Vegetarian Quinoa Sushi Rolls Recipes

VEGETARIAN "SUSHI" ROLLS

Steps:

• Rinse rice well and bring to a boil with 1 cup water and 1 teaspoon soy sauce in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan, then reduce heat to very low and simmer, tightly covered, until water is absorbed, about 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let rice stand, covered, 10 minutes.
• While rice is standing, stir together vinegar and remaining teaspoon soy sauce.
• Transfer rice to a wide nonmetal bowl (preferably wood, ceramic, or glass) and sprinkle with vinegar mixture, tossing gently with a large spoon to combine. Cool rice, tossing occasionally, about 15 minutes.
• Stir together wasabi and remaining teaspoon water to form a stiff paste. Let stand at least 15 minutes (to allow flavors to develop).
• Place sushi mat on a work surface with slats running crosswise. Arrange 1 sheet nori, shiny side down, on mat, lining up a long edge of sheet with edge of mat nearest you. Using damp fingers, gently press half of rice (about 3/4 cup) onto nori in 1 layer, leaving a 1 3/4-inch border on side farthest from you.
• Arrange half of cucumber in an even strip horizontally across rice, starting 1 inch from side nearest you. (You may need to cut pieces to fit from side to side.) Arrange half of carrot just above cucumber in same manner. Peel avocado half and cut lengthwise into thin slices, then arrange half of slices just above carrot in same manner. Repeat with radish sprouts, letting some sprout tops extend beyond edge.
• Beginning with edge nearest you, lift mat up with your thumbs, holding filling in place with your fingers, and fold mat over filling so that upper and lower edges of rice meet, then squeeze gently but firmly along length of roll, tugging edge of mat farthest from you to tighten. (Nori border will still be flat on mat.) Open mat and roll log forward to seal with nori border. (Moisture from rice will seal roll.) Transfer roll, seam side down, to a cutting board. Make second log in same manner, then cut each log crosswise into 6 pieces with a wet thin-bladed knife. Serve with wasabi paste, soy sauce, and ginger.

BROWN RICE & QUINOA SUSHI ROLLS

Steps:

• Rinse and drain your short grain brown rice. Add the rice to a medium size saucepan along with the dash of salt and 2 1/3 cups water. (Yes, that too much water for the rice, but you'll add the quinoa to it as well later on). Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover the pan. Set your timer for 30 minutes.
• While the rice cooks you can mix up the vinegar(s), mirin, sugar and salt. I like to heat this up so that the sugar and salt fully dissolve. Set aside.
• Also while the rice cooks you can cut up your filling (grate the carrot, slice up the cucumber and avacado). Set aside.
• At the 30 minute mark, add in the quinoa and give it a quick stir. You may have to bring it back up to a boil to maintain the heat, then reduce back down to low and cover again. Set your timer for 15 more minutes. At the end of the 15 minutes both the rice and the quinoa should be tender and nicely cooked.
• Remove your rice mixture from the pan. You can turn it into a large mixing bowl, or even onto a cookie sheet. Spread it out so that it cools more quickly. Mix in the vinegar mixture, carefully folding it into the rice. I like to use a rice paddle (flat sort of spoon), fanning it out as you go to help the rice cool off. Adjust the seasoning if need be, adding more vinegar if you like. (I wouldn't add more salt because you generally serve with soy sauce).
• After about 10 minutes the rice should have cooled off quite a bit and be ready to work with. (You could prepare this far in advance, remembering it's best to work with the rice at room temperature).
• Cover up your sushi mat with plastic wrap or a clear plastic bag (I put it inside a large ziploc). Place a sheet of nori on your mat (shiny side down).
• Eyeball your rice mixture into 4 equal portions and place one portion on your sheet of nori. Pat it down with damp hands to cover the lower half of the nori sheet with rice. There is usually a picture on the back of the nori packaging to show you how to spread the rice and roll it up. I like to keep a mug of water nearby to dip my fingers into.
• If you wish, spread a thin layer of mayo across the rice, with the option of adding a little wasabi to the mayo. Another option is to sprinkle the rice with sesame seeds or Gomasio at this point. Place your fillings in a straight line across the middle of your rice. Lift the sushi mat and fold over and roll, to form a log. This might take practice if it's your first time, but basically connect the bottom of the sheet closest to you, to the top of the rice mixture, which should result in your filling being perfectly in the middle (or not! -- still tastes good!). Use the mat to help you tighten up the sushi log then release it.
• Repeat to use up all the rice and you should have 4 sushi logs. With a very sharp knife (I like a bread knife myself), cut each log into 6 or 8 equal pieces.
• Serve with wasabi, picked ginger and light soy sauce. Enjoy!