Gluten-free, vegan sushi rolls = yumminess!

As some of you already may now, I’m unfortunately allergic to fish and shellfish as well as dairy, and have a high intolerance to gluten. So I’ve never been able to enjoy sushi the way others have described it to me. I am, however, a fan of wasabi and ginger, and I’ve had some great non-seafood sushi. I’ve had vegetarian sushi at restaurants I trusted to keep the seafood separate. My favorite one would seat me by the chef to make sure I saw how he cooked it, even though I never asked! I thought I would try to make it at home, and have posted some of my gluten-free, vegan sushi recipes already.

If you’re like me, and not super comfortable at restaurants just yet – I’ve gone to some outdoor dining so far at a couple of restaurants, but not indoors yet – it makes a great dinner. The prep work is time-consuming, but the taste may surprise some people!

Gluten-free, vegan sushi platter

• Vegan dynamite rolls
• Spicy shiitake mushroom rolls
• Spicy carrot and cucumber rolls

Makes: 4 servings

Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes – 2 hours, 45 minutes’ cook time, 30-45 minutes’ prep time

Overall ingredients

• 14  raw, organic Nori sheets, Amazon has them
• Optional: Sesame seeds for garnish

For the rice

• 4 cups sushi-grade rice
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 to 1 cup of beetroot juice for coloring, depending on how much you want covered. Note: the more you use, it will change the taste of your sushi.

For the side sauces

• 1 cup of vegan mayonnaise, Vegenaise is the brand used here. If you aren’t vegan or can have dairy, use regular mayonnaise (you’ll need some as a mixture for two of the recipes)
• 1 cup Tamari sauce, if you’re not gluten-free, use soya sauce
• 1/2 cup Sriracha sauce or other hot sauce (you’ll need some as a mixture for two of the recipes) *Read the ingredients on the label if you’re buying it. I have accidently bought Sriracha sauce that had fish paste in it.
• 1 cup of wasabi
• 1 cup of picked ginger

For the two mushroom dishes

• 1+ 1/2 cup cornstarch

Overall directions

1. To make the sushi rice cook according to the package.
2. Once the rice is done, season it with the beetroot juice, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt and set aside to cool.
3. To assemble the rolls, divide the cooled rice into all the portions. Slide a sushi mat into a large Ziploc bag or cover with plastic wrap. Place one sheet of nori with the shiny side down, on the mat. Moisten your fingers with some water to prevent rice from sticking to them and then spread the rice evenly over the nori sheet. Leave about one inch uncovered at the top.
4. Once rolled, seal the end with water or add a few grains of rice to the end to help seal. Now cut the sushi in half with a very sharp knife.
5. Next, cut each half into halves and then those halves into halves to make 8 pieces.
6. Place all types of sushi onto a serving plate, or plates, and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
7. Serve with Tamari sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger on the side.

Vegan dynamite rolls

Ingredients for the sushi filling (rice is detailed in overall directions above)

For the king oyster mushrooms

• 2 cups diced king oyster mushrooms soaked in room temperature water for 20 minutes
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup cornstarch
• Grapeseed oil to sauté mushrooms
• 4 toasted nori sheets
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Chopped scallions, to garnish

For the dynamite sauce

• 1/2 cup vegan mayo (this amount is included in the overall ingredients section above)
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha or hot sauce to taste (this amount is included in the overall ingredients section above)

Directions

1. Chop the mushrooms into rounds and discard the tops. Slice each one into 4 pieces.

1. Put the chopped mushrooms into the dynamite sauce and toss them to coat. Place into the cornstarch, gently tossing.
2. Add oil to a large pot over medium-high heat.
3. Sauté the mushrooms for 5 minutes and then put them on a paper towel to drain.
4. Divide the fried mushrooms into 4 portions. Drizzle one portion with the dynamite sauce until evenly coated. With the exposed end away from you, make a thin line of some of the mushrooms along the side closest to you, adding a couple of slices of avocado.
5. Roll the sushi as shown in the overall directions detailed above.
6. Repeat this process to make 4 rolls.
7. Add the chopped scallions at the end.

Spicy shiitake mushroom rolls

Ingredients for the sushi filling (rice is detailed in overall directions above)

• 7 large dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes to an hour
• 5 tablespoons of water
• 1 cup cornstarch
• Sunflower oil to sauté the mushrooms
• 2 nori sheets (this amount is included in the overall ingredients section above)
• 2 tablespoons Sriracha, mixed with 1 tablespoon of vegan mayo (this amount is included in the overall ingredients section above)

Directions

1. Drain and destem the mushrooms, and then slice them into strips.
2. Mix the water, Sriracha, and vegan mayo
3. Coat the mushrooms in the mixture and then cover in some of the cornstarch.
4. In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
5. Sauté for 2 minutes and then place them on some paper towels to drain.
6. Roll the sushi as shown in the overall directions detailed above.

Spicy carrot and cucumber rolls

Ingredients for the sushi filling (rice is detailed in overall directions above)

• 1 cup prepared carrot
• 2 teaspoons of sunflower oil
• Salt and pepper to your liking
• 1 tablespoon vegan mayo
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha or hot sauce to taste (this amount is included in the overall ingredients section above)
• 1/2 cucumber, sliced
• 4 toasted nori sheets (this amount is included in the overall ingredients section above)
• Optional: Avocado slices for topping

Directions

1. Mash or blend the carrots until they’re chunky but almost smooth, and slice the cucumber
2. In a bowl, stir together the sunflower oil, salt and pepper, vegan mayo and Sriracha.
3. Add the mashed carrots and sliced cucumber to the mixture.
4. Roll the sushi as shown in the overall directions detailed above.

Approximate nutrition per 8 pieces (Based on brands used in this recipe)

• Calories: 290
• Fat: 11 g
• Carbs: 30 g
• Protein: 6 g