1 Red Dog Farm cucumber, peeled and de-seeded, sliced into 4 inch long matchsticks
3 leaves of Red Dog Farm romaine lettuce, cut into 4 inch long strips 1 inch wide
½ cup of coarsely chopped mint and/or cilantro
2-3 green onions, minced
4 ounces of rice vermicelli*
12 rice wrappers (approx. 8 inch diameter)*
12 shrimp- cooked, peeled, de-veined and halved OR 10 ounces of extra firm tofu sliced into twelve 4 inch long strips ½ wide (steamed for one minute if desired)
3 Tbls. of soy sauce
3 Tbls. water
1 tsp. of garlic chili sauce
2 tsp. of lime juice
3 Tbls. of hoisin sauce
1 Tbls. of chopped peanuts
*available locally in the Asian food sections of the grocery stores

To make the dipping sauce, whisk together the soy sauce, water, garlic chili sauce, lime juice and hoisin sauce. Top with the chopped peanuts and set aside.

Cook the vermicelli in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, until soft, then drain, rinse and set aside to cool. Prepare the rest of the ingredients. Have all of your filling ingredients (shrimp or tofu, cucumber, romaine, mint and/or cilantro, green onions and cooked vermicelli) laid out in front of you.

Fill a large bowl or a skillet (large enough for the rice wrappers) with warm water. Soften the wrappers by dipping in the warm water for a minute or so until they are pliable. Lay the wrapper flat on a wooden cutting board and fill with your toppings, one strip of items at a time- be careful not to fill it too full to wrap! Leave about 2 inches on each side uncovered. Wrap by folding the wrappers in a bit towards the middle on two sides (left and right leaving it about 4 or 5 inches wide at the widest), then roll up from the bottom. Repeat with the rest of your ingredients. Serve cold.

This is a great beginner recipe, but feel free to add fillings of your choosing as you get more comfortable. Some favorites include: pickled carrots and onions, radishes, mango, Thai basil and snow peas.