Homemade Vegan Sushi Rolls with Sweet Potato & Avocado

Contrary to popular belief, sushi does not mean raw fish. The word “sushi” means rice that has been seasoned with a vinegar solution called “su.” Check out how to make my special SOS-free version of this vinegar seasoned rice: Sushi Brown Rice & Quinoa.

Vegan Sushi Rolls with Sweet Potato & Avocado

By Chef Katie Mae

Makes 4­­–8 servings | Ready in 40 minutes | Stores 3 days in fridge

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups Sushi Brown Rice & Quinoa (any sushi rice will work)
• 8 sheets dried roasted nori
• 1 large sweet potato, sliced into strips ½-inch-thick
• 1 cucumber, sliced into strips ½-inch-thick
• 2 avocados, thinly sliced
• 2 cups sprouts (I also like using thinly sliced purple cabbage)

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:

• Spicy Cashew Mayo, tamari, wasabi paste and pickled ginger

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and spread the sweet potato across it in a single layer. Bake until the sweet potato is tender and starts to brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
2. Lay your bamboo mat on a flat surface and place a small bowl of water at your workspace. Place a nori sheet on a bamboo mat (shiny side down, rough side up). Using wet fingers, spread a thin layer of rice on most of the nori sheet, leaving 1-inch at the top of the sheet with no rice on it (this will be where you seal the roll). If your fingers become sticky, moisten them again and continue.
3. Near the bottom of the sheet lay 2 to 4 strips of sweet potato, side by side across the rice. Do the same with the cucumber and avocado and then lay out several peas shoots (up to ¼ cup)—make some of the sprout leaves go slightly over the edge of the nori for a prettier finished presentation.
4. Dip your fingers in the water and wet the 1-inch strip left with no rice on it to seal the roll. Using the mat, roll the sushi away from you from the bottom toward the top into a tight roll. Lightly wet your knife to cut the roll into 8 clean pieces. Repeat steps 2 to 4 with the remaining ingredients.

CHEF'S NOTES

If you plan to save the sushi for a couple days, I suggest tossing the avocado with lemon or lime juice before adding it to the sushi to minimize oxidation and keep the avocado from browning.

What makes sushi so much fun is the endless possibilities for what you put on top of or roll up inside the rice. Originally, dried fish was paired with the rice as a method of preserving it. This led to the popularity of seafood in sushi, but plant-based sushi can be made just as delicious.

When making homemade vegan sushi, you can use a variety of thinly sliced vegetables, or other goodies, such as fresh herbs or tropical fruit. Honestly, plant fillings are way easier to prepare than seafood.

They're also more colorful! Each roll you make is a work of edible art!

Plant-based sushi is such a healthy treat, why not make it a part of your weekly menu? Get started by trying out this recipe for Sweet Potato & Avocado Sushi Rolls!

If you're like me and like to minimize the salt in your diet, you may want an alternative to soy sauce or tamari.

I suggest trying my recipe for Plant-based Spicy Mayo for a bit of creamy spice! You can drizzle it in as a filling or serve it as a dip.