Tag Archives: white

Cauliflower “Rice” Veggie Rolls with Asparagus, Roasted Red Pepper & Thai Basil

Cauliflower “Rice” Veggie Rolls with Asparagus, Roasted Red Pepper & Thai Basil

Both the grilled peppers and cauliflower rice can be made ahead; just make sure to refrigerate until ready to use. Plan to not cook the asparagus ahead of time- that way you won’t lose its vibrant green color.

INGREDIENTS:Asparagus, Roasted Pepper and Thai Basil Sushi Roll
2 Bell Peppers, red, washed
24 Asparagus stalks, thin, washed & trimmed
1/3 Cauliflower head, washed, trimmed + chopped into medium pieces
1 tsp Mirin
1 tsp Simple syrup
1 tsp Vinegar, rice
1/2 tsp Sesame seeds, white
4 Nori sheets
26-36 Thai basil leaves (substitute regular basil leaves if unavailable)

PREPARATION:
Grill red peppers, turning occasionally, until all sides are black. Place peppers in a bowl; cover bowl in saran wrap and let peppers rest for 20-30 minutes. Unwrap bowl; remove and discard pepper skins, stems & seeds. Cut roasted pepper into long strips.

Steam asparagus until al dente, about a minute. Throw asparagus into ice bath to stop cooking; remove from water.

Place cauliflower, mirin, simple syrup and rice vinegar into food processor. Chop until cauliflower pieces are about the size of rice grains. Stir in sesame seeds.

To assemble: Place 1 nori sheet on sushi mat. Thinly spread cauliflower mixture over nori sheet, leaving a 1/2 inch “lip” of one side bare. Place a row of basil leaves in middle of cauliflower (running parallel to bare lip.) Lay some pepper strips on top of basil leaves. Lay 3 steamed asparagus stalks over pepper, allowing the asparagus heads to extend beyond the end of the roll. Take three more asparagus stalks and trim to fit the space left at the end of the first three stalks, again allowing for some length so that the asparagus tips will stick out of veggie roll end. Roll mat slowly toward “lip”; wet bare Nori lip with water and rub onto roll to seal.
Dampen a chef’s knife with a moist cloth. Carefully slice roll into 6-8 pieces. For easier cutting, make sure to clean and re-moisten blade with damp cloth in between each slice.

GARNISH OPTIONS: soy sauce*, wasabi, and/or pickled ginger

*use wheat-free soy sauce or Tamari if preparing gluten-free

Makes 4 veggie rolls
Serving size: 1 roll


Tangelo Stir Fry with Scallops and Forbidden Rice

Tangelo is a tasty citrus fruit that is a cross between orange and tangerine, and pairs very nicely with “Ocean Candy” (my nickname name for scallops!)  If you cannot find tangelos, substitute with either fresh orange or tangerine zest and juice, or even combine the two.

Grape seed oil is excellent for use in high temperature cooking techniques like stir-fry. Forbidden rice is black rice and is usually pretty easy to find (see notes below).

INGREDIENTS:

1 dozen  Scallops, large, fresh, cleaned

.5 tsp Canola oil

1 tsp Grape seed oil

3 tb Tangelo juice, fresh squeezed

1 tb Vinegar, rice

1 tb Vinegar, red wine

1 tb Tamari or soy sauce, low sodium, gluten-free

1.5 tsp Sugar, brown

1 tb Tangelo zest

1 tsp Chile-garlic paste

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1tb Ginger, fresh, peeled and minced

3/4 cup Zucchini, with skin, cut in half then sliced on bias

3/4 cup Summer squash, cut in half, then sliced on bias

1 large Carrot, peeled, cut in half, then sliced on bias

4 each Water chestnuts, cubed

1/2 cup Forbidden rice (black rice)

1 cup Water

1 tb Green onion, chopped

PREPARATION:

In small bowl, mix the tangerine juice with the Hoisin sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and chili-garlic paste. In another small bowl, combine the tangerine zest with the chopped garlic and ginger.

Bring water to boil in small pot. Add black rice, stir briefly, cover and simmer until all water is absorbed, about 18-25 minutes. Stir in chopped green onion.

Lightly spray a large, heated pan with the canola oil. Add scallops in single layer and cook on high heat with out stirring until they are golden on bottom, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook until scallops are firm, about 1 ½ minutes longer. Transfer to a plate.

Add grape seed oil to a very hot wok along with Tangerine zest mixture cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the carrot and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Add the zucchini, squash and water chestnuts  to carrot and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 3 more minutes. Stir tangerine sauce and add to wok; cook sauce until slightly thickened, about 30 seconds. Add scallops to the wok, stirring just until heated through. Toss veggies and Scallops in Tangelo Sauce. Serve scallops and vegetables on top of forbidden rice.

TIP: Only use water, not vegetable stock, when cooking black rice- it will have a much better, lighter taste. Do not season black rice until after it has finished cooking. While rather easy to find it imported from China (where it originated), I recommend searching out for black rice from the United States or Italy (“Riso Bello” brand, “Venere” rice from Italy is my personal favorite).

YIELD: 4 servings


Very Veggie Asian Rolls

Here raw cauliflower replaces traditional white rice- a delicious, and super nutritious, substitution.

INGREDIENTS
5 sheets Seaweed, Nori, dried
3 cups Cauliflower, fresh, rinsed
1 tablespoon Vinegar, rice
1 tablespoon Mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 tablespoon + as needed  Water
½ tablespoon Sugar
2 tablespoon Sesame seeds, white
1 cup Carrots, peeled, cut matchstick
1 cup Cucumber, peeled, seeded, cut matchstick
1 cup Sprouts, alfalfa, fresh
¾ cup Avocado, fresh, cut wider matchstick
1/8 cup Ginger, pickled
4 tablespoons Tamari (or soy sauce), low sodium, gluten-free
To taste  Wasabi

PREPARATION:
In food processor, chop cauliflower until pieces are the about size of grains of rice; transfer to large bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk to combine vinegar, mirin, sugar and 1 tablespoon of water; mix in sesame seeds; pour vinegar mixture onto cauliflower and toss to combine.

Lay a Nori sheet out flat on a sushi roll mat. Wet edges of Nori sheet with a small amount of water. Spread a thin layer of cauliflower over sheet, leaving only about an inch of Nori on one edge uncovered. Lay carrot, cucumber, sprouts and avocado out in center of filling, making sure to extend filling slightly out on each end. Carefully roll sushi with mat up to uncovered end. Wet the uncovered Nori edge with water and press to seal shut.

Wet a sharp knife with a damp cloth. Cut roll into 8 pieces, continually wetting knife in between slicing.

Garnish: Serve with wasabi, ¾ tsp soy sauce, and a few pieces of pickled ginger

Makes 5 servings

SERVING SIZE: 1 roll/ 8 pieces