This recipe was originally published June 14, 2010. I recently updated this post with new photos!

These aren't the traditional Vietnamese spring rolls you're used to seeing. They usually come served with pork and shrimp and they are served cold.

These spring rolls are served with a grilled lemongrass beef and onions as well as red or green peppers and are served hot, immediately after the beef and veggies are cooked. My Mom has been making this recipe for as long as I can remember. My husband calls them Viet Fajitas…because of the onions and peppers…which Curtis totally suggested to my Mom! And she happily incorporated! The Vietnamese name for this dish is: Besides pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup), this dish is my other favorite Vietnamese dish. I have many memories of crowded dinner tables…the table full of condiments and a butane-powered camping stove. My Mom would stir-fry the lemongrass beef right there and everyone around the table passed around ingredients. We rolled the spring rolls and ate them as soon as they were rolled right at the table. BTW, my Mom even calls them Viet Fajitas now.

One other thing, you can totally substitute the beef for grilled shrimp or serve it with both!

I like to use really thin (vermicelli) rice noodles. This brand of rice paper is my favorite! They can be found at your local Asian or Vietnamese grocery store.

Boil the rice noodles according to the package instructions.

Prep the cilantro, the onions, peppers and then prep the beef.

Heat a nonstick skillet and melt some butter. Everything is better with butter!

Cook the beef, onions and peppers in batches. See the sear marks on the beef?

Now, let me show you how to roll a spring roll.

First, wet the rice paper on both sides, no need to soak. Just a quick wetting. You want it to be completely wet but you don't want it to soak that it becomes way too soft. Place the paper on a plate and wait about 30 to 45 seconds. (I usually have two plates prepped and ready to go, wet two pieces at a time, one on each plate.)

I add the beef, peppers and onions on the lower third of the round spring roll wrapper. Add the lettuce and the rice noodles. (I really should have used a non-white plate to show you.)

Be careful to not overfill. My brother is a master of overfilling and it never breaks…I'm not that talented!

Fold over the sides.

Grab the bottom, end closest to you, tuck it in and start rolling up.

And there you have it! Easy peasy!

So there is two ways of doing this…

I told you how we sit around a table and my Mom would cook the beef right there at the table.

Another way is cooking the beef and veggies in the kitchen and then wrapping the spring rolls as you go along and then eating them after you're done wrapping a bunch of them up. That's the way Curtis prefers to do it. And it's less mess on our table for us.

He likes to make a whole pile of them whereas while I'm cooking the beef on the stove, I'm wrapping and rolling and eating!

This dish is so popular with my family and with friends! I could have these every week!

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Grilled Lemongrass Beef Spring Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 package rice noodles cooked according to instructions on the package
• lettuce cilantro, sliced jalapenos (optional)
• 1 medium onion cut in half and thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper cut into thin strips
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped lemongrass
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 2 pounds London Broil beef sliced thinly across the grain, cut into 1-inch x 2-3-inch pieces
• 1/2 to 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined (optional)
• 4 Tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 4 to 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter for each batch of cooking
• 1 package rice paper
•  

Instructions

• Start a large pot of boiling water and cook rice noodles according to instructions on the package. Watch carefully, because they cook quickly. Remove noodles and place in a colander. Drain and rinse continuously with cold water for 2 to 3 minutes. Shake the colander several times to drain the water. Place on a large plate and set aside and allow the noodles to dry.
• Prep and clean the lettuce, cilantro and jalapenos.
• Prep the onion, pepper, lemongrass and the garlic.
• Slice the beef and place in a large bowl along with the lemongrass, garlic, oyster sauce and sesame oil. Marinate the beef for at least 15 minutes and up to a few hours in the refrigerator.
• Heat a 9-inch nonstick skillet at medium-high and add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon butter. Allow the butter to melt and add beef  with 1/2 to 1 Tbsp of butter. Cook beef (& shrimp) along with a little bit of peppers and onions in small batches, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through and browned. Repeat until you have cooked all of the meat. (You may need to wipe the skillet clean in between batches so you don't burn the beef.)
• Roll into spring rolls with rice noodles, lettuce and cilantro along with the beef and shrimp (if using). Serve immediately.

Tips:

• Be sure to not overfill the skillet, cook the beef in batches. If you overfill, the meat will not brown quickly and you will have overcooked your beef and make it tougher.
• Always, watch the noodles very carefully, they cook very fast in some cases in just 3 minutes! Drain in a colander and drain. You definitely want to drain and rinse with cold water because you do not want them to stick together. Allow them to cool and I like to warm them up in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds before adding them to the rice paper.
• If you want to do shrimp as well, marinate in a separate container from the beef. I often stir fry it along with the beef unless someone does not eat beef or is allergic to shellfish.

The post Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Grilled Lemongrass Beef appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

This post is sponsored by Florida Department of Citrus.

I'm constantly inspired by the food I have at restaurants and on my travels. When I was brainstorming what to make and share with you that includes Florida orange juice, my friend Nina and I immediately thought of tacos!

At a Chinese restaurant in town here, they serve these lightly battered and fried shrimp with a citrus sauce that's sweet. I have been wanting to give a homemade version of this a go…and dreams do come true because this recipe is amazing. I can't even…

And speaking of Florida orange juice. Did you know that I live in Florida? We love our orange juice here. I drink it practically every day for the vitamin C and the potassium that I need. I'm so excited to work with the Florida Department of Citrus…sharing with you recipes that I made with Florida orange juice!

