Monday, January 18, 2010

Simple Sushi



I actually made sushi!  And it was simple!  Hence, the title--not very original, but very true!  This dish was inspired by Minh Nguyen from her DVD "Going Raw! with Ronnie and Minh".  She explains how to make sushi free of any cooked ingredients.  So that's what I did!  Minh suggests a final dipping sauce of nama shoyu (raw soy sauce), but since I had none, I used Bragg's Liquid Aminos, which is raw, too.  I also got some personal help from my blogger friend, Raw Oz Gal, who told me how to make cauliflower "rice"!  Ingenious!  And don't forget to use chopsticks; it's actually easier to eat sushi traditionally than it is to use a fork.  You really should give this recipe a try!  Seriously!  It's fun to prepare and fun to eat!  Makes approximately 32 servings or enough for three to four people.

Simple Sushi


Organic Ingredients: 

a small bowl of water
four sheets of raw nori
half head of cauliflower, minced
half a cucumber, thinly sliced
half a red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 or 2 avocados, thinly sliced
spinach (optional)
red leaf lettuce (optional)
alfalfa sprouts (optional)
Use any favorite veggies!  Be creative!
Nama Shoyu or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
raw wasabi (optional)



Instructions:

Rinse all your vegetables; set aside.  Cut the cauliflower into florets that will fit comfortably into your food processor and let the machine do all the work!  When the cauliflower is well pulverized and grainy, like rice, set aside.  Remove the curved ends of the pepper, and cut into thin strips.  Peel and core the avocado(s) and cut thinly.  Peel and thinly cut the cucumber, as well.  Now you're ready to build!  Make sure your work area is dry.  Place a sheet of nori down flat and spread the cauliflower "rice" on first, staying mostly in the center but extending all the way to the opposite ends of the paper.  (Leave the nori's other two ends free for rolling.)  Layer in some bell pepper now; use those short strips to make a long strip down the center that follows the "rice".  You can add more ingredients if you want to, like the lettuce, etc., layering in the same way.  Now, let's roll this serving!  Put that small bowl of water nearby.  Dab your fingers into the liquid and then run them along one of the free ends of the nori.  Begin rolling up all the ingredients, tucking the dry nori end under.  Seal the sushi roll with the wet end.  Use a large sharp knife to cut the roll into bite sized pieces. (Chances are your nori already came with pre-drawn cutting lines that you can use as a guide!)  Slice gently, sawing with very little pressure, so the sushi doesn't get squashed down or pushed out of the open ends.  Serve these round little bites on their sides so they don't roll away!  (It's also easier to appreciate their beauty turned that way!)  Now repeat the instructions until all the ingredients are used up!  Don't worry if your sushi doesn't look like mine, or looks different every time--it's okay!  Sushi is a work of art-- always fresh and exciting!  Using individual bowls, pour an appropriate amount of Bragg's for dipping; add wasabi carefully because it's hot; a little goes a long way!  If any ingredients are left over, store them in the fridge for more sushi tomorrow, or simply toss them into a salad for later.  Enjoy!

17 comments:

Autumn Fauver said...

sushi always looked good but I just can't seem to get myself to enjoy it. But it is such pretty and fun food I must say. & Thanks for all your comments I always look forward to reading them! <3 yah!

Vegan Valerie said...

Hi Autumn!

So you've tried sushi and it just doesn't work for you? I'm sorry! If you haven't ever tasted it, maybe because of the whole "raw fish" issue, then don't you worry because vegetarian sushi is great! (I wouldn't eat raw fish anyway. Eww! But raw veggies? Now that's something totally different!)

Love you too, Autumn! :)

crunchyveganwifelife said...

This looks uber YUM! The pics are great, I am so making this soon! Both of the girls love sushi, me not so much. I think it is the smell form the nori...I love the insides though, especially avocado and cucumbers!!! Good idea using the Bragg's it is amazing!!!!!

Vegan Valerie said...

Thanks Vivacious!

You use Bragg's too?! Very cool!

You know, my husband said something similar tonight--that he'd have to get used to the nori's taste or smell. What does this mean? I really like nori, so I'm having trouble relating. But that's okay. :)

I'm very flattered that you like my pics and you want to give the recipe a try! Thanks Brandi! You really do make me feel special! Let me know how if goes!

Take care, okay?! Oh, and I left you another comment on your own blog... :)

crunchyveganwifelife said...

Valerie,
I have no idea what kind of smell it is in nori, but it actually makes my nose crinkle. The girls say they love the smell, but then again, they always loved seafood, and I hated it...well except tuna, but everyone loves tuna right??? Yes I have Corelle, it is the only design I have ever really liked, and it is light weight so I can carry it with ease. I have arthritis, so light weight dishes are what I use now. I do use Rada knives, I have several, although I am still holding onto some that were my mothers, they are so old though and paper thin, you could cut off your hand and never feel it. I buy my knives at an Amish store down the road a bit from where I live. We are very close to an Amish settlement, so it is pretty cool to live here. My e-mail is veganvalley@yahoo.com, I think it should be safe to give it to you as we are all friends here : ) Plus I am pretty trusting and it has always served me well! I really think your sushi looked yummy, did it hold together well, or did it crumble? Also, what is that in the middle of your braggs sauce? Is it Hot mustard? I just got done posting about a store I shop at in Hutchinson, a town about 20 minutes from where we live, it is an awesome little store! I can't sleep, ahhhhh!!! LOL, gotta love insomnia....I always get this way when I am writing a book.. You'd think by now it would have gone away...oh well. I just ate a banana with some of that homemade chocolate syrup, strawberries and pecans on it, it was good. Better go, I have got to get more than 4 hours sleep tonight!(rambling is a sure sign of exhaustion) LOL

Leah Marie Fauver said...

