Just rollin’ along

Commercial refrigerated crescent-roll dough is a great trick of the trade — easy to find and dependable. And, with a little extra effort, you can turn it into something unique that looks like you made it from scratch.

This offering is an adaptation of a classic Pillsbury recipe for pesto pinwheels. The green of the sauce and the red of roasted bell peppers give the rolls a holiday feel.

Most pesto is not vegan, as it includes a hefty amount of Parmesan cheese, which also adds fat and salt. Here, the cheese is replaced with puréed white beans. This version also forgoes the pine nuts usually found in pesto, so it is safe for those with nut allergies.

If you don’t want to roast your own bell peppers, they are sold in jars; a common supermarket brand is Mezzetta. You can also substitute sun-dried tomatoes.

One tip: Keep the dough in the refrigerator until you’re all set up to use it. It softens quickly and can get sticky and hard to handle (if this happens to you, sprinkle generously with flour).

Basil n’ Bean Pinwheels

Ingredients:

• 1 8-ounce tube refrigerated crescent-roll dough (see note)

• Flour, for dusting

• 1/4 cup chopped roasted red bell peppers, drained

Ingredients for basil sauce:

• 1 cup basil leaves

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

• 1/4 teaspoon salt or garlic salt

• 1/2 cup canned white beans

Directions:

To make sauce: Purée basil and half the oil in a blender or food processor, gradually adding remaining oil. Add lemon juice and salt; purée until smooth. Gradually add beans and continue to blend until you have a smooth paste. If mixture is thick, add some of the liquid from the bean can.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove dough from tube and carefully unroll on a work surface well-dusted with flour. Pinch together the perforation marks.

Spread basil sauce over dough, leaving an inch clear on all four sides. Sprinkle with red peppers. Working from one of the shorter ends, roll up the dough to make a log (don’t press hard or sauce will squeeze out from the sides).

With the seam side down, slice the log into 8 even pieces and place on a cookie sheet. Don’t worry if your rolls seem a little loose; the dough will puff and firm up. Bake 15 minutes, until golden. Serve warm.

Makes 8 rolls. Leftovers can are best reheated in a toaster oven.

Note:

Pillsbury also makes crescent-dough sheets. The dough is not perforated to make individual rolls, so it is easier to handle in recipes like this one. If you can find it, the sheets are a better choice.

Approximate nutrient analysis per roll: 140 calories, 7 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 350 mg sodium, 17 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 3 g protein. Nutritional analysis provided by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.

The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation is an international nonprofit with a local office in Kaimuki. Its mission of community service includes the promotion of a healthy vegetarian lifestyle. To learn more, visit facebook.com/hawaiitzuchi or call 808-737-8885.