How to Make Grain-Free Nori Rolls
Sushi can be a healthy meal full of protein-rich seafood, healthy fats like avocado, and vitamin-packed seaweed. However, depending on the sauces you use, or if it comes fried or stuffed with cream cheese, sushi can take an unhealthy turn quickly. With these grain-free nori rolls by holistic nutritionist Sarah Britton, you can have a nourishing meal that utilizes white root vegetables and sunflower seeds as a rice substitute, plus a rainbow of delicious veggies packed inside like kale, avocado, beets, and more. You’ll then top them off with a homemade white miso sauce that’s perfectly balanced with just the right amounts of salty, acidic, and sweet.
According to Britton, white vegetables, like those used in the filling, are actually really nutritious — they are usually rich in Vitamin K, which is essential for bone metabolism and growth. For best results and maximum flavor, she recommends that you use vegetables that are currently in season. Give them a try with the recipes below!
Grain-Free Nori Rolls Ingredients
Makes 4-5 rolls or 25-30 pieces
4-5 sheets nori
5-10 leaves black kale
1 small beetroot
2 carrots
3 green onion
1 ripe avocado
a few leaves of kale
1 batch Sunflower Seed Rice (recipe below)
1 batch White Miso Sauce (recipe below)
Sunflower Seed Rice Ingredients
Makes enough for 4-5 rolls
1 lb / 500g white root vegetables (parsnips, celeriac, parsley root, or cauliflower will work)
1 cup / 135g sunflower seeds, soaked
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Sunflower Seed Rice Directions
Peel root vegetables and roughly chop. Place in a food processor with salt and lemon juice. Pulse to mince the root into “grains," about the size of rice.
Place sunflower in a dry skillet over medium heat, tossing occasionally until toasted, about 3-5 minutes. Let cool slightly and place in the food processor with the minced root vegetables and pulse to finely chop. Season to taste.
White Miso Sauce Ingredients
Makes about 1/2 cup (125ml)
1/4 cup white miso
1/4 cup water
1/2 Tbsp. brown rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. cold-pressed sesame oil or olive oil
1/2 tsp. maple syrup, or more to taste
White Miso Sauce Directions
Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl or jar. Season to taste. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to one week.
To Assemble Sushi:
Prep all veggies to go into the sushi, and lay them out on a platter, ready to use. Peel beets and slice them into thin strips. Julienne the carrots and green onion. Slice avocado lengthwise into strips. Remove tough stems and ribs from the kale.
Place a sushi mat (or piece of plastic film) down on a clean cutting board with the slats running horizontally. Place a nori sheet, shiny side down on the mat, 2 cm from the edge closest to you. Use damp hands to spread a thin layer of the Sunflower Seed Rice evenly over the nori sheet, leaving a 3-cm-wide border along the edge furthest from you. Arrange the fillings across the center of the rice, then sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Use your thumbs and forefingers to pick up the edge of the mat closest to you. Use your other fingers to hold the filling while rolling the mat over to enclose. Gently pull the mat as you go to create a firm roll.
Continue rolling until all the rice is covered with the nori and you have a neat roll. Shape your hands around the mat to gently tighten the roll. Use a wet, sharp knife to cut into 5-6 pieces. Arrange sushi on a serving platter and serve with White Miso Sauce.
Tips:
Get rid of the phytic acid in nuts and seeds by either toasting or soaking them before consumption. Phytic acid prevents the absorption of some minerals in the body.
Use lemon juice to prevent the white vegetables from browning.
If you toast the sunflower seeds, do so on a dry skillet. You don’t need to add any oil. Toast them until they have a caramel color, avoiding burning them so you don’t add any free radicals to them through the burnt fats.
Pulse the vegetables in the food processor rather than blending them to get small chunks that have a rice-like consistency.
RECIPE COURTESY OF SARAH BRITTON
Sarah Britton (BFA, CNP) is a Holistic Nutritionist and Certified Nutritional Practitioner. Following her philosophy of “making healthy choices every day” she has been creating recipes for her readers all over the world since 2007.
Winner of the 2014 Saveur “Best Food Blog – Special Diets Blog” Awards, Sarah currently teaches cooking classes, runs workshops on detoxification and cleansing, food as medicine, and nutrition fundamentals. She creates exclusive menu plans and recipes for various media and gives lectures and speaks in public forums such as TEDx.
