My appetite lately has tanked, mainly because of the heat and also because I just really favour lighter meals in the summer. In all honesty, I more or less prep foods in the summer and don’t do a lot of cooking. I have been enjoying long road rides and hiking in the mountains, wine by a warm fire at night and walking Sadie withe the kids in tow. My summer so far has been perfect and I am looking forward to spending a few weeks in the Okanagan.

I made this dip on my recent trip to California to visit with my sister. We were able to find brown rice paper at the Whole Foods there but I have yet to track them down in Calgary. I have said this before but I really wish we had a Whole Foods here. The kids really like the salad rolls with this dip and we have quite the range in ages between all five children. Adults love the dip as much as the kids do too.

I make this Thai sauce a lot to use as salad dressing, dip for veggies, sauce for grilled chicken and beef and for these salad rolls. I water it down for using in salads and for as a dipping sauce prepare it thicker. Store the dip in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. You can vary how spicy you want to make this sauce, depending on your preference.

Nutrition:
Ginger is great for digestion and increasing metabolism as well as being a powerful anti-inflammatory root. I suggest including ginger as much as possible if you have arthritis. Garlic is a powerful antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory making it perfect for fighting bacterial, viral, fungal and yeast infections. Garlic also has the ability to lower cholesterol and help reduce arterial plaque formation. The health benefits to garlic as lengthy including cancer prevention and regulating blood sugar levels in diabetics.

Thai Almond Butter Sauce

1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 Tablespoons grated ginger
1- 2 clove(s) garlic
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Juice and zest of 2 limes
3 Tablespoons gluten free soy sauce or coconut aminos
1/2 Tablespoon sambal oelek or 2 Tablespoons sweet chili sauce (more or less as desired)
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to a week.