Homemade Veggie Sushi

Not only is homemade sushi insanely delicious, but it is also SO fun to make! I took a sushi-making class back when I was in college and make a few tweaks to the recipe to make this more healthy and plant-based!

Here's what you'll need:

for the seasoned rice

• 2 cups short-grain brown rice

• 4 tbsp rice vinegar (optional, but recommended)

• 4 tsp coconut sugar (optional, but recommended)

• 2 tsp sea salt

for everything else

• nori (about 4-6 sheets)

• your desired fillings! a few examples: avocado, carrots, cucumber, alfalfa sprouts, red cabbage, mango, bell peppers

• sushi rolling mat (you can buy this at most grocery stores for like $1), with optional plastic wrap on the side

• coconut aminos or your favorite soy sauce

• pickled ginger (buy pre-made or DIY)

• wasabi!

• roasted sesame seeds

I also love serving veggie sushi with edamame to snack on as you are making your rolls

Here’s what you’ll do:

Cook the 2 cups of rice to packet instructions. In a small non-metal bowl, combine the vinegar, coconut sugar, and salt. Stir and let dissolve. When the rice is finished cooking but still warm, spread it out evenly on the bottom of a non-metal pan or dish, then evenly pour over the vinegar mixture. Mix gently to coat all the rice.

• If you don't want to season your rice, that's fine! But it will be slightly more difficult to roll the sushi and slightly less delicious!

• Seasoned rice will not keep in the fridge (it gets hard), so only season as much as you are looking to use that day.

While the rice is cooking, cut up your veggies! There is not one way to do this, but I recommend cutting the vegetables to keep them as long as possible for when you lay them on the nori.

To assemble the sushi, I recommend watching a youtube video. Or follow these instructions: lie the nori on the bamboo mat shiny side down. Spread about 1/2 cup seasoned brown rice on the nori leaving about one inch of uncovered nori at the top. The rice is sticky so it's helpful to have a small bowl of water to dip your fingers in so the sushi doesn't stick to your hands. Add your fillings to the middle of the rice, longways. You want enough filling so you can taste it but not too much that it becomes hard to roll. There will be some trial and error here haha. Next, use the bamboo mat to roll the sushi into a roll. Spread a small bit of water on the uncovered nori to seal the roll.

Cut the roll into even pieces with a sharp and slightly wet knife (so it doesn't stick to the rice). Repeat and enjoy!