Oh I'm so glad you're a sushi eater! I LOVE LOVE LOVE sushi of many different kinds! And I am so passionate about WASABIIIIII oh my goodness girl, I could drink the stuff! Thanks for posting this, I enjoyed it. Much love chica

Raw Oz Gal said...

High five for the sushi! It looks divine! How does the braggs taste (I've never tried it - I just use tamari which is not raw).

For those who don't like the nori, try wrapping it in some kind of green leaf. Still tastes good!

OMG Valerie, I never noticed before that the nori had pre-drawn cutting lines! How goofy am I? =)

Daishi said...

Mmmmmmmm, and it tasted yummy too! It seemed like it didn't take long to make (15 minutes or so, but I was rushing around getting ready for work!), and the results were very cute-looking and tasty!

Vegan Valerie said...

Brandi (Vivacious),

That's cool that you live near an Amish community! It must be very interesting! I bet they are nice people.

Corelle and Rada! I knew it! It's fun, the little things we have in common! I am sorry to hear about your arthritis though. Corelle IS light-weight, you're right, so I can see why that would be a good choice for you.

I was kind-of surprised that the cauliflower sushi held together so well! It did crumble out a little bit, but not enough to matter. And since I forgot to get wasabi at Smith's the other day, I just squeezed a dab of plain old mustard into my Bragg's dipping sauce. It was more for staging the photo than anything. Me, trying to be artistic and all that. At least it makes me happy! :)

I hope you got some good sleep, Brandi! I'll talk with you again soon!

Vegan Valerie said...

Leah,

I DO love sushi! And I enjoy wasabi too, but in moderation. You say you could drink the stuff?! What in the What?! I have no words! :)

Love you too, "Chica"!

Vegan Valerie said...

Hi Raw Oz Gal!

I only hope my raw vegan sushi can be as awesome as yours looked to be! And my cauliflower "rice" turned out so well! But I bet it would taste awesome with pine or macadamia nuts ground in, as well. Creamy yumminess! It's a shame you couldn't come over and taste it with me and give me some more tips, in person! But you have been an inspiration already! Thank you!

Bragg's Liquid Aminos makes a nice substitute for soy sauce. It does have it's own distinct flavor, but it is very similar to regular soy sauces. They sell it in different size bottles, so be sure to get the smallest size first to see if you like it.

And don't feel bad about not noticing those subtle cutting lines on the nori. That's not a big deal at all! :)

Vegan Valerie said...

Daishi,

I am sorry you had to rush to work before I was finished with everything. But at least the sushi was to your liking! Then again, YOU are quite to my liking! Mmmwaa! I love you, Jordan!

Sarah S. said...

Hey, this is great! I'm doing a high raw vegan 10 day cleanse right now, and I've got all of these ingredients. Friday night dinner, sounds PERFECT!

Vegan Valerie said...

Hello, Ordinary Vegetarian!

I'm flattered that you would stop by my little blog! This IS a great raw recipe! I hope it gives you good results. You can add some raw soaked nuts to the cauliflower before you blend it into "rice", for a different consistency, too. I hope you enjoy it!

(I actually made this again tonight and it was just as good as I remembered it!)

Thanks again! I'll be sure to stop back by your blog again soon! :)

Vegan Valerie said...

My cousin and blogger pal, "cc" left me this message through my email but I posted it here, as well:

"I just wanted to tell you that I am super impressed by your commitment to vegan and raw. And your recipes really do all look delicious, even in my current condition! I'm kind of craving something fresh like sushi and I can't have anything high glycemic, like white rice right now, so I was wondering if the cauliflower substitute really does taste as good as it looks. Is the texture really hard? I might try it as substitutes in others things as well. Keep up the great work and the fun ideas. You'll be so glad to have all these recipes under your belt in the future.

Love, Courtney"

Vegan Valerie said...

Hi, CC (Courtney)!

Thanks for your kind words! I love being vegan--it isn't a sacrifice at all. But being raw takes more effort on my part! :) But I know it's the best thing for me. I wish that everything I ate was raw. I'll get there someday.

Yes, the cauliflower makes a great "rice"! The texture is not hard at all, just a little bit crunchy, but not hard. And it's not as sticky as rice, but it does hold together remarkably well. And it's so easy to make: just throw some florets into your food processor and turn it on. And you're done! Very delicious! And pretty quick to make, as well. Let me know how this whole raw vegan sushi thing goes. I hope it's a success!

And I'm sorry you weren't able to leave me a comment directly. I don't know what was up with that. I haven't had any trouble with it myself. I'll keep an eye on it though.

Love you, Courtney! Take care! :)

Gauri Radha गौरी राधा said...

That looks great. Vegan sushi is so good!