warm water. Submerge one sheet of rice wrapper in water for 5 seconds, then transfer to a clean, damp dish towel.
Place 2-3 shrimp, a small handful of vegetables, and a few fresh mint and cilantro leaves in the center of the wrapper. Then, fold the end closest to you over the filling, tuck sides in and towards the center, and finish rolling to create a sealed spring roll. Repeat this process with remaining rice wrappers.
Make the sauce by adding all ingredients to a bowl and whisking to combine.
Serve shrimp spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce on the side.

Recipe Video

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30 Minutes or Less

Healthy Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls

By Samantha Russo January 23, 2023

These healthy teriyaki chicken rice bowls come together in under 20 minutes! Fresh ginger, garlic, tamari to make it gluten-free, and honey to naturally sweeten things up. Ditch the takeout this week, and make this healthier recipe instead!

close-up image of healthy teriyaki chicken

What You’ll Need to Make Healthy Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls

Chicken Breast: Boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces cooks in just a matter of minutes! However, feel free to use any piece/cut of chicken you’d like. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, replace the chicken with salmon or tofu – the possibilities are endless!

Ginger: Fresh, grated ginger adds tons of delicious fresh flavor to our healthy teriyaki chicken. I usually purchase a bunch of fresh ginger (it’s pretty cheap!) and store it in my freezer until I need to use it. But if you can’t find fresh ginger, feel free to use just 1 teaspoon of dried ground ginger in its place.

Tamari: What is tamari? Tamari is simply gluten-free soy sauce. It tastes exactly the same as soy sauce, but is 100% gluten-free. It’s safe for people who suffer from celiac disease or a gluten intolerance! However, if you’re fine with gluten, go ahead and use soy sauce in this recipe instead.

Honey: A refined sugar-free sweetener to help balance this teriyaki sauce! You won’t notice the difference between this honey-sweetened sauce and the sauce you’d order at a restaurant.

healthy teriyaki chicken rice bowls with sliced green onion on top.

Tips and Tricks

I served my healthy teriyaki chicken over white rice with a side of steamed broccoli, but feel free to serve yours with whatever you’d like! Brown rice, quinoa, or even cauliflower rice make a great base to these bowls. Also, any steamed veggie will pair perfectly with this meal!

The chicken cooks pretty quickly in this recipe, thanks to it being cut into such small pieces. Therefore, keep an eye on it and be careful not to overcook the chicken. It should only take a few minutes to cook through!

Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs

Make it Gluten-Free: Use tamari instead of soy sauce, which is 100% gluten-free.

Make it Vegan/Vegetarian: Replace the chicken with pressed and cubed tofu, and the honey with maple syrup!

Make it Paleo: To make a paleo teriyaki chicken, simply replace the honey with maple syrup and use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce – it’s that easy! Also, serve over cauliflower rice or with extra steamed veggies, instead of white rice.

Healthy Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls

4 from 8 votes

Recipe by Samantha Course: DinnerDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Total time

20

minutes

These healthy teriyaki chicken rice bowls come together in under 20 minutes! Fresh ginger, garlic, tamari to make it gluten-free, and honey to naturally sweeten things up. Ditch the takeout this week, and make this healthier recipe instead!

Ingredients

1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoons avocado oil
pinch of salt
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup tamari, or soy sauce
1 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sesame oil, optional
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon corn starch
3 tablespoons water
For serving:
2 cups cooked rice
1 crown broccoli, steamed
sliced green onions
sesame seeds

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, add in the chicken and sprinkle with salt. Cook chicken for 2-3 minutes per side or until cooked through. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Reduce heat to low, add in the ginger and garlic, cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add in the tamari or soy sauce, lemon juice, sesame oil, and honey, mix together.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until the cornstarch has dissolved. Transfer corn starch and water to the sauce along with the cooked chicken.
Stir until sauce thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Divide between four bowls with rice and broccoli, then top with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.

Recipe Video

Notes

Storage: Store the rice and vegetables in a separate container than the teriyaki chicken. Place them both in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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30 Minutes or Less

Asian Cucumber Salad

By Samantha Russo July 11, 2022

Cool and refreshing Asian cucumber salad! Full of flavor, and easy to throw together in a few simple steps. The perfect side dish or healthy lunch recipe.

overhead image of asian cucumber salad on a plate with a spoon

What You’ll Need To Make Asian Cucumber Salad

Mini Cucumbers – Six mini seedless cucumbers are the star of this recipe. I cut mine into fun little spirals for my salad, but you can simply slice them instead. If slicing, I recommend a mandolin to help slice the cucumbers as thin as possible.

Fresh Ginger – Fresh ginger goes a long way in this Asian cucumber salad! Start by cutting about a 1-inch piece from a knob of whole ginger. Then, peel your ginger with either a spoon or a vegetable peeler. Once peeled, run the ginger along a microplane or the fine side of a box grater.

Rice Vinegar – For a hint of acidity, rice vinegar tastes best. However, if you don’t have any, feel free to use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar in its place.

Sriracha – While optional, I recommend a tiny drop of sriracha to round out the flavors in this recipe. For a mild version, start with just 1/2 teaspoon. Or, for a spicy Asian cucumber salad, add upwards of 1-2 teaspoons.

close-up image of asian cucumber salad on a plate

How to Cut Cucumbers

Cut 1/4-inch of each end of a mini cucumber.
Place two chopsticks on either side of the cucumber.
Then, make thin (about 1/8-inch) diagonal cuts along the cucumber, stopping when your knife hits the chopsticks.
Flip cucumber over and make the same exact cuts, in the same direction, on the other side.
Lastly, cut each the cucumber in half, then add them to a bowl for this recipe!

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

Make it Gluten-Free: For a 100% gluten-free Asian cucumber salad, use tamari in place of the soy sauce. Tamari tastes just like soy sauce, but unlike soy sauce, is certified gluten-free!

Make it Vegan: Use maple syrup in place of the honey for a completely vegan side dish.

Asian Cucumber Salad

3 from 42 votes

Recipe by Samantha Course: SidesCuisine: AsianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

0

minutes

Total time

5

minutes

Cool and refreshing Asian cucumber salad! Full of flavor, and easy to throw together in a few simple steps. The perfect side dish or healthy lunch recipe.

Ingredients

6 mini cucumbers, spiralized (see Notes) or thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sriracha, optional
3 scallions, thinly sliced
pinch of sesame seeds

Directions

Place cucumber in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt, then let sit for 10-15 minutes while you make the dressing.
Whisk together the ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, honey, soy sauce, maple syrup, and sriracha in a small bowl.
Check on the cucumbers, and drain the water that’s gathered at the bottom of the bowl.
Add dressing, scallions, and sesame seeds to the cucumbers and toss to coat. Either serve immediately or let marinate in the fridge for a few hours.

Notes

How to Cut “Spiralized” Cucumber: Cut off each end of a cucumber, then place two chopsticks on either long side of the cucumber. Then, make thin diagonal cuts along the cucumber, stopping when your knife hits the chopsticks. Flip cucumber over and make the same cuts on the other side. Last, slice each cucumber in half, now they’re ready for this recipe!