Name: Cucumber Pear Sushi
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 4-5 nori sheets; 1 cup uncooked short grain brown rice; 2 cups water; 1 Tbsp. brown rice vinegar; 1 Tbsp. maple syrup; 1 pear (sliced into thin strips); 1/2 avocado (sliced into thin strips); 1/4 english cucumber (about 4 inches, sliced into thin strips); Teriyaki Sauce or Peanut Sauce to taste

I never get tired of veggie sushi. There are so many different kinds of tasty combinations to enjoy! Lately I’ve been slightly infatuated with the clean combo of cucumbers and pears. This cucumber pear sushi recipe might be a new favorite! It offers a lovely blend of sweet, fresh and crunchy flavors and textures.

Cucumber Pear Sushi [or salad]

Veggie sushi looks fancy, but it’s so easy to make! That’s another reason why I love it. This cucumber pear sushi is no exception. The rice takes a little time to cook, but the rest couldn’t be more simple. If you are new to the art of veggie sushi, check out my Veggie Quinoa Sushi Rolls and Sweet Potato Sushi Rolls posts for more details.

I’ll let you in on another little secret. If you are shortsighted like me and forget to buy more nori sheets – but don’t discover this calamity until you are elbow deep in rolling sushi – you can toss the remaining ingredients together to make a salad. I added a bit of Teriyaki Sauce and threw in some cashews and my daughter declared it delicious! Problem solved!

Cucumber Pear Sushi

Recipe makes 4-5 sushi rolls.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Author Veggie Primer

Ingredients

4-5 nori sheets
1 cup uncooked short grain brown rice
2 cups water
1 Tbsp. brown rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 pear sliced into thin strips
1/2 avocado sliced into thin strips
1/4 english cucumber about 4 inches, sliced into thin strips
Teriyaki Sauce or Peanut Sauce to taste

Instructions

Add rice and water to a large sauce pan and bring to a boil. (Or cook rice in a rice cooker - follow manufacturer’s instructions - and skip to step 4 when done.)
Reduce heat and simmer with cover open a crack for 45 minutes.
Remove from heat, cover fully and allow cooked rice to sit for 10 minutes.
Transfer cooked rice to a mixing bowl, add vinegar and maple syrup, stir to mix, then set aside to cool.
Prep pear, avocado and cucumber while the rice is cooling.
Place a nori sheet on a bamboo mat and place about 9 spoonfuls of rice in 3 rows on the nori. (The rice will be easier to spread in small spoonfuls.)
Wet the tips of your fingers (you may wish to have a bowl of cool water nearby for this purpose) and press/spread the rice into a thin layer - working towards the edges of the sheet, leaving about an inch of sheet remaining on the edge farthest from you.
Place a row of sliced cucumber on top of the rice covered nori sheet an inch or two from the edge closest to you.
Top with a row of sliced pear and a row of sliced avocado.
Use the bamboo mat to roll the sushi roll. (Watch a video.)
Set sushi roll aside and repeat with remaining ingredients.
Once all the ingredients are used, slice the sushi rolls into evenly sized pieces and serve with Teriyaki Sauce or Peanut Sauce.

Note: I do not include nutrition information with my recipes because I subscribe to the theories presented in the book Whole and believe we should focus on eating a variety of whole foods instead of counting calories or keeping track of individual nutrients.