Note from Kare: Brandy from Nutmeg Nanny is back with a tasty and adaptable recipe that, frankly, makes a terrific dinner in and of itself. But if you want to give it the appetizer treatment, I don’t think anyone will complain! I adore these crispy baked vegetable egg rolls – no deep frying in sight. Take it away, Brandy!

I’m a serious egg roll lover. I’m not even exaggerating when I say that.

Sometimes when we order Chinese food, I think to myself: “Would it make me too much of a pig if I just ordered three egg rolls and nothing else?” I have yet to give into my desire to just feast on egg rolls but I’m really only one bad day away from probably letting it happen.

However, one thing I love about egg rolls is how easy they are to make. Seriously, it’s not that difficult – especially when they’re baked instead of deep-fried. (Bonus: they’re healthier that way too!)

Homemade egg rolls are great because you get to throw in all the vegetables (and meat) of your choosing. For this recipe I did a mix of cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts and shiitake mushrooms. I also made a version with added chicken because I’m all about the protein addition.

However, I did have two issues when making this recipe. Problem 1: I had to drive around to all the grocery stores in the area before I found egg roll wrappers. Even then, all I found was spring roll wrappers. Which in the end are similar enough, but they are a bit thinner – so that means they come out a bit crispier. Problem 2: I’m the worst egg roll wrapper EVER! I’m not really sure why I’m so bad at this but I just can’t get them all to be the perfect size. In the end it’s really not a big deal since it’s just my family eating them BUT I guess if I were looking to win a gold medal for a egg roll wrapping I would not win. I’m not even sure I would place.

Oh and back to problem number 1, guess where I finally found the wrappers – the Asian market. Duh. Why didn’t I just go there in the first place? I’ll never know. However, most large grocery store chains do in fact carry egg roll wrappers. Mine were just all out on the day I needed them. Apparently everyone wants to make egg rolls. Which makes sense they are in fact delicious.

As far as dipping goes you can really make up any sauce that you like with egg rolls but I opted to make a peanut butter based sauce. I think the savory peanut lime flavor goes perfectly with all the vegetables stuffed into these babies. PLUS it’s just another excuse to eat peanut butter, which is always a plus in my book.

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