Caro Emerald ~ My 2 Cents
Joan Jett ~ Wait For Me
Pat Benetar ~ Shadows Of The Night
Stevie Ray Vaughn ~ Willie The Wimp
Harry Connick Jr ~ Where Or When
Madonna ~ I'd Rather Be Your Lover
Keith Urban ~ Raining On Sunday
Sting ~ Desert Rose
Pearl Jam ~ Once
Garbage ~ Wicked Ways
Melissa Etheridge ~ Resist
Clare Teal ~ Messin' With Fire
Scorpion Child ~ Liquor
VAST ~ Land Of Shame
OK..*hands up* ok..ok...OK!...I admit it. I over did things at the weekend so this week has sadly been lost to extreme pain and well..urghness. It has been very frustrating but I have to accept these little set backs...or so I'm told. Kitchen time has been impossible so I haven't had any recipes to share until today...much due to the fact that ML has been working from home today. I sat at the dining table with all of the ingredients and equipment I needed and set myself the task of making vegan sushi for the first time. I needed a task that would keep my mind focused and blimey did this ever fit that bill. Now regular readers will know that I am not gifted with the virtue of patience..lol so this was quite a challenge. Vegan sushi is something I have been wanting to tackle for some time and I've admired others creations but the smell of the nori/seaweeds have always put me off. However my curiosity to try vegan sushi finally won..
I always thought that I would use brown rice when I first tried making my own vegan sushi but I found myself asking ML to cook me some mixed quinoa. I made an avocado sauce using a ripe avocado, fresh lime juice, fresh ginger and 1/2 tsp wasabi paste. I found prepping the veggies quite calming and soon I had everything sat out around my sushi rolling mat. And yes..if I'm honest I was still knocked back by the smell of the nori sheets as I opened the packet but I carried on regardless. I was soon layering, folding and praying to the sushi gods that my finished rolls would stay together. lol. By the end I was a mess of avocado cream, dropped quinoa and beansprout ends but damned if I didn't have something that not only resembled sushi...it stayed together too..just! When I plated up the sushi I decided to have a go at making some carrot flowers to decorate the serving platter and my attempts were not successful...they resembled the Iron Cross...NOT a good look so thankfully ML saved the day and made quite beautiful flowers. I also used some homemade Sriracha and some leftover Avocado sauce to finish off the platter.
I sat with my vegan sushi lunch and I couldn't make the leap to get busy with my chopsticks and get dipping. I was still overwhelmed by the nori smell but with the encouragement of ML I tried my first taste. And it wasn't half bad...lol The nori taste blended beautifully with the earthiness of the mixed quinoa, fresh crunchy vegetables and the silky avocado sauce. I used just plain Braggs as my dipping sauce this time but look forward to experimenting with other dips soon. I really enjoy Braggs and use it to replace soy/tamari now and wouldn't change this. The odd roll with a little homemade Sriracha was also very good and gave them a little zing. I surprised myself at how much I enjoyed vegan sushi...and how filling it is. That fact shocked me a lot as I'd always thought it would be lighter. It was filling in a satisfying way not a lead balloon way. I will be experimenting a lot in the near future with the realm that is vegan sushi...and brushing up my veggie sculpture skills lol. It's good to try something new...what are you trying for the first time?
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| R & R Vegan Sushi with Mixed Quinoa...not to shabby for a first attempt, eh? lol |
Rocket & Roses Vegan Sushi with Mixed Quinoa
(Original recipe from the Rocket & Roses Vegan Kitchen)
NB: No exact amounts as it is entirely at your discretion as to how little or how much you want to fill your sushi rolls. Although overfilling will lead to loss of temper..ahem..lol ~R~
2 nori sheets per person
cooked mixed quinoa
avocado sauce (recipe below)
sesame seeds
thin carrot sticks
thin green pepper sticks
thin mange tout sticks
thin baby sweetcorn sticks
thin cucumber sticks - de-seeded
finely sliced red cabbage - thick stalks removed
To garnish and additions ~ Braggs for dipping, homemade Sriracha sauce and Avocado sauce. Carrot flowers and white and black sesame seeds to serve.
Avocado Sauce:
1 avocado, flesh added to a small bowl
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp wasabi paste
1" piece of fresh ginger, micro-grated
Mash the avocado down and then add the remaining sauce ingredients and whisk until creamy and smooth. Set to one side.
To assemble
Take a deep breath....
Lay your sheet of nori shiny side down on your sushi rolling mat. Leaving a good cm at the top and the bottom of the sheet, thinly spread the avocado cream over the nori. Then spread a thin layer of quinoa over the cream. Then layer the veggies on the edge closest to you and press down gently and then fold over the nori using the mat to guide you. Keep rolling until the outside edge is almost reached...gently spread with water with your fingers and then finish the roll to ensure a good seal is reached. Gently remove the mat and then place the complete roll on a board and using a sharp serrated knife slice the rolls into bitesize pieces and arrange on the serving platter. Then repeat until the desired amount is made..
Serve with a small bowl of Braggs to dip or your own personal choice of dipping sauce.
...and breathe once more because you made it! lol
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope your week has been a great one...
~Red~
