Veg*n Cooking and Other Random Musings: Sushi Bonanza

Monday, February 18, 2008

Sushi Bonanza

Ok, so as soon as I wrote that, I realized that the words 'sushi' and 'bonanza' don't really go together, do they? As promised, here is the sushi post! I don't make sushi very often as there is a lot of prep work that goes into it, but man Brett and I are both happy campers when I do make it.

Well, I got a little more creative with my sushi yesterday. Notice I said a little more creative. I made three different types of rolls that Brett and I shared and boy were we full! One time I made sushi, I made four rolls, which was way too much, then I made two, which was not enough, and go figure that this time when I made three, it was still too much!

First, I made 'our usual', except I forgot to get a cucumber at the store (they aren't that great here this time of year anyway), so it ended up being just shredded carrot, avocado, pickled ginger and toasted sesame seeds. (For official 'J Style' sushi, load these bad boys down with wasabi!)















The second roll consisted of roasted strips of red bell pepper, roasted asparagus, toasted sesame seeds, and wasabi spiked Veganaise. This one rocked! It was so good, and a bit spicy. Who knew how well Nori and roasted veggies go together.















And finally, I made an Asian tofu roll. I used Asian baked tofu in this roll, using the recipe for Asian Marinated Tofu in Veganomicon, subbing in 1 tsp coconut oil for the called for amount of sesame oil (thanks Lindsay! I love using coconut oil now!), and of course, adding a bit more hot chili sauce than it called for. The roll consisted of the above stated baked tofu julienned, with strips of roasted red bell pepper, avocado, toasted sesame seeds and wasabi spiked Veganaise. I really liked these, as they were spicy, filling, and just plain yum. Brett didn't seem to like this one as much as the previous two (must be the tofu), but he ate this as well, just not with the enthusiasm as the others.















Have I mentioned that I love sesame seeds? Not only are they tasty, but they are one bad ass food, loaded with calcium and lots of other healthy goodies. I think the world should eat more sesame seeds, it would be a better place. :-)

I noticed that many of my blog readers are very into health, nutrition, and wellness, Brett (my favorite Wet Blanket) wrote a piece discussing dieting over at his Parade of Rain blog, I highly encourage anyone who is interested in/brave enough to check it out, give him your thoughts or a piece of your mind. :-)

'Til next time!

12 comments:

Catherine Weber said...

Isn't homemade sushi the best? I make it all the time -- my favorite filling is avocado, red pepper, and cucumber. I'll have to try sesame seeds in my sushi sometime -- they are badass!

Anonymous said...

I've never made home made sushi, but I really want to! Especially since it's so ridiculously expensive to buy at a restaurant. Even as an omnivore, vegan sushi was my favorite ("vegan sushi" has to be more of an oxymoron than "vegan bonanza", but food is prone to evolution!).

Your sushi looks so appetizing! You'll have to teach me how to make it. =)

Lori- the Pleasantly Plump Vegan said...

beautiful sushi! i could eat sushi everyday!!!

Lizzy said...

I've had sushi twice in my life. One included salmon so I just tried the rice around it and spat it out because the rice tasted like fish. Then, as a bday gift for my best friend, I took her out for sushi and promised to try it. I put the whole thing in my mouth, bit on it one time and spat it out. Somehow I'm not too fond of it(even if it were a veggie version I think), but I would love to try the one with the roasted asparagus!!

I will take your advice and buy sesame seeds. Many recipes call for it so I guess it won't be around for long.

Unknown said...

Vegan sushi is fantastic. They used to do it every Friday in "de Peper" which was where I first tried it out. It has a luxury feel to it and is super healthy too.

Calimaryn said...

Wow, it looks great! Good job on making those rolls so round and pretty. Mine always seem to come out lopsided or square.

The idea of wasabi veganaise is great too. I think I will give that a try next time I am feeling up to making sushi. Which could be tonight!

Monika K said...

I normally just make one type of sushi per meal, but this is obviously the way to go! I need to find some wasabi powder - maybe at my local Asian market...?

Lindsay (Happy Herbivore) said...

I really need to take a stab at trying to make veg sushi. I love it so much I really should run out of excuses! MMM

Jess said...

Yum! LOVE sushi! And I think it goes well with "bonanza." :)

Yes, Nick will be moving back to Mpls after graduation in May. YAY! We are currently apartment-hunting so we can move in together (and live in sin) ASAP! I can't wait! And I also miss a lot because of daydreaming/reading... Oh, well!

Your sushi looks so pretty! Send some my way. :)

Jenni (aka Vegyogini) said...

Everyone has different tastes (for example, I can't take the taste of nori ever since going vegetarian), so you're not crazy for not liking tempeh the first time. I would try the regular kind just to see if it was the flax version you didn't like, though. The Hot Sauce-Glazed Tempeh was a great recipe to infuse the tempeh w/ a lot of flavor, so maybe try it when you want to give it a second chance. :)

J said...

Catherine - It is! I really love sushi, it's just a pain in the ass to make, so I don't do it very often. It is a anticipated event at my house. And you should try toasted sesame seeds in sushi. Yum! Just toss as many sesame seeds as you want in a small skillet (no need to even use oil) and heat over medium high until they start to get golden, as simple as that. :-)

Romina - Agreed! Sushi is very expensive at restaurants, and I've made it at home, I know it doesn't have to be, though it is by no means the cheapest of meals one could make at home.

Next time I make sushi, I will have Brett do a photo slide show that may assist those who need tips for rolling. :-)

Pleasantly - I second that, if it wasn't such a hassle I would likely have it daily, then quickly go broke.

Lizzy - Sushi isn't for everyone. Some people don't like the Nori (seaweed). I have never had sushi with fish in it, only vegan sushi. You would have NEVER gotten me to eat raw fish when I was an omni.

Sesame seeds are a super food, loaded with lots of 'good for you' things, you should use it wherever you can. Oh, and they taste yum too!

Cookiemouse - I bet 'de Peper's' sushi looked much nicer than mine! It does feel pretty fancy and my is it tasty and nutritious.

Calimaryn - Thanks, it has taken a lot of practice. The first few rolls I made back when I first made sushi were so loose you couldn't cut them without it falling apart.

I got the idea when I noticed that a lot of non-vegan sushi has wasabi spiked regular mayo on it. It was really good, and if you like things spicy, this is for you!

Monika - I am trying to branch out from my usual 'carrot, avocado, cucumber' roll, and I think I have found a few others that we like.

An Asian market would definitely be the place to go. I actually got mine from an Asian market in Illinois when I was there over the holidays, but they do sell it at my regular grocer as well. A little secret - pretty much everything like this (mirin, shoyu or tamari, rice noodles, rice wine vinegar, etc) is cheaper at the Asian markets than at the regular store. The regular store doesn't sell a lot of this stuff, and thus they mark it up higher than a store who deals specifically in this type of food.

Habby Herbivore - You should! Especially living in California! All your produce! Not to mention the progressive communities, the vegan friendly stores and restaurants, the sights, I'm so jealous! And dammit, I was born in California!

J said...

Jess - Awesome about Nick! Living in sin is quite fun. Brett and I have lived together for over 5 years, sinfully wonderful ones I might add. :-)

Reading is way more cool than some giant Ron Paul sign anyway!

I'll be sending happy sushi vibes up North for ya!

Vegygoni - Thanks for the tip! I'll have to try it again as soon as I can get my mits on some plain tempeh.