Part one of "because it's too hot to eat anything else".

I always find it hardest to satisfy my appetite when it's this hot out.  Hearty meals lose their appeal the same way that thick fabrics do come summer, and spending an inordinate amount of time figuring out what to eat and what to wear  is the last thing I want to do.

After the last few meals of various salad combinations and spicy tuna rolls, I decided I needed to change things up and incorporate some new recipes into my life.  This recipe came about while doing one of my favorite activities -- wandering the TriBeCa Whole Foods.  I was browsing Asian food aisle, "researching" a non-GMO vegan soy wrappers and other random products, when I saw a massive stack of spring roll wrappers for $3.99... which resulted to this recipe (and hopefully more to come).

These summer rolls paired with a homemade peanut sauce were the perfect combination and hit the summer spot -- refreshing, healthy, and flavorful.  Exactly what I needed after a long day of work with a glass of wine in hand, gazing at the super moon.

It takes a few tries to really get a hang of wrapping these.  The wrappers are really delicate, and one puncture could make the whole thing fall apart.  My recommendation would be to wet the wrapper just enough so it's soft but not to over-wet them, or another option is to double up on wrappers.

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Summer Rolls with Sweet and Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce Makes 4 large rolls; total time: 30 minutes

1 carrot, peeled and shredded 1 small or 1/2 of a large cucumber, sliced 1/4 of red cabbage, shredded 3-4 leaves of loose leaf lettuce 1 avocado, sliced 4 large spring roll wrappers

For Peanut Sauce 1 tsp chili flakes 4 tbsp unsalted peanut butter 1 tbsp white vinegar < 1/4 cup water 1 tbsp brown sugar a pinch of salt

In a small saucepan, prepare peanut sauce by bringing vinegar, sugar, salt, peanut butter, and  half of the water, whisking to a simmer on low-medium heat.  Add remainder of water and chili flakes, continuously whisking.  If it's still too thick, add more water until you reach the desired consistency.  Remove sauce from heat, set aside to cool.

Prepare a flat surface to wrap spring rolls.  In a shallow bowl of warm water, rotate hard spring roll wrapper, until entire wrapper is soft.  Lay softened wrapper on the flat surface.  Line up ingredients side-by-side to fill the width of the wrapper at the base of the wrapper -- 2 leaf of lettuce, 2 slices of avocado, 2 slices cucumber, a few shreds cabbage, a few shreds carrots.  Wrap the ingredients starting at the base of the wrapper, then fold in the sides, and finish by tightly rolling the remainder of the wrapper until contents are fully enclosed.  Using a sharp knife, slice into pieces (optional).  Repeat.

Serve with peanut dipping sauce.