Quinoa Sushi

I love Sushi. That's a fact.

I don't love that too-bloated, over-stuffed, not-so-hot feeling I get every single time I eat one too many of the delicious little rice roll-ups.

Last week I conducted an experiment in my kitchen; I added quinoa to my homemade sushi rolls instead of rice. Sushi rice is extremely starchy. It also has extra salt, sugar, and rice vinegar added to achieve that "sticky" texture. Quinoa cooks like a grain, but it is actually a seed. It is considered a complete protein as it contains all 9 essential amino acids. To obtain that perfect sticky rice consistency, there are no additives needed :)

So - here's my recipe. Don't knock it until you try it. Here's to hoping you're as pleasantly surprised with the results as I was!

Ingredients: - Bamboo Sushi Roller - Nori Seaweed Wrappers - 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa - 1 small avocado (thinly sliced) - Shredded carrots & cucumber (optional add-ins: sprouts, green onion, sweet potato, or any other vegetable you want to add in) - 2 cooked chicken breasts (marinated in low sodium teriyaki sauce, thinly sliced) - Wasabi powder - Low Sodium Soy Sauce

Instructions: 1. Prepare all ingredients ahead of time so they will be handy when it is time to assemble. Let the quinoa cool down a little bit, warm is good, piping hot is not. If you're slicing avocado ahead of time, splash a little lemon juice on it to keep it from browning. Wasabi is pretty easy to prepare - just use some of the powder (be careful when inhaling, my first time I got wasabi powder in my eyes and nose and I cried for 20 minutes) and mix it with small amounts of water until you get a paste consistency, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. 2. Lay a nori seaweed sheet on top of the bamboo roller and spread the cooked quinoa over 1/2 of the nori (leaving unused nori on the end farthest away from you - see picture) 3. Lay chicken strips, shredded carrots & cucumber, avocado (or whatever else you choose to use) down across the nori & quinoa. Be careful to not overfill your sushi as you will have a difficult time rolling it up and sealing it. 4. Lift the edge of the bamboo and nori sheet that is closest to you. Roll tightly inward towards the other end. To seal the edge, moisten slightly and press. Remember - nori is not invincible. Be gentle or you will be left with what looks like a sushi stir-fry. 5. Using a very sharp knife, slice the roll into small, bite-size pieces. 6. Repeat until all of your ingredients are finished. 7. Serve with low sodium soy sauce, wasabi paste, and ginger (optional) 8. Enjoy!