I was tasked with brining a “side or salad” for a recent party and needed an idea. Virginia summers are hot and humid and food does not tend to keep well. I needed something that would not spoil in the heat. I also wanted to see if there was something I could make that was both delicious and healthy.

A few days before, we went shopping at IKEA and had lunch in their bistro. One of their menu items was a Thai lettuce wrap. It came out deconstructed but it was delicious nonetheless.

I thought I would try to make summer rolls, which are kind of like lettuce wraps but with rice paper exteriors. I couldn’t find any rice paper at the grocery store so my only option was to use the lettuce for the rolls.

SHOPPING LIST

• 1 package Asian salad mix
• 1 head iceberg lettuce
• 1 English cucumber
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 jar dry roasted peanuts
• 1 package Mai Fun rice noodles
• 1 jar Thai Kitchen peanut dipping sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash the iceberg lettuce and separate the leaves.
2. Wash, peel and dice the cucumber into quarter-size pieces.
3. Soak the rice noodles in hot water for 10 minutes and drain.
4. Take a lettuce leaf and fill with the ingredients. Carefully roll and secure with a toothpick. You may also need a piece of cucumber at the top to prevent the toothpick from slipping out.
5. Serve with peanut dipping sauce. The sauce was a bit thick so I thinned it with a little water to be more user-friendly.

Rolling the lettuce wraps is kind of an art. The longer lettuce leaves seem to work the best. Sometimes the leaves will crack and break while you are rolling. Sometimes the toothpick won’t hold them together. You just have to adjust as you go along.

If you try this and it just doesn’t work out for you, you can always go with Plan B, tear the iceberg lettuce into small pieces and toss it in a large salad bowl. I did this with all the leftover pieces. It still looks beautiful.

Since I was attending an outdoor party, I also filled up two gallon-size zippered bags with ice and set the tray on top of them to keep the rolls from wilting in the heat. It worked well! The leftovers were still crisp by the end of the party.

It was then time to go shopping in our closets for red, white and blue outfits. Here is what we came up with:

Then it was time to eat and party!

As to the ultimate test: did people eat the lettuce wraps? Yes and no. I took home about half of my tray. The salad section in general, however, was not as well eaten as the desserts (which were completely gone by the end of the night!). It’s hard to crave vegetables and fruits. Those that did eat my wraps said they were delicious and my husband and I thought they were perfect for a warm summer night–cool and crisp with a little bit of spice from the peanut sauce. It was a fun twist on salad and we will keep trying to make more cravable vegetable dishes.

Hope you had a wonderful 4th! Eat anything marvelous? Please share in the comments.