I really didn’t expect to do much bulk cooking over the weekend. My book release party was Saturday
and I had three pressure cookers going in my kitchen to get ready. I doubled up three recipes from the book for the celebration: Umami Anasazi Beans, Soy Curl Mac ‘n Cheese, and Fruit and Nut Rice Pudding (all three were a big hit!).
Sunday morning I hosted a vegan brunch potluck for our local Colorado Springs Vegan & Vegetarian Group Meetup. Once again I pulled out the pressure cooker, to make a double batch of the Soy Curl Mac ‘n Cheese. (For those of you with the book: I substituted a whole wheat shell for the spelt pasta and reduced the cooking time by one minute. Perfect!).
We ate like vegan kings and queens.
So, you can imagine that when I got home Sunday afternoon, after a weekend of cooking for, and hosting, events, that there would be no bulk cooking in my plans. I didn’t think so, either.
But….
Earlier in the day, when I was making my potluck dish, I decided to try the Umami Anasazi Beans recipe with unsoaked beans. (It worked, but it took nearly 30 minutes to cook, versus 8-ish minutes when soaked). Not quite satisfied with only having cooked beans for the week, I decided to make a loaf of bread because, well, the bread machine would do most of the work. I only had a about a cup of whole wheat flour so I did a mix of whole wheat, barley, and all-purpose flours + vital wheat gluten. On impulse, I added chopped walnuts when the bread machine beeped during the “add” cycle.
As I was cleaning up the kitchen I thought well, geesh, I might as well make a grain for reheating and eating. I picked up a few cups of sweet brown rice from the bulk section of the grocery store last week and decided to give it a shot in the pressure cooker. It came out great – 22 minutes at high pressure, natural release – and looked just like sushi rice, all shiny and sticky (but with none of the work). I decided I needed sushi for dinner!
I grabbed a can of Sophie’s Kitchen Vegan Toona with the goal of creating an acceptable version of a vegan sushi spicy tuna roll.
My husband, a spicy fan and vegan seafood skeptic, gave this recipe a big thumb’s up!
Spicy Toona Roll | Vegan Sushi
Ingredients (4 – 6 rolls)
- 4 – 6 nori sheets
- 1 – 1 1/2 cup cooked sweet brown rice
- 4 – 6 romaine lettuce leaves
- Soy sauce and miso paste for dipping
For the Spicy Toona
- 1 can black pepper vegan toona
- 1/4 cup finely diced onion
- 1/2 teaspoon dulse flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
- 1 teaspoon red curry paste (or your favorite chili paste)
Instructions
For the sweet brown rice
Pressure cooker: Add one cup dry sweet brown rice and 1 1/2 cup water to the pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 22 minutes. Allow for a natural release.
Stovetop: Combine 1 cup rice, 2 cups water, and 1 tbsp vegan butter in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil. Stir once. Cover with lid. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 50 minutes. Remove from heat, let stand in covered pot for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork, salt to taste (optional).
(To prepare in rice cooker, use same water-rice ratios).
For the Spicy Toona
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir well.
Make the sushi rolls
Place nori sheet rough side up. Spread about 1/4 cup cooked rice on 3/4 of the sheet, leaving the final 1/4 clear. Spoon spicy toona on top of the rice (2 – 3 tablespoons), place a romaine lettuce leaf over the toona. Roll! Slice into pieces with a serrated (bread) knife. Repeat!
You guys! This was so good! And so easy! I made a simple avocado roll, too.
I rarely make sushi and that’s changing. Sweet brown rice is the bomb and I can’t wait to play with other vegetables (I love sweet potato in sushi) and mock seafood. Stay tuned!
So, that should be plenty of food prep, right? Wrong!
The hot loaf of bread was cooling on the counter. My beans and grains were stored. And I just felt inspired to do more. I grabbed the jar of walnuts in the pantry and added two cups of nuts to the food processor – plus 1 teaspoon walnut oil – and left it alone to pulse for 10 minutes. While the walnut butter was in progress, I chopped up three apples and tossed them into the pressure cooker with a tablespoon of vegan butter. I sautéed the apples for a few minutes before adding a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a teaspoon of ground ginger. I added 1/4 cup water, covered the pressure cooker, and cooked on low pressure for three minutes. I used a quick release and then mashed the apple into a chunky butter consistency with a potato masher. I also stirred a little cinnamon and ginger into the walnut butter.
Dessert was warm bread with warm walnut butter and hot apple butter.
I have plenty left over for toast and sandwiches this week.
Another wonderful weekend of bulk cooking!
