Collard Green Dolmas and Sushi

We had a bumper crop of collard greens this year, which we allowed to grow into what seemed like small trees.  And although I love me a big bowl o' greens, I thought I'd do something more creative with them.  I've been wanting to make dolmas for awhile now, and when cooked, collard greens make a good substitute for grape leaves.  These are easy and fun to make, and a great chilled summer dish, served with a dill yogurt sauce or tzatziki.

Dolmas are traditionally made with a rice base, mixed with a variety of spices, veggies, dried fruits, and sometimes meat, then they are wrapped in blanched grape leaves (or the kind you'll find in jars at the store).  Really, you can put whatever you like in these.  Mine had rice, seasoned tempeh, parsley, red onion, dried cranberries, and shredded beets.  Everyone gobbled them up.

The Filling: starts with 3 cups of cooked rice (I used a medium grain jasmine mix).  Then crumble a package of tempeh into a heated skillet with a thin layer of olive oil.  Let the tempeh brown, then add seasonings, salt, and a couple tablespoons of nutritional yeast.  Stir.  Pour in 1/2 cup of water and cover to let steam out.  Add this to the mix, then add 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 C. dried cranberries, and 2-3 tablespoons of vegannaise to help bind everything.  Salt and pepper to taste.

The Collards:  are blanched for 1-2 minutes in boiling water.  They should be pliable and vibrant green.  Take them out, and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.  Pat dry with a towel, then cut out the center stem.  Bring the right and left sides of the leaf together, overlapping to make a nice whole piece.  Mix up some lemon oil by using one part lemon juice to one part extra virgin olive oil and a dash of salt. Brush the leaf with this mixture.  Then you're ready to wrap!

To wrap:  simply spoon some of the rice mixture as shown above onto your leaf, and roll up like a burrito.  Brush on more lemon oil on the outside when done.

Note:  I added shredded beets separately to some for variety and color.  They also added a nice flavor that I liked a lot.

Dill "Yogurt" Sauce:  One part silken tofu, one part vegannaise, dried dill, salt, garlic powder, and lemon juice.  Puree until smooth.

You can eat these right away, but they're even better if you let them chill in the fridge overnight.

I also made California sushi rolls with the greens.  I used sushi rice (vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil), pickled carrots, avocado, cucumber, and tofu salad.  These were tasty, but I personally prefer nori (call me a purist).

The collards were also treated with lemon juice before wrapping to balance the bitterness.

One of the "Collard Trees" growing in my garden!

Brown Rice Sushi and Deep Fried Pickles

Yes, this is a strange meal for St. Patty's Day... but I've just never been able to get into this holiday. I've never had Irish stew or corned beef and cabbage (although some of the recent vegan posts do look quite appealing). The only memory I have is of getting pinched in elementary school for not wearing green! Not that I've been scarred or anything (eh-hem!), but aren't those little leprechauns kinda scary, like clowns? Who here was(is) afraid of Ronald McDonald? Well, that's another story...

I do, however enjoy green foods- as long as it's not from an artificial dye #5 or ground up beetles, or some unknown chemical process!

So, here is my contribution- that has nothing to do with St. Patrick, except for the Luck 'o the Irish green. I'm not sure that fried pickles goes with sushi, but hey- it's California and we're crazy like that. I've been told that avocados are not a traditional sushi ingredient, but I can't think a good vegan sushi roll without it! Yay for the California Roll!

I made three variations of sushi. The one shown above is an "inside out roll" with the nori on the inside and the rice and avocado on the outside. The brown rice (actually a mix of 1/3 quinoa and 2/3 brown rice) was made a bit stickier by adding a bit more water in the rice steamer. How much? My guesstimate is about 1/2 cup more than usual. It is filled with a spicy chickpea "tuna" mixture and pea shoots.

NOTE: It helps to have a good sharp, finely serrated knife (which I didn't have)! To help out my lack of tools, clear plastic wrap was my savior both in rolling it and holding the roll together while I cut it... a trick taught to me by my friend who is a sushi chef.

