Vegan shiitake sushi
15 May
Maki sushi is a great vegan lunch or quick dinner. Once you master the technique, it’s easy to make and there are infinite variations.
I discovered this variation because I had a bunch of shiitake mushrooms that I needed to use before they dried out. The rest is history.
The rice
- 2 cups sushi rice, cooked and ready to roll
- optional: 1/2 cup cooked brown rice or quinoa
Take care making the rice. To make really good sushi rice, you absolutely must rinse it until the water runs clear. Do not skip this step! For a quick refresher, check out how to make perfect sushi rice.
To make it more nutritious, I added 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice at the same time that I added the rice vinegar. If you’re using quinoa, remember to rinse it quite well before you cook it; this removes the slightly bitter taste.
You can use leftover brown rice or quinoa, but the sushi rice needs to be made fresh.
The filling
- 2 to 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and dried
- 1-2 T minced shallots
- 2 T sunflower/safflower oil, or similar
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/3 cup walnut pieces, toasted and chopped fine
- 2 carrots, julienned
- 2 T toasted sesame seeds
- 1 large, ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
- 1 pack of sushi nori
Method
While the rice (and brown rice/quinoa, if using) are cooking, saute the shiitakes and shallots in the oil over medium low heat until tender. Remove from pan and place in a small bowl. Mix in the walnuts and set aside.
When the rice is ready, place a sheet of nori on the rolling mat. The rough side of the nori should face up, and the spines of the mat should run in horizontally. With wet hands, place enough rice on the nori to cover the lower third of the nori. Sprinkle across the surface of the rice:
- 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds
- a few spoonfuls of the shiitake mixture over
At the bottom inch or so of the nori, lay a few carrot pieces and a couple avocado slices. These ingredients should go all the way across horizontally. Dip your fingers in fresh water and dampen the top 1/2″ strip of (uncovered) nori. Then, starting from the bottom, carefully roll up your sushi, pressing gently as you go. Easy does it; learn as you go.
Repeat until you run out of ingredients. Let the rolls rest a few minutes before you cut them into slices.
Serve with pickled ginger, soy sauce/shoyu/Bragg’s, and wasabi.
sushi rice with a little brown rice
avocados and carrots
rolling the sushi
Enjoy!
Related posts
Kale salad with roasted root vegetables
11 May
So today, a bunch of folks who love to eat plants are getting together and sharing some of their favorite recipes. It’s called the Virtual Vegan Potluck, and I’m excited to be a part of it.
I’m happy to share a dish from my kitchen, and to click around collecting new favorites from around the world.
My contribution is a salad that combines roasted sweet potatoes, kale, and mango salsa. It’s yummy and satisfying, and I don’t want to bring home any leftovers–so please help yourself!
Ingredients
- 2 generous cups root vegetables (sweet potatoes, yams, carrots, parsnips)
- 1 or 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
- 1/4 cup oil (high-heat tolerant, like sunflower)
- 1 bunch kale
- 3T walnut oil
- 1T shoyu
- 1/4 cup pecans, lightly toasted and roughly chopped
- 1T nutritional yeast (optional)
- 1 cup ripe mango flesh, diced
- 1 cup tomato, diced (if in season)
- 1 ripe avocado, chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped fine
- 1 large shallot, chopped fine
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 tsp. chili powder
- 1/4 tsp. sriracha or sambal oelek
Make the roasted sweet potatoes
Throw the sweet potatoes, garlic and olive oil into a heavy oven-safe roasting pan at 425 degrees F. Bake for 20-30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes to stir them around so they don’t burn.
Make the massaged kale
Strip the kale leaf from the stems. Chop roughly. Massage the walnut oil into the kale for a few minutes; take your time. Sprinkle evenly with the pecans (and nutritional yeast, if using).
Make the mango salsa
Mix the tomato, avocado, mango, cilantro, shallot, chili powder, lime juice, and sambal oelek together in a small bowl.
Put it all together
Gently mix the kale and roasted veg together in a serving dish. Serve with mango salsa on the side.
Notes
If tomatoes are not in season, just skip them until summer comes around.
Roasting the sweet potatoes in a cast-iron pan allows the edges of the veg to get crispy and, if you’re patient, caramelized! Watch closely towards the end; caramelized can easily turn to burnt!
Like most salad recipes, this one is quite flexible. So feel free to make substitutes like:
- shoyu: Bragg’s or a little miso diluted in warm water
- pecans: walnuts, hazelnuts, or pumpkin seeds
- shallot: 2-3 T red onion or 3-5 scallions
- sriracha or sambal oelek: red pepper flakes or your favorite hot sauce
chopped up sweet potatoes
Of course, I had to stop and have a snack!
Kale and roasted roots. But wait–don’t forget the mango salsa!
Related posts
Find more Virtual Vegan Potluck recipes
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| Previous VVP recipe: < Peanut Soba Noodle Salad |
Next VVP recipe: French Lentil and Vegetable Salad > |
Fun things to do in DC (May 2013)
1 May
With the kids
May 3: Family movie night: Flights of Fancy
May 3-4: National Cathedral Flower Mart
May 4-Sept. 22: Wings of Fancy
May 4: Around the World Embassy Tour
May 4: Family Spring Fling
May 11: EU Embassies’ Open House
May 11: BirdFest 2013
May 18: Takoma Porch
May 18-19: Dragon Boat Festival
May 18: Fiesta Asia Street Fair
May 18-19: Peter and the Wolf ($)
May 19: NSO Family Concert: The Cricket in Times Square ($)
May 28-June 2: DanceAfrica DC ($)
On your own
Social bike rides with BicycleSPACE
April 29-May 5: DC Yoga week
May 5: Yoga on the Mall
May 12: Grant Avenue market
May 24-26: DC Black Pride
Night out
May 3: Beats Antique ($)
May 3: Amel Larrieux ($)
May 8: UMD Gamelan Saraswati
May 14: SpeakeasyDC ($)
May 23: Macy Gray ($)
May 25: Burlesque-a-pades ($)
May 31: Sin Miedo salsa concert
Healthy vegan Nutella
24 Apr
Most vegan Nutella recipes I’ve seen call for a couple cups of hazelnuts ($) or a butt load of sugar. So I modified my Vegan chocolate frosting recipe. Et voilà!
If you can make it last that long, it tastes even better the next day.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup roasted hazelnuts
- 1 cup cooked black beans
- 2T virgin coconut oil
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 1/3 cup agave
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Put it together
Put the hazelnuts in a food processor and grind to a fine powder (or to a paste if you’re patient).
Blend everything in a food processor until smooth. If it’s too thick, add a bit more agave or oil.
Note
This recipe is kid-approved. So if you want it last a while, store it in a jar on a high shelf, out of the kiddos’ line of sight!
