Simple Sushi and PETA's Vegan College Cookbook

Isn't he a handsome cat? Adam took this amazing picture last night while I was making sushi. He captured some other wonderful Cameron faces, but I thought everyone should see this one at least ;)

Well, I will show two more since they are sushi related. That is, Cameron kept me company while I made sushi...








 
Simple Sushi

At our house we use pretty simple sushi fillings most of the time. This makes it a fairly quick and easy meal, if you don't count how long it takes me to form and roll since I'm a bit obsessive about things being spread out evenly...even sushi rice that no one will see in the end...who knows why.

Simple Sushi veggies include: cucumber, carrot and avocado.

Sushi Rice: Remember that the rice to water ratio when cooking sushi rice is different than most others (I always have to look it up to be sure). But with sushi rice it's more or less a 1:1 ratio, you can add a Tbl. spoon or two fo good measure, but I'm not sure it's necessary. If you use much more water than that you will have sushi rice slop and will probably need to use it for something other than sushi, pudding or breakfast perhaps?

Is sushi rice (Japanese short grain) really necessary? YES! This rice will be stickier to enable the rolls to stick together.

After it is done cooking transfer it to a bowl. Add a bit of brown rice vinegar and brown rice syrup and mix. From what I understand this is for flavor more than anything else, so it's up to you. I almost always see some sort of rice vinegar suggested and often times sugar or some other sweetener. We once had a bag that called for brown rice syrup and that seemed like a natural choice to us.

Allow it to sit and cool before adding to the rolls.

There are many tutorials online and tons of information on sushi out there, so do a quick google search and you will find all you need! And if you do anything wild and crazy, or extremely wonderful I'd love to hear about it.

PETA's Vegan College Cookbook

The library is a great place to take a sneak peek and try out cookbooks.  I picked this one up recently to see what it is all about.  Well, the title and blurb on the back pretty much cover it:
"Let PETA turn your dorm room or apartment into the campus destination for amazing vegan food! Inside are the 275 simplest, most scrumptious recipes for college vegans on a budget - and the best part is, the most complicated kitchenware you'll ever need is a microwave..."
This book aids those who have little experience and little time to cook. Not to mention those who have made the switch while trying to live off cafeteria food, who will now be able to whip up quick and easy vegan meals.  It gives helpful tips on stocking quick-fix foods and vegan alternatives to things the new vegan may fear to be without.  Though I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who likes to spend time in their kitchen or has been vegan for years, it's a perfect care package gift for that niece or nephew in college considering veganism ;)