Brown Rice Sushi

On Thursday, I wanted a quick, light meal to eat before I went to work. Thursday was the first real day of my new job – last week was orientation. So I went to a local supermarket chain called Ukrop’s and started hunting for something suitable. I meandered over to their little sushi section and spotted inside-out sushi rolls with carrot, cucumber, and avocado that were made with short-grain brown rice.

I usually prefer to eat brown rice over white rice because it contains nutrients that white rice does not, such as magnesium, fiber, and fatty acids. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_rice#White_rice_comparison) I also really like the nutty flavor and chewy texture. I’d often wondered whether sushi could be made with brown rice, but guessed that it wouldn’t stick together the way that white sushi rice does and assumed it wouldn’t work. So, I was very surprised to see this brown rice sushi! Twelve pieces for $5.49 seemed reasonable enough, so I bought the package and brought it home.

I know that supermarket sushi is probably a huge faux-pas for many foodies, but this tasted good! The brown rice was plenty sticky, and I liked its chewiness with the crunch of the vegetables and the butteriness of the avocado. The little black sesame seeds enhanced the nutty taste of the brown rice. The cool sushi calmed my first-day-of-work nerves. This was definitely a healthy tasty cheap lunch.

Spinach Salad with Avocado, Turkey, Swiss Cheese, and Tomatoes

Also known as “It’s too hot to cook!” dinner. The night before last, I wanted to eat something cool and refreshing, so I made a couple of salads for Aaron and me. I don’t know whether Aaron also felt like eating something cool and refreshing, but he eats what I make and always seems to enjoy it. This meal was no exception.

Spinach Salad with Avocado, Turkey, Swiss Cheese, and Tomatoes

For each salad, I spent $0.50 for the avocado, $0.50 for the spinach, $0.25 for the tomato, $0.75 for the cheese and turkey, and $0.25 for the dressing, which was Newman’s Own Lighten Up Lime Vinaigrette (tastes amazing with avocado!).  That means this meal cost about $2.25 per person. Not bad!

I love avocado – it’s great on sandwiches, in sushi, in salads, and as guacamole. I could eat it every day and never get tired of the cool, buttery, avocado-y flavor. It’s also a food I like to include in my diet for health reasons. According to nutritiondata.com, one cup of avocado contains 25% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C, 40% of the daily intake of fiber, 30% for folate, and 39% for vitamin K. Wikipedia states that, “Avocados also have 60% more potassium than bananas… [and] have the highest fiber content of any fruit.” So, you can always expect to find lots of avocados on my plates and on my blog. 🙂

Something interesting I’ve just noticed… I always write “avocados,” but wikionary.org says that “avocadoes” and even “avocadi” are both correct. I’m curious to see what you think, dear Reader.

Let me see if I am smart enough to figure out how to add a poll…

Homemade Guacamole

One day I was at the grocery store and I saw two women running around the produce department. One of them was on her cell phone. “Don’t you have any guacamole mix??” she asked. A pause. “Well, they don’t have any of the powder here. I know I said we’d have guacamole at the party, but how can I make it without any guacamole MIX?!” Easy. I wish I knew a way to tell them without sounding like an obnoxious little know-it-all, but I couldn’t figure out how to do that with them so stressed-out and angry-sounding, so… I’ll tell you guys instead. 😀

Homemade Guacamole - the bowl got a bit messy during the avocado-mashing stage, which is why in the recipe below I suggest using a large bowl. You'll have less problems with avocado escaping.

Recipe for Guacamole (Serves 2-4, depending on hunger!) :

You will need:

• Two ripe avocados, seeded, peeled and diced (guide to picking ripe avocados here)
• 1 small, fresh tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 Tbsp. sour cream (optional)
• Potato masher
• Salt, to taste

How to do it:

1. Place diced avocados in a large bowl and add lime juice. Using the potato masher, mash the avocado until it is creamy. I like to leave some chunks, but feel free to mash to whatever consistency you prefer.
2. Add the diced tomato and red onion and stir. Mix in the sour cream, if using. Add salt to taste.
3. That’s it. You’re done! No “guacamole mix” needed. Enjoy!

Extreme Guacamole Close-up!