When I was little I never really understood why there was a day that we had to celebrate mom, I mean c’mon, she already gets a birthday, but now we have to take another day and spoil her again?!?

But then it hit me, as I got older I started to realize that out of the 365 days of the year, 363 of them were all about me. Everyday I am told how much I am loved, reminded that I am the best part of her life, and that no matter what I will be looked after, cared for, and kept safe. My mom has always been there, she’s my cheerleader, my pillar of strength, my best friend, my role model, and one of her favourite things to say is that she made me, and that she did a pretty damn good job with what she had to work with.

So on that note, I am thankful that I have a mother that has spent her life setting a good example for me on how to be a good person, a strong woman and to always see the glass as half full. Because of her and her alone, I know what it feels like to be loved and looked after. My mother held my family together as a unit, and still to this day, puts her children first. She is selfless, kind, brave, and one kick ass lady.

Mom, you are a beautiful woman inside and out, and as silly as this may sound, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t say a little prayer and thank my lucky stars that I got you as my mom.

I love you to the moon and back, and there is NOTHING that life can throw at us that we can’t overcome. So bring it on life… I dare you.

And because nothing says I love you mom more than rice paper spring rolls, enjoy.

Ingredients:

Makes 8

½ savoy cabbage chopped
3-4 large carrots peeled and grated
1 large white onion chopped
2-3 garlic cloves chopped
1 inch piece of ginger chopped
2 large handfuls of bean sprouts
2 tbsp coconut oil + a little extra and I’ll tell you why soon enough
1/2 tbsp GF soy sauce
8 pieces of rice paper

Preheat your oven to 425, then line a pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Next up, in a large skillet over medium heat toss in your onions, garlic and ginger and get them cooking for a minute or two. Once they start to sweat, toss in the rest of your veg, everything into the pan except for the bean sprouts.

You just want to sauté your veg until your cabbage and carrots are nice and tender.

Now this is the fun part, putting it all together. What you’ll need first is a large bowl of hot water, not so hot that you’ll burn your fingers, but just warm enough that it’ll soften up your rice paper.

Take a clean wooden cutting board and then you want to submerge your rice paper into the water until they start to soften up, but be careful because once that happens they can become a bit unruly.

Lay the rice paper onto your cutting board and fill it with you sautéed veg and then a sprinkle of bean sprouts. You don’t want to overfill them or it will be impossible to roll so keep that in mind. This recipe makes about 8 spring rolls so by the time you get to the 8^th you’ll be a spring rolling expert.

Once they’re all ready to go lay them out on your pan lined with parchment and then brush each spring roll, both sides, with some melted coconut oil. Into the oven they go at 425 for about 25 minutes.

You’ll know they’re done once the outside crisps up and starts to harden like a shell.

Enjoy with your favourite dipping sauce and don’t forget… clean up after because today is all about mom.