Do-It-Yourself Veggie Sushi

Who doesn’t love a good sushi date? Sushi restaurants are cheap, quick, and because of the notoriously forgettable service, you’re guaranteed to have lots of time to talk without interruption.

The downfall with sushi restaurants is that there are lots of sacrifices made for that $4.99 vegetable combo. White rice, for starters, is starchy and high glycemic enough on its own before you add all the vinegar and white sugar that makes sushi rice sticky-yummy goodness. The miso soup is almost guaranteed to have remnants of fish sauce/broth (umm, fish from Japan? yikes), which is perhaps a lesser concern than the more than likely msg content (or alternate additives that are basically msg with a name change because msg is so NOT hot right now).

SO, let’s get onto the positive and talk about an alternative! Home made sushi is delicious, you completely control the ingredients, and it’s a great excuse to go to ChinaTown and purchase some adorable little side plates and soy sauce dishes with matching chopsticks!

Ingredients for rolls: (feel free to add/sub to your taste)

nori sheets (however many rolls you intend to produce) found at most local grocers, or get them for cheap at an Asian supermarket near you.

grated carrots

grated beets

cucumber, thinly sliced

spring onions, thinly sliced

avocado, cut lengthwise

sprouts (alfalfa or garlic are nice)

roasted sesame seeds

Ingredients for paste:

1 thumb-size chunk of ginger, grated

2 cloves of minced garlic

1 tbsp tamari

1 tbsp agave nectar

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

2 tbsp tahini

1/4 cup of walnut pieces (or sub whatever you’re not allergic to ie pumpkin seeds)

1/4 tsp cayenne for a kick

Method for sauce:

Combine all ingredients into a food processor and blend on high for about a minute, mixing as needed to make sure the walnuts get all chopped up. Set aside.

Method for rolls:

Lay down your bamboo sushi mat (another great find in an asian market) and put a piece of nori on top. Leaving about an inch at the bottom of the nori, spread 1-2 tbsp of the paste evenly in a row. Place all additional veggie bits in an even-as-possible row, but keep it small so you can actually roll it up. Roll the inch of nori over the top of the veggies/paste, and using your bamboo mat roll up a tight little tube of goodness. Seal the nori with agave or rice vinegar, roll through the mat a bit more, and then slice into pieces with a sharp knife that’s been cut through a lemon (the lemon juice makes it easier to cut and less sticky). Letting the carrots, spring onions and sprouts stick out the ends makes for dramatic deco pieces that are an awesome showpiece for a winning potluck dish.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds, and dip in tamari with a little bit of grated ginger and wasabi added for an extra kick. The pic above also shows a kale chip accompaniment.

This particular version is pretty much raw, but brown rice is another great addition to make them a bit heartier.

Happy rolling!

~The Vegan Project