Food Blog of the Week - Food is Yummy

Since returning from BlogHer, I've vowed to start finding different blogs to read. One of my new finds is the allergy friendly Food is Yummy, blogged by a 28-year-old nursing student in Alexandria, Virginia.

I'm not sure where she finds the time to cook, let alone take great pictures and blog about cooking and eating. It's a terrific food blog, and includes dishes off the beaten path, including this one for California Role Sushi Salad.

It's a great recipe if you love the taste of sushi but feel roll challenged.

Rice Salad

• 1 1/2 cups sushi rice
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped pickled ginger
• 4 scallions, cut lengthwise into thin 1-inch strips (about 3/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup finely shredded carrot
• 1 large seedless cucumber (about 1 pound), quartered lengthwise, cored, and chopped
• 2 sheets nori (paper-thin sheets of dried seaweed)
• 1 Haas avocado
• 1/4 pound imitation crab meat, sliced thin (check ingredients if you're sensitive to certain things, some have wheat, egg, etc.)

Dressing

• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 to 3/4 teaspoon prepared wasabi

Directions:

1. To prepare rice, rinse rice thoroughly in a sieve. Drain well. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan; add rice and salt. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; uncover and cool to room temperature.
2. While rice is steaming, in a small saucepan bring 1/4 cup vinegar to a boil with sugar and salt, stirring until sugar is dissolved, and remove from heat. In a dry small skillet toast sesame seeds over moderate heat, stirring, until golden and fragrant and transfer to a small bowl.
3. Transfer rice to a large bowl and stir in vinegar mixture. Cool rice and stir in sesame seeds, remaining 3 tablespoons vinegar, oil, ginger, scallions, carrot, and cucumber. Salad may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring salad to room temperature before proceeding.
4. Dry-roast nori, 1 sheet at a time, directly above moderate heat (gas or electric burner), holding it at opposite corners and moving it back and forth, until it turns bright green, 30 seconds to 1 minute. With scissors cut nori into thin 2-inch-long strips.
5. Peel and pit avocado. Quarter avoado and cut crosswise into thin slices. Add avocado to salad with crabmeat and two thirds of nori strips and toss well.
6. To prepare dressing, combine vinegar and next 5 ingredients (vinegar through garlic) in a small bowl. Add wasabi, if desired.
7. Serve salad sprinkled with remaining nori strips and drizzled with dressing.

So if you like pseudo-vegetarian, allergy-friendly, sometimes healthy but always yummy food try Food is Yummy

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