Veggie Sushi

My husband L-O-V-E-S sushi.  So I make this vegetarian/vegan alternative for him every once in a while.  There are a lot of steps involved but he loves it so much, so I think it's worth it! Rolling up the nori wasn't too difficult either, once I got the hang of it.

Ingredients:
3 - 4 cups of cooked brown rice (or sushi rice)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 TBSP sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6- 8 nori sheets

Roasted asparagus (I roasted them on a pan with a little balsamic vinegar & oil)
2 medium sized carrots, peeled, and cut match stick style
1 avocado, sliced

Directions:
While rice is cooking, in a separate pan, warm up vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and take off of heat; let it cool. After rice is done cooking and still warm, place in a glass container and spread out evenly. With a wooden spoon or rice paddle, slice through the rice to separate the grains. Slowly pour the vinegar mixture over the rice and fan the rice while slicing through it. Fan until rice is cool. Set aside and cover with a damp cloth. Keep at room temperature.

Place a sheet of nori on a clean kitchen towel. Have a small bowl of warm water right near you. Fill nori sheet with rice and veggies, but leave 1/2 inch on both the top and bottom edges. Roll up the nori using the towel or your hands, whichever is easiest for you. Wet the exposed edge of the nori sheet with your fingers using the water from the small bowl. Seal the wet edge to the roll (see image below).

Using a sharp knife, cut the sushi into 6 - 7 pieces.
Repeat with other nori sheets.

Enjoy with wasabi, organic soy sauce, and pickled ginger!

Refrigerating the sushi can make the Nori fall apart and the rice get hard. Nom on it while it's fresh!

Basic directions on making the sushi rice are from Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson. Other areas of this recipe are my own ideas and improvisations.