One of my all time favorite lunches to make when I have a little extra time are these brown rice avocado rolls. There is something so fresh about the combination of creamy avocado, fresh sprouts, cucumber and scallions that I could honestly eat these every day if time permitted me to do so. As mentioned in my previous sushi post, the Curry Roasted Sweet Potato Sushi Roll, rolling sushi isn’t all that difficult once you get the hang of it. Truthfully, the longest part of the whole process is cooking the sushi rice, which takes around an hour to do, but requires very little effort to actually make. While the sushi rice doesn’t save particularly well on its’ own (it doesn’t retain the same stickiness when reheated), you can make the actual roll in advance with a few modifications to preserve it.
To prevent the avocado from turning brown, lightly juice a little lemon over the top of your avocado slices prior to putting them into your roll. If you are making this roll in advance, it is best to keep the roll intact, wrapped securely in saran wrap until you are ready to eat it. If taking the roll with you to work, you will want to wait to slice it until the morning of, if possible, then transfer slices to a well sealed container, keeping it chilled until you are ready to eat.
This roll works great for either lunch or dinner when you are looking for something light and refreshing. The great thing about veggie rolls is their versatility, so feel free to get creative and expand on this recipe. I would love to hear what combinations you come up with!
For those who are new to rolling sushi, you can find an incredibly informative, step-by-step video on rolling here.
- Bamboo sushi rolling mat
- ***Filling:***
- 1/2 small organic cucumber; sliced and cut into quarters
- 1/2 ripe avocado; cubed; brushed with a little lemon juice to keep from browning
- 1 small handful organic sprouts
- 1 scallion; sliced
- 2 nori sheets
- Sprinkle of sesame seeds (optional)
- Sriracha (optional)
- Liquid Aminos (optional)
- ***Sushi Rice:***
- 1 cup short grain brown rice
- 2 cups water
- 2 Tbsp. stevia
- 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- In a medium pan, bring brown rice and water to a boil. It is important to use the short grain variety because it is stickier than traditional brown rice. Once at a boil, cover and reduce heat to medium/low, simmering for 50 minutes.
- When rice is finished, remove lid and remove from heat. Stir. combine stevia, rice vinegar and salt in a small dish, whisking thoroughly. Pour mix over rice evenly, then stir to make sure that rice is well coated with mixture.
- Let rice cool to room temperature before using it for sushi rolls.
- On a clean surface lay down bamboo sushi mat, and place one sheet of nori on top of it, shiny side down.
- Grab a small dish with cool water to wet fingers and begin to gently lay out the rice, spreading it outward to the edges of the nori. Ensure even coverage over the entire sheet of nori, leaving a 1/2″ space at the end to seal the roll.
- Top rice with a sprinkle of sesame seeds. (optional)
- About 1/4 of the way in, begin to lay down vegetables evenly across (width wise), starting with sprouts, then adding on a single layer of cucumber slices, avocado and scallions. Be careful not to over-stuff your roll with fillings because it will not form correctly. Less is more.
- Bring up the edge of the mat closest to you with both hands. Use your middle fingers to keep the contents in place as you curl the mat over the filling. As the edge of the mat comes over the filling, use your fingers to compress it gently. Apply firm pressure to secure it, and continue to roll doing the same until you reach the empty 1/2″ space of nori.
- Lightly wet fingers and run across the empty nori edge. This will help seal your roll as it reaches the end.
- Take finished roll and wrap fairly tight in saran wrap. Refrigerate roll for about 10 minutes to let it firm up if eat immediately, or keep in fridge until ready to eat.
- Repeat process for second roll.
- When ready, take a very sharp, non-serrated knife, and gently cut 1/4″-1/2″ size slices, carefully wiping off the knife blade each time to remove any fillings stuck to the blade.
- Serve with Sriracha and Liquid Aminos (optional) and enjoy!