I’m a big fan of sushi. I have a standing date with an old friend once a month to get together and get out fill of Sushi. When I discovered the raw food diet a few years ago, I thought my Sushi days would be over. However, I soon stumbled across a great recipe for Raw Sushi that turned my taste buds on WOW! Over the years, I’ve seen other recipes and in true Accidental Kitchen style, I’ve mixed and matched to make my own tempting version that appeals to even the pickiest “meat eating” palates.

Raw Sushi

1 cup soaked sunflower seeds
1/2 small spanish onion
2 whole stalks celery (optional)
2 medium carrots
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 whole jalapeno
pepper to taste
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped into match sticks
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and chopped into match sticks
1/2 cup zucchini, peeled and chopped into match sticks
1/2 cup carrot, chopped into match sticks
6 to 8 sheets nori

Combine sunflower seeds, onion, carrots, lemon juice, jalapeno, pepper and olive oil in a food processor and process until smooth.

To assemble the nori rolls, I suggest that you purchase a bamboo mat. You can get them at any Asian grocer or a gourmet kitchen supply store like Williams Sonoma (though check your local Asian market first as they’re likely to have a better price!). Lay your mat in front of you and arrange all your ingredients for easy access. You will also need a small bowl of water to moisten the nori sheet as they can tear as you’re rolling them if they are too dry.

Place a nori sheet on your bamboo mat, lining up the edge of your nori with the mat. Dip your finger tips in water and moisten about 1/2 inch of the long edge of the nori sheet that is closest to you. Begin to assemble your sushi by spreading a thin layer of the sunflower mixture (about 1 1/2 inch in width) on your nori. Be sure to leave the 1/inch closest to you blank – without any spread or vegetables.

Line your nori sheet with a few sticks of your vegetables. Place them directly on your sunflower spread and use as many as desired.

Once you’re satisfied with your filling, carefully roll the edge of the nori closest to you over the mixture. You’ll be using the bamboo sheet to help you form your roll. Be sure to tuck any stray vegetables in and squeeze them toward the center of the roll you are creating so that you’ll be able to easily complete one turn of your nori and create a seal with the moistened nori. Your first roll should be about 1 1/2″. You can reshape the sushi roll by laying the bamboo mat across it and squeezing it gently to create a tighter roll or even out any bumps or lumps in the cigar like roll you’ve created.

Using a sharp knife with moistened blade (be sure to re-wet between each cut), gently cut into 1 inch pieces. Cut slowly to avoid tearing the nori. Continue with the rest of the nori pieces, spread and vegetables until all rolls are complete.

If you’re not a fan of the nori sheets or have trouble finding them, you can substitute peeled zucchini. Peel the zucchini and slice thinly with a mandolin or vegetable peeler. Place one slice on a plate, add a dollop of the sunflower spread to a one inch section of zucchini and assemble one match stick of each vegetable desired. No need to moisten the zucchini as it should already be fairly moist. Roll as above. As your zucchini slices will already be about one inch thick, there will be no need to cut into bite-sized pieces. You’ll be forming each individual piece so you’ll need to cut your match stick vegetables into smaller pieces before you begin so that they don’t stick too far out of the top of the zucchini roll.

Serve with soya sauce if desired. If any of your guests are gluten intolerant you’ll want to make sure the soya sauce you select is gluten-free. The zucchini rolls could be served with a home made salad dressing or eaten plain.

Enjoy!