Sushi adds a festive twist to all the other finger food piled on the appetizer table. This vegetable brown rice sushi from Sharon Palmer, a dietitian and the author of The Plant-Powered Diet, is packed with fiber, protein, and nutrients like vitamins A and C—thanks to the whole grain rice, vegetable filling, sesame seeds and seaweed. “You can choose your own favorite combination of vegetables to fill them with, such as asparagus, sprouts, avocado and carrots, and they are fun to pick up and eat at a party,” says Palmer. “The fiber will help satisfy you and fill you up, so you won’t be tempted to munch on too many snacks.”
Recipe: Vegetable Brown Rice Sushi
Yield: Makes 8 servings, or 32 pieces
Ingredients
2 cups water
1 cup uncooked short-grain brown rice
2 ½ cups water
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon honey or agave nectar
2 teaspoons black or white sesame seeds
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
1/2 medium cucumber, sliced into matchsticks
2 thin asparagus spears
2 tablespoons micro-greens or alfalfa sprouts
1/2 medium avocado, thinly sliced
1 green onion, sliced
2 medium shitake mushrooms, sliced
4 sheets nori (toasted seaweed)
1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
If using a rice cooker, put the water and rice into the cooker and prepare according to the manufacturer’s directions. If cooking on the stovetop, bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the rice and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, covered, until all the liquid is absorbed, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. In a small saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, vinegar, and honey, stirring occasionally, until smooth and bubbly. Pour over the rice and stir to combine. Place a sushi mat or a piece of plastic wrap on a clean cutting board. Place one sheet of nori, shiny side down and with a long side facing you, on the sushi mat or plastic wrap. Measure out about 3/4 cup of flavored rice and spread it evenly with a spoon or wet hands over the sheet of nori, leaving an uncovered margin on the side closest to you of about one fourth of the length of the nori. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of the sesame seeds over the rice. Arrange about a quarter of the vegetables, in any combination, horizontally over the uncovered section of the nori. Starting with the vegetable side, roll up the sushi tightly, pressing with either the mat or the plastic wrap to make a tight, cylindrical roll, being careful not to roll the plastic into the roll. Using a sharp knife, slice the roll into eight slices. Repeat this process with the remaining nori, rice, and vegetables. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Arrange the sushi pieces on serving plates and serve with the wasabi paste, ginger, and the remaining soy sauce.
Note: Available at kitchen shops and on the Web, sushi-rolling mats make sushi rolling a cinch. Sushi-rolling kits, which include a sushi-rolling box and a special knife, are also available.