Week 89

Welcome to Week 89 of Mmm Mondays, where we turn Monday woes into Monday whoas!

Header image for Week 89 courtesy of Photo by Iryna Makarchuk on Unsplash

Last Week’s Links

It began with Marie’s Devil woman, Devil Man. There’s so much sadness in this tale, but so much to celebrate too. I love seeing people take their future’s into their own hands!

Than May gives us the the In’s and Outs of Facials. An educational read, with just the right touch of May’s personality.

Next, Barefoot gave us the bare details with a review of An Anal Snake, with a magical Difference.

This month’s Mmm Maker- Charmer and Snake– shared their love of Wednesday’s. Everybody loves date night!

Liz brought us another episode of the Russian Bride, where Ana gets out of jail, but will Luther keep her in England? Is it worth the trouble?

And to complete an excellent week, Kristan X of Lascivity graced us with the third part of Natural Born Cocksucker, where Chloe goes to the Club. A delicious addition to an addictive tale.

You can read all those Mmm’s here.

Mmm Maker

For the month of September, Mmm Mondays is highlighting Charmer and Snake of of Steeled Snake. This dynamic duo hails form the USA, and have been blogging for 11 years. Read more about this pair on their spotlight post.

Missed our other Mmm Maker posts? Read them now!

Week 89 Recommended Read

Taking the Lead by Cecilia Tan

Taking the Lead is the first book of The Secrets of a Rockstar series. In this debut, Ricki has just inherited a wealthy estate, which includes a exclusive club, that caters to the rich and naughty. Ricki tries everything to get out of running and owning the club, but when she meets Axel, her feelings will change, in ways she never would have expected.

An exceptionally hot read, made for those who like a heavy BDSM theme.

Week 89 Recipe

Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

This late in the growing season, there is still plenty of fresh produce to harvest, which sometimes means being creative. This simple recipe uses cabbage, carrots, cucumber, jalapenos, green onions and even herbs from the garden (or you can buy them instore). Tuck them all inside fresh rice paper, and roll up with a spicy peanut sauce.

Print Recipe

Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Course: Appetizer, dinner, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: asian inspired, healthy?, vegetarian

Calories: 177kcal

Equipment

• 1 pie plate
• 1 small sauce pan

Ingredients

Spring Rolls

• 2 ounces rice vermicelli or maifun brown rice noodles*
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup torn lettuce ribs removed
• 1 cup very thinly sliced red cabbage green is fine
• 2 medium carrots peeled and cut into matchsticks or sliced into strips with a julienne peeler
• 2 mini cucumbers or 1 small cucumber thinly sliced or sliced into strips with a julienne peeler
• 2 medium jalapeños ribs and seeds removed, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
• ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
• ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh mint
• 8 sheets rice paper spring roll wrappers

Peanut Sauce

• ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• 1 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic pressed or minced
• 2 to 3 tablespoons water as needed

Instructions

To make the spring rolls:

• Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the noodles just until al dente, according to package directions. Drain, rinse them under cool water, and return them to the pot. Off the heat, toss the noodles with the sesame oil and salt, and set aside.
• Fill a shallow pan (a pie pan or 9″ round cake pan works great) with an inch of water. Fold a lint-free tea towel in half and place it next to the dish. Make sure your prepared fillings are within reach. Combine the green onion, cilantro and mint in a small bowl, and stir.
• Place one rice paper in the water and let it rest for about 20 seconds, give or take. You’ll learn to go by feel here—wait until the sheet is pliable but not super floppy. Carefully lay it flat on the towel.
• Leaving about 1 inch of open rice paper around the edges, cover the lower third of the paper with a few pieces of butter lettuce, followed by a small handful of rice noodles, some cabbage, and a few strips of carrot, cucumber and jalapeño. Sprinkle generously with the herb mix.
• Fold the lower edge up over the fillings, rolling upward just until the filling is compactly enclosed. Fold over the short sides like you would to make a burrito. Lastly, roll it up. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

To make the peanut sauce:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, rice vinegar, tamari, honey, sesame oil, and garlic. Whisk in 2 to 3 tablespoons water, as needed to make a super creamy but dip-able sauce.
• Serve the spring rolls with peanut sauce on the side. You can serve them whole, or sliced in half on the diagonal with a sharp chef’s knife.

Notes

NOTES

*NOODLE NOTE: I always opt for whole grains when I can, so I used Annie Chun’s brand of maifun brown rice noodles. I found them with the Asian ingredients at Whole Foods. MAKE IT GLUTEN FREE: Be sure to use certified gluten free noodles and tamari (not soy sauce, which typically contains gluten).

MAKE IT VEGAN: Use maple syrup instead of honey. MAKE IT PEANUT FREE: Substitute almond butter (if not avoiding nuts altogether) or sunflower seed butter for the peanut butter.

PREPARE IN ADVANCE: You can definitely mix together the peanut sauce in advance. You can also prepare the veggies several hours or up to 1 day in advance, and store them in an air-tight container (they will lose freshness with time). The spring roll wrappers tend to dry out with time or once chilled, so spring rolls are best assembled shortly before serving. If you’d like to keep them fresh for an hour or two, store them under a lightly damp, lint-free tea towel at room temperature (the skin tends to harden in the refrigerator).

This Week’s Links

What makes you say Mmm?