Sushi The Great

You know those days that just don’t work?

Or the days where you give up to early to try to make it work? For me, those days tend to drop in a lot. They show off and taunt me with their tongues sticking out. They’re pretty rude. And so, hypothetically speaking of course, I have a breakdown at 6:30 in the morning and officially declare it a “Mental Health Day”. It may be an up-and-coming national holiday. I don’t know about you, but I would be pretty pumped.

These are my official rules for a Mental Health Day:

1. NO T.V. (Netflix is an evil genius whose life goal is to create an army of addicted zombies. We’ve all been there. Push through the Grey’s Anatomy cravings. Trust me. It’s worth it.)

2. Turn the music wayyy up, and dance it out. No explanation necessary.

3. Cook something that makes you feel fantastic and healthy. Fantastically healthy is also an option. (Chocolate, raspberry, peanut butter, almond milk and banana smoothie is certainly not out of the question. Wink wink.)

4. Do something that makes your heart happy. Anything. Really happy.

5. Sleep the sleep that makes you feel satisfied.

6. Admire the beautiful world we live in. Take a refreshing run, and bathe in the fall colors.

7. Eat sushi. (Very important and not optional)

I know you see those brownies back there. Don’t judge. Brownies are appropriate for Mental Health days. If you want to say they’re appropriate for any day, I wouldn’t argue. Back to sushi. SUSHI! Now you have an excuse to go to those fancy sushi places and try everything on the menu to get new flavor inspirations. Although, you’ll also have a very compelling reason to stay in your cozy home and enjoy this sushi. And there’s something for everyone, because this sushi is completely 100% customizable.

Another plus: sushi rolling is relaxing. For me. But I’m weird, so who knows. It does take a bit of practice, but I have faith in you. There is something about the taste, the texture and the aesthetic qualities of good sushi that makes me sooo happy. Enough blabbering. Here’s how you do it:

Sushi

Adapted from: Perfect Sushi Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked sushi rice
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tbl. vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• nori sheets

Fillings (sliced into thin pieces or strips):

• cucumber
• avocado
• green onions
• cilantro
• spinach leaves
• cream cheese (chilled for easier slicing)
• carrots (lightly sautéed in a little water and tamari sauce)
• scrambled eggs (in a thin layer; add 1 tbl. tamari to eggs
• tofu (baked or pan-fried)

Toppings:

• toasted sesame seeds
• pickled ginger slices

Dips:

• tamari
• wasabi

Rinse rice in a colander until the water runs clear. Combine rice and water, and cook until tender in a rice cooker or on the stove. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, oil, sugar and salt over medium heat, and cook until sugar is dissolved. Pour this mixture over the cooked rice, and stir well. Let rice cool. Lay a sheet of nori on a flat surface. Dip your hands in a bowl of cool water to prevent rice from sticking to your hands, and using your fingers, spread a layer of rice on top of the nori. Make the layer about 1/4 inch thick (adjust to your preference), and leave a one inch wide space along one side of the nori. Pile your desired fillings (any from the options above or from the depths of your own clever mind) along the edge on the nori sheet opposite of the one inch space. Starting at the end with the fillings, tightly roll your sheet up over the fillings until you have reached the one inch space. Lightly wet the empty area of nori, and continue rolling. Gently press the wet area of nori to seal the roll. If available, use a bamboo mat to stick everything together. Using a sharp knife, slice the roll into pieces of your desired thickness. Top with and dip into any of the options listed above.

Note: Tamari is a delicious wheat-free soy sauce. You can find powdered wasabi at any grocery store. Just add water and beware!