The above picture is my nigiri "seatbelt" sushi, as we call it. This is an easy alternative to those who are sushi-roll challenged. The hard part is making sure that the rice is packed firm so it won't fall apart when picked up. I made this one with short grain white rice. NOTE: Make sure your hands are wet when handling sticky rice... no explanation needed.

To make this, simply make an oblong ball of rice in your hands by holding and shaping the rice in one hand, and compressing the rice with the other hand. Layer seasoned baked tofu (or tofu of choice- I made a teriyaki marinade and sauce) and a thin slice of avocado. Cut roasted nori into 1/2"-1" strips and wrap with the seam side down. I topped mine with some roasted white sesame seeds and also drizzled some home made teriyaki sauce.

Lastly, this was my attempt at a hand roll variation with the spicy chickpea "tuna." I started with half a sheet of roasted nori, and spread a layer of sushi rice and chickpea mixture in one of the lower corners. Then, I just rolled it into a cone shape and topped with a little more of the mixture, some black sesame seeds, and pea shoots. This would be great with cucumber too. These were probably the easiest to make, but a little messy to eat!

And now for the Pickles! If I haven't already mentioned, Mark (my housemate) is originally from England and came over here when he was about 18. He's also owned a couple of restaurants and loves to cook. Needless to say, he makes a mean fish 'n' chips! For these babies, it was a similar batter- very light and crispy, with the use of seltzer water. Mark had picked up this HUGE can of Costco-sized sliced dill pickles, and has been promising to make these for like a year! Finally, dude! Cee said they tasted like good salt and vinegar chips, and we ate these dipped in my creamy cucumber dill sauce. This was a very non-traditional "tempura" to my sushi, but very tasty and my first time trying them! I only ate one, as I don't like to eat too many fried foods, but these can be addictive- be careful!

Here are the recipes:

Sushi Rice Seasoning

• 3 T. rice vinegar
• 2 T. water
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. dark sesame oil

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Taste and add more sugar if you like your sushi rice sweeter (as my husband does). Spread out about 3 cups of room-temp rice on a plate, making sure it's pretty even. Drizzle seasoning lightly over the rice with a spoon (don't use all of it). Mix the rice and taste. Add more seasoning until it's the strength you like.

Baked Teriyaki Tofu & Sauce:

• 1 pkg extra firm tofu
• 1/2 C. soy sauce or tamari
• 1 C. water
  
• brown sugar
• 1 T. mirin (rice wine)
  
• orange rind of one orange
  
• orange juice of one orange
  
• few thin slices of ginger
• 2-3 T. arrowroot & a little water

In a saucepan, mix everything except the arrowroot. Drain the tofu and slice into small rectangles (about 1/2" thick). Gently pat them dry with a towel to remove excess water. Place the rectangles onto a prepared baking sheet and spoon teriyaki mixture over the tops. Flip them over to completely coat, and bake for about 10 min. at 425. Heat the remaining sauce until boiling. In a cup, add a the arrowroot, then add a little water to dissolve. Whisk this slurry into the boiling sauce until thickened to a thin gravy consistency. Take off heat and set aside to cool.

Spicy Chickpea "Tuna":

• 1 15oz. can of chickpeas, drained
• 2-3 T. shredded nori
  
• 2 T. Vegenaise
• Siracha sauce
  
• squeeze of lemon
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika

Roughly mash the chickpeas and mix in the remaining ingredients. Adjust the spicyness by adding more Siracha as needed. I didn't add this, but minced green onions would be good in it.

Fried Pickles:

• @25oz. jar of sandwich sliced dill pickles (more or less)
• 1 C. all purpose flour + small amount to dust pickles with
  
• 1 C. Seltzer water
  
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• pinch of salt & pepper
• pinch of cayenne pepper

Dip pickles in flour until lightly coated, shaking off excess. Set aside. Combine dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Whisk in seltzer water until you get a thin pancake consistency. Dip the pickles in the batter and fry.