I'm Cooking Japanese, I Think I'm Cooking Japanese, I Really Think So

So I'm trying to eliminate milk and cheese from diet entirely and limit but not totally eliminate meats and poultry. My doctor is urging my to change my already ideal diet to more suit my health needs, so cheese and excess protein are out, vegetables and rice reign supreme. So I decided sushi would be a great thing to eat and a great new cooking adventure. So I’ve done my research, and I was prepared to shop. I knew I needed nori, which is the Japanese seaweed used to wrap everything up, wasabi, a spicy, green Japanese horseradish, a sushi-grade piece of fish and lastly sushi rice. I had picked up my special ingredients and, as my best friend Cynthia rolled her eyes in disgust, I began my trip to Tokyo.

4 sheets toasted nori sea vegetable (cut into 5-inch x 8-inch pieces)
1 cup cooked sushi rice
wasabi paste, to taste (I like a lot!)
1/4 lb raw high quality tuna, sliced into long thin strips (no skin)
1/2 cup of chilled crab meat
1/2 cup cucumber, cut into match sticks
1 avocado, sliced into long thin strips
4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds



Place one nori sheet on a flat surface with the shiny side down and coarse side up.

Place rice 1/2" from the bottom, 2" from the top, 1/2" thick and completely covering nori from side to side.

Spread some wasabi paste across the center of rice, from left to right and then sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

For the first two sheets, lay the tuna slices, cucumber and avocado across the sheet, from end to end, in a single line on top of the bottom edge of the rice. For the last two sheets do the same but use the crab instead of tuna.

Fold bottom of nori toward the center, just so the ingredients are covered. Roll. Seal the roll by placing 4 grains of rice along the top edge of the nori and press together.

Slice all roll into 4 pieces.

Serve immediately with a soy sauce and wasabi paste mixture or chill.

If you have left over fish or vegetables, slice and toss everything together with a teaspoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of the soy and wasabi mixture, garnished with chopped green onions.

Did you like this dish? Let me know, leave a comment for me!