Wrap

Cha gio are considered culinary treasures, delighting everyone who's tried them. Light and crispy, spring rolls are traditionally wrapped with rice paper. At Lemon Grass, however, we use a more durable type of spring roll wrapper made from wheat flour. Also used for Filipino-style lumpias, they are marketed under the Menlo brand and stocked in the frozen food department of Asian grocery stores. These 8 X 8-inch wrappers seal the filling so well that no oil can seep through during frying; this is not the case with rice paper.

It's a wrap! Feeding the family? Let everyone be a wrap artist by rolling his own with our recipe, which is filling and not very fattening.

Los Angeles: land of sun, fun, and burritos. Southern California's Mexican-influenced cuisine has the potential to be an all-out fat fest (cheese, sour cream) or a healthy mix of carbs (tortillas, beans) and protein (chicken, beans). A chicken burrito with the full-fat works can tip the scales at nearly 600 calories and 31 fat grams. To slim it down, we stuffed it with all-white-meat chicken, less cheese and nonfat sour cream. We also rolled it in a whole-wheat tortilla for extra fiber.

Forget the chicken sandwich — have a few of these leafy treats. When Daniel Green needed to drop a considerable amount of weight eight years ago, he didn't just go on a diet: He learned to cook and create his own lowfat meals. Nearly 70 pounds lighter, he launched an international modeling career — only to find he'd rather be in the kitchen than on the catwalk. Now Green shares cooking tips on British television and here for Self, in this moo shu–inspired dish. Its do-it-your Self assembly is perfect for dinner with friends.

The healthiest take-it-anywhere lunch.

Hold the cabbage! The takeout industry has given egg rolls a bad name, but in the 1940s, Gourmet readers clamored for a genuine version of the "Chinese delicacy." Our answer was fragrant with garlic, scallions, shiitakes, shrimp, and roast pork.

You'll have some leftover creamy ginger soy dressing for salad later in the week.

When my grandmother, Noi, came to America in 1975, banh trang—Vietnamese rice flour wrappers—weren't available, so the use of wheat wrappers from Singapore and China became widespread throughout the immigrant community. While it's easier to get banh trang these days, Noi still uses the wheat wrappers for this recipe.

A perfect accompaniment for cocktails. Most of the prep work here can be done ahead.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

You can also make these with chicken, ham or roast pork.

These rolls are baked instead of deep-fried, making them a healthful, satisfying alternative to traditional egg rolls.

Buy some potato salad and raw vegetable sticks to round out the menu; then offer fudgy chocolate cupcakes for dessert. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(Rouleaux de Poulet aux Kumquats, Sauce épicé) These spring rolls can also be made with duck instead of chicken.

This recipe can be made vegetarian by substituting either soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos for the Nuoc Nam, a Vietnamese fish sauce made from anchovies which is used as a salty seasoning. The flavor will not be quite the same, but it will be equally satisfying.

Round out the main course with leaves of romaine lettuce topped with purchased guacamole and salsa; also offer rice pilaf. For dessert, spoon Kahlùa and chocolate sauce over coffee ice cream.