Summer Roll Bowl with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Trader Joe’s new items lately have been on a roll. I love perusing their new items section each time I visit (Am I alone on this one?) for recipe ideas and inspiration. This habit has not been good for my condiment + seasoning hoarding tendencies but I swear I can quit whenever I want!

This summer roll bowl with spicy peanut sauce action happened thanks to my immediate purchase of two new Trader Joe’s items: Spiralized carrots and coconut aminos. You can find the spiralized carrots in their frozen section and let me tell you, you’ll get multiple servings out of this one package. Spiralized carrots are perfect for any meal-in-a-bowl or you can shred them up for something different in your salad. I even heated them up in a skillet with a little olive oil and Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute and it was a quick ‘n easy meal. My favorite kind. Now what the heck are coconut aminos? I first learned about coconut aminos after seeing it pop up in the list of ingredients on a few of my favorite clean eating blogs. I was intrigued but not motivated enough to go to another shop to track them down. But when they appeared on the Trader Joe’s new items shelf next to a $3 price tag, into the cart it went. Coconut aminos seasoning sauce is an excellent substitute for soy sauce, it’s gluten-free, soy-free and contains significantly less sodium than soy sauce. It tastes savory with solid umami flavor but also is a bit sweet, I definitely prefer it over soy sauce.

This summer roll bowl with spicy peanut sauce came out of my enthusiasm for taking two new TJ’s products for a whirl coupled with my enthusiasm for not turning on my stove this weekend when it was incredibly hot out. Here’s what’s in this summer roll bowl:

– Spiralized carrots

– Mango chunks

– Thinly sliced cucumber

– Chunks of grilled chicken (pre-cooked from Trader Joe’s)

This is one low-maintenance summer roll bowl, all you need to do is chop and slice the mango chunks (I thawed mine from the freezer), cucumber and the grilled chicken. I was feeling a bit lazy this weekend and picked up the heat ‘n serve grilled chicken from TJ’s. The spiralized carrots are sweet and add a surprising amount of crunch, I would recommend thawing and them drying them off to remove excess moisture before cooking or assembling bowls with them. The chicken adds protein and balances out the sweetness of the carrots and mango. And then there’s the sauce. Oh yes.

I put this spicy peanut sauce together from ingredients in my pantry. Having the right seasonings can kick any dish up a few notches. Or at least, that’s what I tell myself before adding yet another mustard into my seasonings hoard. But in this case, the right combination of seasonings, oils and vinegars created a savory, umami taste (Thanks to the coconut aminos!) that balanced the dish out.

– 3 tablespoons peanut butter

– 1.5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

– 1 tablespoon sesame oil

– 2 tablespoons coconut aminos

– Drizzle of agave

– 2 tablespoons room temperature water

– 1 teaspoon ground ginger

– Dash of red pepper flakes (Optional)

If you’re feeling ambitious and want to turn this summer roll bowl into an actual summer roll, I salute you and suggest you add a tablespoon more of peanut butter and nix the water for just a splash.

After a weekend of indulgences, this dish is nourishing, crisp and flavorful. I realized this weekend that it’s now officially pool season so get ready for some low-maintenance clean eating recipes coming up!