Quick-Pickled Vegetable Sushi Rolls with Avocado

Who says that making your own sushi rolls needs to be complicated? These rolls, filled with avocado and lightly pickled veggies, are both easy and nutritious—and perfect for an afternoon snack.

Ingredients
Servings  8

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked sushi rice
• 1 cup plain rice vinegar OR 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup grated carrots
• 1/2 cup grated daikon radish
• 1 1/2 medium avocados (halved, pitted, thinly sliced)
• 2 medium green onions (coarsely chopped)
• 1/2 medium English, or hothouse, cucumber, cut into thin strips
• 4 sheets roasted nori
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (lowest sodium available)

Directions

1. Prepare the sushi rice using the package directions.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together the vinegar and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the carrots and daikon. Let the vegetables stand for 15 to 30 minutes.
3. Transfer the vegetables to a colander. Drain well. Blot with paper towels to absorb the remaining liquid.
4. To make the sushi rolls, line a bamboo sushi mat with plastic wrap. (You can also use 3 or 4 sheets of aluminum foil.) Place 1 nori sheet on the bamboo mat. Spread 1 cup of rice over the sheet, leaving about 1/2 inch at the top. Next, arrange the avocado, green onions, and cucumber in a single layer on the rice. Top with 2 tablespoons of the quick-pickled vegetables. (Note that there will be pickled vegetables left over.) Lift the mat and roll up the nori sheet with its layers of rice and vegetables halfway, pressing down once. Continue rolling until the entire sheet is rolled up. Using a sharp, wet knife, cut the sushi into 6 pieces.
5. Repeat this process with the remaining 3 nori sheets (makes 24 sushi pieces total).
6. Serve with the soy sauce.

Tip: Can’t find daikon? Use jícama or red radishes — or even extra carrots — instead.

Tip: Enjoy soy sauce with your sushi? It’s a popular ingredient in Asian cuisine, but it packs a lot of sodium. Always shop for the lower sodium varieties. To consume less sodium, sprinkle just a few drops of soy sauce over the sushi rolls instead of flooding them.

Tip: Make it kid-friendly by letting the kids use clean, wet hands to spread the rice over each nori sheet. They can also help arrange the fillings on the rice and even roll the sushi.

Tip: Get creative by experimenting with different sushi fillings. Try crab meat and avocado or cooked mushrooms.

Source: American Heart Association