Tags: DIY Hidden Veggies No Cook Meals Quick Recipes Surviving Summer Weekday Meals
Liev can handle an entire bento box AND an order of California Rolls in one sitting. He loves Japanese food like his Mama. When we first moved back to California, after Adrian got out of the Navy, we were excited to visit all our old favorite restaurants and watch Liev experience them for the first time. He was all of 18 months, so I’m sure he could’ve cared less that Pasta P at Santana Row was where his parents used to go on dates before they were married. We were just being sentimental, I guess.
When we were stationed in Virginia we didn’t have much variety in the way of restaurants. A year in we found ourselves craving everything from street tacos to Persian kabobs—all things we couldn’t find in Norfolk. There was only one thing to do…learn how to make it all myself. I started devouring cookbooks at the library in search of authentic methods of preparing all our California favorites. One of the first things I learned to prepare was sushi.
Homemade sushi was one of the hardest things I’ve ever prepared. My first couple of rolls looked like they had been rolled by a 2-year-old doing crafts. Never one to back down from a challenge, I persevered! Eventually, with loads of practice I got the hang of it.
The wonderful thing about homemade sushi is that I can roll just about anything inside and Liev will eat it without question. He really loves sushi. Vegetables that he would normally refuse are eaten without pause when served in a sushi roll. One of our family favorites is veggie sushi. Not only is it filled with lots of yummy and healthy vegetables, but its bright and colorful appearance is fun for little ones.
RAINBOW VEGETABLE SUSHI:
- Carrots, peeled
- Beets
- Cucumber
- Yellow bell pepper, seeds removed
- 4 sheets nori (dried seaweed)
Slice the vegetables into very thin strips. Lay a sheet of nori down, shiny side down. Spread about ¼ cup of rice over about ¾ of the nori sheet (leaving a strip of nori uncovered). Line up your vegetables in a line across the rice. As tightly as possible, roll the sushi towards the strip of uncovered nori. Brush the exposed strip of nori with water and complete your roll. Press down lightly to seal the roll. Slice the roll with a very sharp knife and ENJOY!
*You can use any combination of vegetables that your little ones will enjoy. Get creative with your fillings…this is a wonderful and fun way to introduce new flavors.
SUSHI RICE:
- 1 cup rice (sushi rice is what’s normally used, but I’m a sucker for Basmati)
- 1 ½ cup water
- 2 Tbsp vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
Using a strainer, rinse the rice with cold water until the water runs clear. Combine rice and water in medium sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium/high heat. Reduce heat to medium/low and cover. Cook 15 minutes. While rice is cooking, combine vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Fluff your cooked rice with a fork and stir in vinegar mixture.
