Veggie Stir Fry Sushi Rolls (yeah, no rice!)

Originally I had meant to create a stir fry over Pad Thai noodles (which I did), but then, wallah! This creation was born. I hope you enjoy as much as I did. Let me know if you try an alternative stir-fry center. I think some sliced steak would be delicious to add.

Printable Recipe

Healthy Factoids
Nori is rich in iodine and iron and quite high in protein. It is also a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, magnesium and riboflavin (B2).
Not only does it have all these nutritional riches, it is also a low-fat food.

No Rice, What?! I love sushi, but I don't like the amount of white sticky rice that comes with it. This recipe gives you a delicious, low-calorie way of eating sushi. Plus, whenever I think about making sushi I think it's going to be a big ordeal, taking out the rice step really makes this a quick-fix item. Really you can do any kind of vegetable and/or meat variety. This was just one example to show you how you can enjoy the benefits of Nori and sushi without all that rice!


Ingredients
Nori Sheets

Shallots or Small White Onion (I actually use dehydrated white onion)
Garlic, 2-4 Cloves sliced thin
Sweet Potatoes, cubed about 1/4"
Asparagus, broken into 1/2-1" pieces
Brussel Sprouts, quartered lengthwise (or halved if they are really tiny already)
Crimini Mushrooms, cubed about 1/4" (or Shitaki or other brown mushroom)
Cabbage, sliced thin lengthwise; feather-sliced (I used a small ruffly head - will update the name when I go back to the store. Any green will do though)
Lacinato kale, sliced small, about 1/2"

White Cooking Wine
Olive Oil for frying
Sea Salt

Toasted Sesame Seeds (I did a white/black mix)
Mung Bean Sprouts

Sushi grade Soy Sauce (or Tamari Sauce... any sushi sauce of your choice)


Special Items to help you out:
Sushi [Bamboo] Roller
Chop Sticks


Instructions
Stir fry your filling (Start with the hardest vegetables first). I suggest the following order...

1. Heat a splash of Olive Oil in your skillet. Add the Onion and Garlic Slices and saute until golden.
   
2. Add Sweet Potatoes, Asparagus and Brussel Sprouts (only add the Asparagus if you are using a thick variety, if thin, wait until you add thinner vegetables).
3. Toss these veggies with the sauteed Onion and Garlic. Add a splash of the White Cooking Wine, Cover and let it infuse/steam. Cook these until almost tender.
4. Add the quick cooking veggies now; Crimini Mushrooms, Cabbage and Lacinato Kale. Continue to toss and cook everything until desirable doneness. I like all my veggies to be a little Al Dent.
5. Add a sprinkle of Sea Salt to taste

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Finishing...

• Boil Some water in a kettle or a soup pot (you will only need it to be 1-2" deep). turn off after boiling if using a pot or pour into a dish almost as big as your Nori sheets.
• Take your Nori sheets and either very lightly-quickly dip them into the hot water. You can try to steam them or dip quickly. Just don't let the sheet SIT in the hot water.
• Make sure the sheet is not dripping wet, lay it out on your Sushi Roller like you would for regular Sushi making.
• Place a generous amount of stir fry near the top end (closest to you).
• Sprinkle Sesame Seeds and add a small amount of fresh Mung Beans on top of the stir fry filling.
• Roll it like regular sushi rolling. It should go pretty easy as the wet Nori should adhere a bit to itself. Keep the roll tight as you don't have the advantage of using sticky rice for extra 'stick'.
• Slice and Serve. I dipped mine in the Sushi Soy Sauce and then in the Sesame Seeds and it was just divine. Adding a little Wasabe to the soy sauce would have been yummy too.

Quick Fix Rice Noodle Soup

Are you a fan of Top Ramen? I am. I LOVE IT! Unfortunately, it is not a Gluten Free product. There are many alternatives though. What I like about Ramen is it that it's quick, easy and tasty (I am a fan of the saltyness).

I am working tonight. Around 2am I became hungry, as I do every night I work. My body is awake, burning more calories than if I was sleeping. My body and brain need fuel to keep pluging along. Unfortunately, I usually go grab something quick which results in toast or some kind of crunchy-munchy like crackers. Both not very good snacks, I admit...so I have changed that habit lately with deciding to be Gluten-Free / Wheat-Free.


I almost broke down and ate something with gluten/wheat in it! Bad. Because I couldn't find something quick and quiet to prepare. I didn't want to wake everyone with cooking, which is also time-consuming. Fortunately for me I found a treasure in the back of my pantry. Over a year ago I had bought these instant rice noodle bowls from Trader Joes on a visit to Eugene (OR). Sadly, the noodle bowls although flavorful, really only consist of just that, flavor and skinny rice noodles - which are not super filling.

To spruce up my noodle bowl and make it look more like the enticing photo on the packaging, I added some brown mushrooms (Crimini) and some Lacinato Kale. I decided to use a real, bigger bowl so that I didn't overflow the plastic bowl that came with the package.

It's a little high on the sodim (700mg) but the ingredients are clean.

Noodles: Rice Noodles
Season Mix: Sugar, Salt, Mushroom Powder, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Garlic Powder, Spring Onion Flake, Pepper, Fried Garlic Flavor.
Dried Vegetable Packet: Mushroom Flake, Cabbage Flake.
Oil Sachet: Rice Bran Oil, Garlic

note: Reading about the Autolyzed Yeast Extract seems to bring up some interesting information deriving from Monosodium glutamate (which is unhealthy by many standards). And seeminly to make this a non-gluten free meal, but I'm not sure how a big a deal it is for me as I am just looking to get away from the "bready" gluten/wheat at this point. Those with Celiac Disease would want to use caution.

I didn't say this was a super healthy alternative, just a super quick grab meal. It was pretty delicious..