Thai food is one of my favorites (if you can’t already tell by the numerous Asian inspired posts.) Most often I can find something on the menu that holds excellent flavor, fresh ingredients and is easy on the waistline, especially when dining out these days. One thing that most all Asian restaurants have that I would choose everytime is the Spring Roll! I love these little guys..vegetables only, please 🙂 This is another one of those ‘How can I make this at home?’ recipes. After have tasted plenty of veggie spring rolls in the past, I had a good idea about what I would like in my own..but how do I get past those greasy fingertips from frying? Oh, yes..I’ll bake them, of course!! But, since regular wonton wrappers aren’t crispy when baked, I opted for a flaky pastry dough called phyllo (pronounced ‘fee-lo’). If you haven’t ever worked with this type of dough before, be careful not to allow it to dry out. Covering it up with wax paper and a damp towel should do the trick when it is not in use at the moment.These Veggie Spring Rolls were a perfect match to my Thai Curried Seafood Linguine. (Post to come!)

Crispy Baked Veggie Spring Rolls

INGREDIENTS
1 oz dried bean thread noodles (glass noodles)*
2 teaspoons sesame oil*
4 cups broccoli slaw mix (about 8 ounces)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps thinly sliced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
24 sheets phyllo dough, (14 inches x 9 inches)
Refrigerated butter-flavored spray (I used Parkay)

DIRECTIONS
Soak noodles in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain, and cut noodles into 1/2-inch pieces with a scissors (about 2/3 cup), set aside.

Preheat sesame oil in nonstick skillet. Add the slaw mix, onions, mushrooms, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until slaw is wilted. Remove from the heat. Place one sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface with a long side facing you; spritz with butter spray and brush to evenly. Repeat with two more sheets of phyllo, spritzing and brushing each layer. (Keep remaining phyllo dough covered with waxed paper and a damp towel to avoid drying out.) Cut the stack widthwise into two 14-in. x 4-1/2-in. strips. Place 1/4 cup of veggie mixture along one short side of each rectangle. Fold in long sides; starting at the filling edge, roll up tightly. Place seam side down on ungreased baking sheets. Spritz top with butter spray. Repeat with remaining phyllo and filling.

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes, then broil 6 in. from the heat for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with sweet-and-sour sauce if desired.

Makes 16 Rolls, Serves 8, 2 rolls each

Calories: 145

Fat: 2 g

Carbohydrates: 26 g

Fiber: 1.6 g

Protein: 4.3 g

*Sesame oil and glass noodles can be found in the Asian section of most grocery stores.