Just a brief note… as some of you might know, my brother and his wife are expecting a child any day now! You also might know that my brother is currently serving in Afghanistan, and that there are a lot of problems on the home front regarding some legal stuff. I asked the internet if anyone would want to chip in a few dollars to help them out, in order to be able to get things for Isabella Grace (the new baby). I’ve been completely overwhelmed with the response. A blog community sent a crib, other people sent items from their registry and others have chipped in . I can’t express how much every dollar has made a huge difference. They were able to get some essentials yesterday! It just means the world to all of us. My brother is having a hard time being deployed this time (he’s been over to that region 4 times now, and has been deployed 20 out of 23 months to Iraq and Afghanistan). He’s a tough guy, but this has been really hard, but knowing that there are so many strangers who just bestow random acts of kindness, that just makes all the difference.
If you want to read more of the story you can go here.
Anyway, now that the mushy stuff is over with… I thought I’d give everyone a Recipe Friday that almost anyone can love and enjoy! Sushi!
First, did you know that the DHA that so many people tell us we “NEED” to eat salmon or take salmon pills for, is in things like sea kelp and sea weed? Guess where fish get DHA ? By eating it. Don’t you wish people would stop eating digested nutrients and vitamins of other animals in order to get what they need? I mean it’s all kind of insane to me. But non the less, sea veggies are good for you! And sushi is yummy.
Here are some tips before you make it
What you need:
Bamboo Mats (you can get these pretty cheap)
Plastic wrap
Rice (short grain)
Nori sheets (or seaweed sheets)
Rice Vinegar
Sesame Seeds
Veggies! – We like using mushrooms, avocado, sweet potato, cucumber, asparagus, carrot.
Plain firm tofu (if you want)
Tempura veggies – you can buy tempura mix (be sure it’s vegan) and make tempura veggies to cut up and put in your sushi.
Extras: If you like the creamy texture in sushi – you can use a little vegan cream cheese.
Rice Tips :
1. Make sure that you only buy short grain japanese rice.
2. Wash the rice A LOT. Removing the starch from the grains is key to making it sticky.
3. Do not add more water than you are supposed to.
4. Soak rice for about 30 minutes before cooking.
5. Let rice cool a little before using it.
6. When touching the rice, put a little rice vinegar on your hands.
7. You can use brown rice, but also look for a shorter grain, wash it well, and add a little bit more water and cook till it’s really done (all the water out) to make it the most sticky.
So step one – obviously – cook your rice! We don’t have a rice cooker, and have not found that we need one. It cooks pretty quickly. Follow the instructions on the package.
Step 2: Cool the rice. Transfer rice to a non reactive bowl (glass or wood)
Step 3: Add rice vinegar. We pour the vinegar slowly over a large base wooden spoon, be sure to try and spread it out evenly.
Step 4: Mix well with wooden spoon.
Step 5: Cover bamboo mat with plastic wrap.
Step 6: Cut and place nori sheet on mat, putting the shiny side up (some people toast their nori first, we haven’t tried this). The nori should be about 7 inches by 3- 4 inches. This usually means you are cutting about 2 inches off the top. Save this for hand rolls.
Step 7: Spread rice over sushi – we use our hands for this, because it’s easier.And then sprinkle it with sesame seeds. (we use black sesame seeds)
Step 8: Flip the nori with rice on it to the other side! Start placing your ingredients, in 1 single strip across the middle of the nori sheet. Don’t use too much if you don’t want HUGE rolls.You can use up to 3 ingredients (in my opinion)
Step 9: Roll your sushi! Fold the bamboo mat over the ingredients and tightly roll the sushi.
Step 10: Remove roll from bamboo matt and cut with a SHARP knife! Serve with soy sauce, wasabi and ginger!
Raw Sushi:
Here are some great links for raw sushi. I just do hand rolls with veggies and kelp… but you can do anything really!
Okay… so go out and get stuff to make vegan sushi! It’s fun, it’s light, and it will impress everyone!
Loved this! I’m a vegan sushi addict. Happy Friday!!
Forgot to say… I’m posting this on the page I created on facebook called “vegan sushi and rolls” – if you don’t mind.
Cheers!
deinha_ny
I agree about the DHA nonsense.
Vegan sushi is a fave at our house too!
I really love eatin’ vegan sushi, but don’t you ever find the nori to be really, really tough and chewy? Toasted or not, I always end up chewing for ten minutes on this one bit of seaweed that refuses to be ground up by the molar gang.
Also, I really think I should try using rice vinegar in my rice: me thinks it will add that extra ‘oomph’. That way, too, I won’t have to end up eating a pot of wasabi with my sushi. >_>
It’s about time I made vegan sushi! Easy and delicious.
I would opt for some sort of brown rice option though, have you tried cooking that?
And you don’t use vegan mayo in it? I always thought the mayo was the best part of sushi!
I just discovered your blog today by way of a link to your peta letter. I have read a few posts and will be recommending your blog to others.
But I really must make a point with the DHA: For some of us, getting enough DHA is a matter of mental stability. If I do not take my DHA supplements, which are fish-based, I cannot cope with daily life. Were it not for these supplements, I would be on pharmaceutical antidepressants, which make me feel like a zombie.
I have looked into vegetable sources of DHA, and yes, they exist. BUT they are simply not strong enough. I need a minimum of 3 GRAMS of DHA daily. The most I will get from vegetarian sources in reasonable daily doses is maybe half a gram. I’d need to consume an entire bottle of blue-green algae to get the same amount of DHA in three capsules of my fish-based DHA. This is just not feasible.
Were it not for this (er, and the occasional grass-fed, organic, pastured, free-range egg), I’d be vegan. But my mental health is far more important to me than some sort of dietary ideal.
Just wanted to point out that, for some of us, DHA is NOT nonsense.