Dinner at My House: Clean Eating Sushi & Sesame Slaw

Sushi!!! So yummy!!! Most people head out to a restaurant to get some, but its actually pretty easy (and fun) to make -so I encourage you to try it!

I made rice-less sushi rolls last night (these are paleo friendly), but I have also posted instructions for brown rice sushi rolls if you scroll farther down the page.


Ingredients: You can really choose anything you want to put inside! I used shrimp (steamed/cooled), mango, scallions, avocados and red peppers. I also made my toddler a roll that contained: smoked salmon, avocado, and cucumber (cut into matchstick size pieces). *The seaweed paper is very chewy so if you are giving it to toddlers be sure they are only getting very small pieces!

I do not have a sushi mat so I used a piece of construction paper instead. Rolling can be the hard part (see detailed instructions/pics below). Don't be too hard on yourself- it takes practice! Start closest to you and press firmly as you roll! I used avocado spread out to help seal the roll, but you can also just wet your fingers and dab the end to help it stick together.









SESAME SLAW: I whipped up a side of slaw with very few ingredients: Cabbage, red pepper, rice vinegar, sesame oil & sesame seeds.

Chop 1/2 head of cabbage & 1/2 of a red pepper (or throw it into the food processor like I did- this makes it finely chopped and perfect for little ones to eat too.) Splash of rice vinegar & sesame oil then mix it up and top with sesame seeds (optional). 

*Bonus Rolls: my hubby got home late so I threw the leftover sesame slaw, shrimp, avocado, smoked salmon, & cucumber into a roll for him and he loved it! He would have never ate the slaw by itself so it was a win win :)

If you prefer your sushi rolls with rice- check out these brown rice rolls:
Ingredients

• 3 cups short-grain brown rice (Some packages of white rice specifically say “sushi rice” on them, but you don’t see this label as often on brown rice.  I’ve found that any short-grain variety is adequate.)
• 4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• ½ pound raw shrimp (or cooked real crab…please do not buy anything labeled as an imitation!)
• ½ pound raw sushi-grade tuna or salmon
• 2 carrots, peeled
• 1 cucumber, peeled
• 1 or 2 avocados (depending on how much you like them)
• 1 package of Nori (seaweed sheets)
• Necessary supplies: bamboo rolling mats, saran wrap, cutting boards, a very sharp knife, soy sauce (and little dishes for dipping), chopsticks (which can be modified with a rubber band and piece of paper for the little ones), and a flat wooden or bamboo spoon
• Optional supplies: toasted sesame seeds, wasabi, pickled ginger, toothpicks or skewers, and a bowl of water (to dip your fingers and spoon in to keep the rice from sticking)

Directions

1. Cook the brown rice according to the package directions.
2. Before cooking the shrimp stick a skewer or toothpick through each one from end-to-end so they will be “straight” after they are done cooking and will therefore be easy to cut into strips. Boil the skewered shrimp in the water for 3 – 5 minutes or until they are firm.
3. Chop the cooked shrimp, raw fish, peeled carrots, and peeled cucumber into little julienned strips (pictured above). Similarly, slice the avocado(s), but save them for last since they could start to turn brown.
4. Once the rice is done stir in the rice wine vinegar. Some sushi recipes also call for sugar to be added to the rice, but we think it tastes just fine without it. Also, it is best to use a wooden or bamboo spoon when handling the rice.
5. Cut the sheets of nori in half long ways.
6. Cover the bamboo mats with plastic wrap.
7. Now it is time to get started (see pictures to the right and below)!
   • We think it is best for each person to either have their own cutting board and bamboo mat or at least only have to share their items with one other person.
   • Lay 1 of the half sheets of nori along the bottom of the plastic covered bamboo mat.
   • Completely cover the top of nori with a thin, uniform layer of rice.
   • If you prefer the nori to be on the outside of your sushi roll then leave it the way it is with the rice on top.  If you like the rice to be on the outside (like me) then flip it over .
   • Make a nice and neat row along the very bottom edge of the nori with whatever ingredients you’d like on the inside.
   • Using the bamboo mat as an aide roll it over as tightly as you can and keep rolling until it is closed up completely. Then squeeze down on the roll with a little force to really secure it together.
   • If the rice is on the outside (like the picture) we think it is best to lay a little piece of saran wrap over the top of the roll before cutting it. Using a sharp knife cut through the plastic and the roll until you have the desired number of pieces of sushi.
   • We believe in eating as we go when we have to work this hard for our food so enjoy!

Yield: 4 – 6 Servings

Enjoy!!!