Day 6 - Nori Might Be a Game Changer

We were supposed to go to a concert tonight but it didn't quite pan out.  It was all kind of a jumbled mish mash of confusion and I finally decided, screw it.  So here I am.  Alone.  Blogging.  On a Friday night.  Woe is me.  Ryan took my son and his friend instead.  But don't go jump off a bridge on my behalf yet.  All is not lost.  For lo and behold I just so happened to pick up some nori sheets today.  I was on my way home with my nori in tow when I called up Jenny and told her of my plans to make raw sushi rolls for myself.  She said, "I love nori.  I need more nori in my life".  And when the J-bomb wants nori, she needn't fret.


Making sushi rolls always seemed too...involved I guess.  They looked good but really, why spend the time?  Throw it in a bowl and call it salad, right?  WRONG!  Not only are they fabulously delicious, they are a snap to throw together.  And as long as you have some nori sheets you can literally make sushi rolls out of anything you have on hand.  They're actually fun to put together.  But what I really want to tell you about is the dipping sauce.  I knew I wanted a sauce that was gingery and sweet but nothing was coming to mind.  So I experimented a little.  And the outcome was nothing short of mind blowing!  


The sauce looks white in the picture but it's actually more of a yellowish-brown color.  Mmmmm.  Sounds good eh? 

Raw Sushi Rolls with Lemon Ginger Dipping Sauce

This makes about 3-4 rolls cut into 1-1/2 inch sections


2 cups lettuce (chopped - or not - doesn't matter)
3-4 raw, untoasted nori sheets
2 carrots, sliced long and thin
1/2 english cucumber, diced
1 large tomato, sliced thin
1 avocado, sliced
1 large handful sprouts
1/4-1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped super-small


Okay.  I'm going to explain how to do this as best I can.  First, prepare all the vegetables except the avocado (it'll go brown if it sits there too long) and set them aside.  Next, throw the macadamia nuts in the food processor until they're finely chopped.  


Take out a nori sheet and set it on a clean, dry surface (I just used my counter top but a bamboo cutting board would be ideal).  Spread the chopped spinach across the nori leaving about an inch column uncovered on the side.  From there, just lay out the other vegetables in long columns.  Slice the avocado and do the same.  Place the chopped macadamia nuts in a long column right down the center of your nori sheet covered in vegetables.  Spray the strip of nori that was left bare just enough to moisten it and make it sticky.  


Now get ready to roll.  Starting on the side opposite the one you just moistened, start gently rolling the nori sheet, pressing it together with your fingers.  Keep it as tight as you can without ripping the sheet.  When you get to the end, the nori should stick to itself and hold well.  Give the entire roll a gentle squeeze to make sure the nori has stuck all the way around. 


Let the roll set for a moment.  Then, with a sharp knife, cut the nori roll into one-inch sections.  Bust out the lemon ginger dipping sauce and have at it.


Lemon Ginger Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon grapeseed oil
4 Tablespoon water (plus a little more to thin)
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar or braggs liquid amino's
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cloves garlic
1-2 Tablespoons tamari (I use gluten free)
1 Tablespoon raw agave, honey, or date syrup (you could even use date water)
1/4 teaspoon 5-spice Chinese powder
1/8 teaspoon fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds


Throw everything in a blender and blend on high until desired consistency is reached.  Add more water to thin.  


You can thank me later.