Vegetarian sushi

I thought vegetarian sushi would be a lot harder to make, until I actually tried it. It was really easy, and kind of fun! This video does a good job explaining how to make the rice and wrap the sushi. But I did a few things differently- I used rice vinegar mixed with sugar and salt (about 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt), and I cooled the rice by spreading it out and fanning it, and also sprinkled on some toasted sesame seeds. My rice wasn't perfect, but good enough.

I made bigger rolls than what the video showed by spreading more rice onto the sheet. For 1 1/3 cups of uncooked rice, I ended up with 4 rolls this size. I used about one carrot, cucumber, and avocado, and a handful of green onions. The leftover veggies went into a salad. I should have packed down the rice and veggies before rolling it, but they turned out pretty well.

I also made a side salad (romaine + leftover veggies + ginger dressing + freshly grated ginger) and miso soup from a package. I've come to expect these side dishes (as well as the accompanying pickled ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce) from most sushi restaurants. Altogether it was a pretty filling meal, but next time I want to incorporate more protein. Maybe some fried and marinated tofu?

Buying the ingredients was relatively inexpensive at an Asian market or World Market. I noticed that my usual store, Sunflower Market, has prices about twice as high for these items and the miso soup mix. But they had some good ginger dressing that I used for the salad (Gingerly lite by Annie's), and pretty cheap veggies.

I've realized that I'm pretty good at managing complicated dishes. Not necessarily in my techniques, but in the actual management and precision that comes from years of working in biology and chemistry labs :) Although when I get stressed or rushed, things tend to go awry. Some of the next dishes in my wish list will require more actual skills. With cooking, practice is obviously the best way to get better, even when it means suffering through some unsavory meals myself. I'm not quite a novice, but I still have a lot to learn!