Local Spotlight: Tina Huynh
Hello Folks and welcome to another local spotlight feature on my blog!
I am very excited to share this post with you today because it not only highlights a wonderful human-being but also incorporates her passion for cooking and healthy eating/living. So I want to give a warm welcome to Tina Huynh - a nutrition and fitness coach who specializes in food freedom and spiritual psychology coaching.
If you’ve read my previous collab blogs, you know that I love to tell the backstory about how I met the collaborator because as most you know, I moved to Windsor in 2018 and knew ZERO people here (which I laugh about now because Windsor has brought so many incredible people into my life), so here is the background info into how I met Tina. It was probably 2019, I believe I had briefly met Tina at a networking event and followed her on Instagram (which seems to be the best way to connect with someone but it also can work against you because it’s not always a genuine “connection” and sometimes you just remain instagram acquaintances).
Anyways back to the plot, I was scrolling through people’s Instagram stories and I came across Tina’s icon and I clicked on it. She had just posted a picture of a meal she made and since I love to eat and cook, I quickly sent her a message just saying how good the food looked and she said “It was deliciooooous omg, thank-you” and from there, I knew we were going to be friends (hahaha not kidding, food people are my people).
We started chatting back and forth on socials which then sparked a friendship. Tina and I sometimes randomly ended up at the same events together or we have invited one another to our own events and she is just such a kind supportive person and if you know her, this woman can literally do ANYTHING she sets her mind to. So what we decided to do is create a blog post together that highlighted one of her favourite recipes, then make it together (and eat it together) and then put the pen to paper to share it with you all… I like to keep my intros brief but here we are at three paragraphs (whoopsie), so keep reading because I think you should know how to make a summer roll because it’s delicious and healthy and fairly easy (even if you are not a cook).
Photo by Leova Studio
Hey everyone, it’s Tina taking over!
I was ecstatic when Markie approached me to share a recipe on her blog because I love food and everything about it! I love spending hours in my kitchen cooking… except maybe not the clean up portion. I love when people share a meal together, of course the actual eating part, and then perhaps the best thing about dining is; watching everyone enjoy one another's company!
Nothing unites my family more than some shared food.
And friends of course too!
Recently, Markie and I connected over my summer rolls which I taught her how to make. This is a very straight-forward recipe and while it might seem intimidating, I promise you it’s really not. All you have to do is get some rice paper, wet it, put your ingredients inside and then roll it up, dip it and eat it.
This is a staple recipe for me. It’s so flexible and you can put literally anything you want inside the rice paper roll. You can dip it in anything that you like. It can be gluten-free. It can be vegetarian or vegan. It’s also very easy to prepare, especially when you’ve got your protein cooked. It is super simple to customize and I’ve even thrown summer roll parties where I prepped all the ingredients ahead of time and then my guests came over and learned how to make their own rolls!
So let’s get into it;
This ingredient list will make 8 rolls total.
Each person usually eats 3-5 rolls, depending on how determined they are.
If you want to make more or less, it’s easily scalable.
My go-to 3 ingredient dipping sauce:
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/3 cup almond butter
1/3 cup hot water
Instructions for sauce:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir/whisk until incorporated and smooth.
If it’s not smoothing out, microwave for 20 seconds and stir, repeat until all mixed together and smooth.
Fancy and optional add-ons:
Roasted and crushed peanuts
Sambal oelek
Traditionally the sauce is made with peanut butter. We used almond butter because that’s what we had on hand. It was just as delicious, maybe even more so!
Hoisin sauce is not gluten free but you can find gluten-free versions available these days
Summer Roll Ingredients:
8 sheets of rice paper
16-24 pieces of shrimp (tails/shells removed)
1/2 head chopped lettuce (you can use many different varieties, I like romaine or Iceberg)
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves (washed first)
1 cup bean sprouts
Instructions for the roll:
Cooking the shrimp: Put a pot of water on and let it boil, and then drop the shrimp into the pot. When the shrimp becomes opaque and slightly pink (about 2 minutes depending on size of shrimp), turn off the heat and let it sit in the hot water for a minute. Remove, strain, and slice in half (tails/shells should already be removed).
Get a large bowl and fill it with hot tap water. Dip the rice paper in the hot water, making sure to wet the whole sheet. Place it flat onto a large plate.
Place your ingredients on the rice paper, more to one side so you have enough room to roll it. We used shrimp, lettuce, bean sprouts and mint.
Make sure the paper has softened and is pliable, and roll it up! I start by rolling the bottom up, and then the two sides in, and finish by continuing rolling it up.
Once rolled, It’s ready to eat!
I uploaded a video as well here because this is where I find some people get intimated hahaha and if you don’t feel like watching a video, there are photos posted below;
I like to make it roll by roll as I eat, instead of all at once.
Other ingredients that you can add into the roll:
Pork tenderloin
Pickled carrots and daikon
Cilantro
Chives
Barbeque chicken
Cooked rice noodles (we skipped these because it’s less cooking/preparing time!) but you can add them into your rolls if you want a heartier meal.
There are so many ingredients you can add into this, these are just some that I love!
Now, I know that was quite a load of information I threw at you but that’s just because there are so many OPTIONS! The roll Markie and I made was actually very simple - shrimp and veggies but I just wanted to include more info so you knew that you could take this idea and do so much more with it… because essentially, you’re just rolling things up and dipping it in sauce. Easy-peasy if you ask me!
Photo by Leova Studio
People often think cooking and nutrition is complicated but it doesn’t have to be. It is my specialty to make things fun, easy and relatable for people. I have ADHD, I’ve suffered depression, and I know what it feels like to just mope around the house and have the urge to eat ice cream all day long. The reality is that healthy, nourishing food is a major part of healing your brain and every human needs good food to thrive within their lives. So, If you feel like you’re stuck on a loop with no idea what to do when it comes to food - I’ve got you and you’re not alone!
I’m a former restaurateur and I can guide you through your journey with food. I run a group coaching program three times a year where you learn about nutrition, mindset, meal planning, and how to put it all together to lead a long and healthy life. I also have a podcast called Tina’s Arena where I talk about a variety of topics that are near and dear to me and where I provide more resources about what I do and who I am!
Thanks for taking the time to read my recipe and of course a bit more about me!
If you decide to make some Summer Rolls yourself and you’re feeling especially proud of how they turned out, send me a photo or a message on Instagram as I would love to connect with you.
Cheers, Tina!
Okay so not going to lie… I was one of those people who couldn’t make summer rolls because the rolling portion was overwhelming but I would like to report that I’m a wizard at it now and I’ve added this dish into my monthly rotation (especially lunches).
Special shout-out and big thank-you to Tina for teaching me this new skill and of course for feeding me!
If you would like to find out more about Tina click any of the following links to learn more; Website, Instagram, and Youtube channel.
And of course, If you enjoyed this blog post and want to hear more like this, please let me know!
As always, I hope you have a wonderful day!
Markie.