Friday, August 19, 2005

Vegetable Sushi



Everyone knows vegetables are good for you, but did you know that boiling or sauteeing your veggies breaks down the majority of the vitamins that make them so healthy? This is a big problem for Gwen and me, as we really like soups, chilis, and curries. And aside from salads, we rarely eat raw vegetables. So I've been trying to find creative ways to trick us into eating uncooked vegetables more often.

One tasty option is vegetable sushi. When I first started making sushi I tried to be very "by the book," using only the fish and vegetables I had seen in sushi bars. But in the last few years, I've been doing whatever I feel like with the sushi rolls, especially adding all kinds of raw vegetables that I usually find unpalatable. Some of my best combinations:

Classic Roll: carrots, cucumber, and avocado.
Rainbow Roll: with red, yellow, orange, and green peppers. Plus mayonaise.
Crunchy Roll: asparagus gently rolled with creamy sauce and a thin layer of cream cheese.
Green Giant Roll: Broccolli and green beans, dipped in salad dressing.
BLT Roll: Bacos, cherry tomatos, and lettuce.

That's only the beginning! I know it's not really "sushi," but it is a good way to get those veggies down without cooking them to death.
To find out more about proper sushi, check this funky link page.
And a quick meat is bad for you page I just found on Google.
Have any other ideas to trick yourself into enjoying raw foods? Feel free to comment!

Patrick

Yoga Garden

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Patrick,

You are definitely right to want to try and get more vegetables into your diet. I know that you are a great cook, so keep up the good work! To increase your complex carbs at the same time, try using brown rice instead of white and serve with a nice salad. Here's to getting your greens!

Catch you later!

Cheers,
Cheryl

Ben said...

I know this is an old post, but I'd like to say there's nothing wrong with cooking vegetables if you're eating them in stews, soups, and chilis. The vitamins will be lost from the vegetables but added to the broth.

The only time cooking vegetables results in true vitamin loss is when you dispose of the water or sauce they were cooked in.