Are you a sushi fan?

It took me a long time to come around to this popular cuisine.

My main resistance was that I don’t do raw fish. Come to find, you don’t even need fish! That said, seafood is still an option if you do like it cooked. The pic to the right shows a “California Roll” which has cooked crab in it. My second barrier to trying this delicious treat was that it would not be satisfying. I expected I’d be hungry an hour later. I’ve discovered this not to be the case. Now that I tried sushi, it’s one of my favorite on-the-go meals because I can pick it up at most of my local grocery stores. Since I like it so much I decided to give it a try at home. Here’s the basics for making a simple veggie or California roll. From this recipe you can get creative and make your own sushi magic to match you appetite. 

Ingredients & Directions:

• 1 cup dry sushi rice
• 2 sheets nori (seaweed paper)
• 1/2c shredded carrots
• 1/2 avocado, sliced lengthwise in 1/c strips
• 1/2 medium cucumber cut lengthwise in 1/2 in. strips
• Optional: cooked crab (imitation is what I used here), pickled ginger, wasabi, soy sauce

1. Cook the rice per package directions. Generally 1:2 ratio of rice to water. Boil water then add rice and reduce heat to medium. Cook covered for 20min. 
2. While rice is cooking, slice carrots (or buy pre-cut as shown), cucumber and avocado. 
3. Let rice cool enough to work with. You can buy a bamboo sushi roller thingy like I did but honestly, I found it unnecessary. Lay a piece of wax paper down or just work on a clean cutting board. Lay your nori sheet down and gently spread the rice with the back of a large spoon. Cover the paper evenly about 1/2 in. thick.
4. Lay your ingredients lengthwise at one edge then gently roll it up. Cut with a serrated knife into bite size pieces as shown above. Serve right away or chill for 30min first. Stores well for 2 days.

I love mine with lots of ginger and wasabi. Play with adding different veggies like snap peas and peppers. Some people even add fruit! Bon Appetite!