last weekend i was in
the Dirty South,
for work,
and for play,
and then i ended up
staying for longer than
expected,
or wanted,
and i stressed about what
dw would eat for dinner
while i was away.
nevermind that he’s
a grown ass man
who lived for upwards of
36 years without me
and he turned out just fine perfect.
nevermind that i
left the fridge
and pantry
well stocked.
nevermind that he
successfully made it to
market day
and replenished further
said stocked
fridge & pantry.
i’m a natural stresser
when it comes to
feeding dw.
it might surprise you,
or not,
given the last
paragraph,
but i stress about
what to make for dinner
every night.
so i polled my FB friends
to make the decision for me.
this was one of the options.
quinoa sushi rolls with quick pickled ginger
gluten free and vegan
makes about 6-7 rolls
*note: i used whatever vegs we had in the pantry, use what is in season and what tickles your fancy. also, i used red quinoa, use whatever quinoa you have on hand, it tastes all the same to me.
sushi vinegar dressing, to dress the quinoa and for the ginger
4 TBL rice vinegar
2 TBL water
2 tsp agave (or superfine sugar)
healthy pinch of sea salt
a few drops of pickled beet juice (very optional, for aesthetic purposes only)
mix all together until well incorporated. reserve half to dress cooked quinoa, the other half to pickle ginger.
a knob of ginger, about 2-3 oz
peel ginger and slice it as thin a you possibly can.
salt and allow to sit for about 30 minutes.
wash & rinse thoroughly, squeeze and pat dry.
in a glass bowl, cover ginger slices with dressing. fridge it for at least an hour. will keep for about a week.
sushi filling
1 cup of quinoa, cooked to package instructions (it’ll come out to about 3 cups cooked). i cooked the quinoa with water to keep vegan, but i won’t judge you if you cook it with stock/broth, dressed with half the vinegar, it should be lukewarm to the touch
prepped stick vegs: carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, if you’re fancy: avocado, raw sushi
sushi nori sheets
using a sushi rolling mat, place nori sheet on top. spread a thin layer of quinoa, leaving a half inch space on either side.
place ingredients on top, along the length. don’t get crazy, you want to be able to roll with ease and keep these bite size.
roll carefully and evening away from, pressing firmly. cut into 1″ pieces.
BAM!
morestomach 
These look amazing!
thanks matt!
TOTALLY making these! Perfect for my gluten-free rice-free friend this weekend when we pack a picnic.
I always worry about what Nathan will eat when I am not there, too. Turns out, usually, nothing. He might have Cheerios but honestly he will probably just not eat. AHHHKK! Yes, even when I have packed salads, beans and rice, leftover pasta, whatever sitting in the fridge for easy-grabbing………… I guess that’s why I work out all the time and he doesn’t need to, in order to fit his clothes. Ha.
YES! this is why i don’t buy cereal anymore, dw would just eat cereal all the live long day.
enjoy your picnic, please let me know how the rolls turn out for you!
HI Lan, this recipe is a real keeper, love this….so clever!
hi Cheri,
thanks so much!
Beautiful Lan! I have a serious, hopeless crush on your photography. This sushi looks gorgeous!
erin, you are too kind, thank you so much.
These are beautiful Lan…and “don’t get crazy” is so right! It’s amazing how few ingredients you need to make a pretty little sushi roll.
thanks Bonnie! i had to learn to not get crazy the hard way…
Beautiful recipe! I’ve made homemade sushi before with brown rice, but never with quinoa. I worried it wouldn’t stick together properly, but yours looks so good. And you’ve gone and pickled your own ginger. Dang! I’m going to have to try this very soon. Have pinned and thanks for the inspiration.
hello & welcome! thank you so much for your kind words. it’s certainly not sticky as rice is and i can’t guarantee that it won’t get messy when you make it, but it really is much easier to prepare than one would think. enjoy!
Wow! Gorgeous. Love how dark it is with the quinoa!
hello! thanks so much!