I know you will love these tacos when you make them!

First, make the sauce which of course includes Florida orange juice. I just used a spoon to mix up the ingredients.

After you have prepped the cabbage and the cilantro…heat a cast iron skillet to warm up the corn tortillas.

Beat two large eggs with some Florida orange juice.

Mix together cornstarch, salt and white pepper.

First put the shrimp in the cornstarch mixture…

Dip the shrimp in the egg and Florida OJ mixture.

Then, toss the shrimp back into the cornstarch.

Fry up the shrimp in a nonstick skillet.

Put the tacos together with cabbage, shrimp and cilantro.

Then, drizzle the sweet orange sauce on top. These tacos are amazing…I know you'll love them and your family will too! So easy to make and perfect for any summer get together!

You should check out the Florida Department of Citrus' website and facebook page to get more recipes and learn more about the nutritional benefits of Florida orange juice!

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Orange Shrimp Tacos Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 10 to 12 tacos

Ingredients

sweet orange sauce

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 3 Tablespoons Florida orange juice
• 1/4 red/purple cabbage sliced thin
• chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)
• 1 pound shrimp if frozen, defrosted, peeled and de-veined
• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tablespoons Florida orange juice
• corn tortillas about 10
• oil for frying the shrimp

Instructions

• Make the sweet orange sauce by combining mayonnaise, sweetened condensed milk and 3 tablespoons Florida orange juice in a small bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Prep the cabbage and cilantro and set aside.
• Season the shrimp. Mix together cornstarch, salt and white pepper on a plate or shallow bowl. On another plate or shallow bowl, whisk together egg whites with 2 Tablespoons Florida orange juice.
• Heat a seasoned cast iron skillet on medium for about 3 minutes. Heat corn tortillas (one or two at a time, depending on the size of your skillet) one minute on each side. Place tortillas on a plate with one paper towel (to keep the bottom tortilla from getting soggy from condensation.)
• Prepare a plate and line it with paper towels. In a non-stick skillet, pour oil so it's at about 1/4 inch. Heat for about 4 to 5 minutes on medium.
• One at a time, dip the shrimp in the cornstarch mixture, then dip the shrimp in the egg mixture and then lastly dip again in the cornstarch mixture.
• In two or three batches, fry the battered shrimp for about 30 to 45 seconds on each side. Remove from oil and place on paper towel-lined plate.
• Serve on corn tortillas; place cabbage, shrimp and cilantro on tortillas and drizzle the sweet orange sauce on top.

Notes

Note:  When battering the shrimp, I noticed that part of the batter would come off if I put it on a plate, when I went to pick it up. So it’s best to leave the battered shrimp in the plate or bowl with the cornstarch and place into the skillet directly from there. (Be sure to shake off excess cornstarch.)

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Florida Department of Citrus. I only work with brands that I love and only share with you my own opinions. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Little Kitchen possible.

The post Orange Shrimp Tacos appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

It's the holidays! It's our favorite of the year, especially Curtis'. He loves when the weather gets a little cooler and really enjoys all of the holiday decorations. In fact, he's the one who puts up our Christmas tree. We have an artificial tree and it's a process…all the branches have to be fluffed and be just right. I love how much he loves the holiday season- it makes me even more excited for it!

I'm excited to be working Hidden Valley Ranch and Glad, both companies make great products. This recipe is a recipe I have been wanting to make and share with you for a while. It's inspired by a dip I like to order at my favorite Tex Mex restaurant. It's creamy and a little bit spicy, perfect for any holiday get together with friends and family. I will definitely be making this for our holiday get together with friends this year!

I used the Original Ranch Hidden Valley Dips Mix for this recipe. I bought the mix along with everything I needed at Walmart.

Add the buttermilk and mayo to your blender first and then add the tomatillo salsa, pickled jalapenos, juice from the jar of jalapenos and the cilantro.

I added a lot of cilantro this time because I love it. The dip is a little bit more green than usual because of that. So the amount of cilantro you want to add is up to you!

Then, add the Hidden Valley Ranch Dips Mix (just one packet is all you need) and then blend.

What's lovely about this recipe is it only takes a few minutes to put together!

When I'm entertaining and throughout the year honestly, I make sure I have plenty of Glad containers- so guest can take home leftovers! These ones are deep dish size and are perfect for storing leftovers or sending leftovers home with guests.

If you like a little kick- you'll love this recipe. It's great to dip tortilla chips and veggies and is perfect for your next holiday party and even better it takes minutes to put together!

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Spicy Jalapeno Ranch Dip Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup tomatillo salsa
• 1/3 cup pickled jalapeño slices from a jar
• 3 teaspoons jalapeño juice from a jar
• 1 to 2 Tablespoons cilantro washed
• 1 1-ounce packet Hidden Valley Dips Mix, Original Ranch

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until well blended. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving with chips and vegetables.

PS You can get the red mixing bowl that I used for the chips and the footed bowl at Walmart too! They are from my friend, Ree's (The Pioneer Woman) new collection!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Glad & Hidden Valley Ranch. The opinions and text are all mine. There are affiliate links in this post.

The post Spicy Jalapeno Ranch Dip appeared first on The Little Kitchen.