Homemade Sushi Rolls

I've got a surprise for you guys!

What, you ask?!  Our engagement pictures are done!  And I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE them!  Our photographer Adam did such an amazing job!  If you want to check them out, head on over to his site and let me know what you think!

Andy and I love going out for sushi.  It's probably one of our go-to things for dinner when we're in one of those indecisive modes.  It's always a winner.  But it can get a little pricy sometimes, so every now and then, we'll make it at home!

Ingredients:


2 cups cooked rice
1-2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
cooked shrimp
smoked salmon
cream cheese
Sriracha
avocado
cucumber
nori sheets

The great thing about sushi is that you can practically put anything you want it there!  Just don't over pack!

The only real work you have to do is make the sushi rice.  And that's just basically mixing cooled cooked rice with some seasoned rice vinegar (we don't really have a ratio, just add as much as you see fit!).  

We made two different rolls here:

The first being shrimp, avocado, cucumber inside out roll with Sriracha dots on top.

And the second being a traditional roll of smoked salmon, cucumber, and cream cheese.

Both were equally delicious!  I made a sushi post last year with a great how-to on how to roll sushi, so just check that out here!

Have you ever made your own sushi?  What do you like to put in it?

Spicy Chicken Fiesta Soup

Now, American Idol usually isn't the kind of show that I'd watch. I don't watch that much TV period. But for some reason, the past couple of seasons, I've just been sucked into it. This season is no exception, and I just have to vent how frustrated I am with these people. I think it's going to be a no-brainer for the actual winner. There's only a couple people out of the 20 or whatever that are left that actually have talent, in my opinion. I'm a harsh critic. And what irks me the most is that girl with the red hair who totally butchered "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac the first week, and still pretty much sucked this week, IS STILL THERE! What is wrong with America.

Ok, now that my venting is done, I'll give you a recipe, haha...


Ingredients:

4-5 cups chicken stock
1 jalapeno, halfway seeded and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
small handful of cilantro, chopped
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (I seasoned mine with cumin, chili powder, and chipotle pepper)
juice from 1 lime
avocado, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, for topping

In a dutch oven under medium high heat, add all ingredients except topping and heat for about 15 minutes. You can go longer to develop the flavor.

Ladle into bowls and top with whatever you desire!

Easy right?! This makes for a quick and delicious weeknight meal. There was subtle heat from the jalapenos which was just right, in my opinion. I found the longer I let the soup simmer, the more the spiciness melded with the other flavors and wasn't so overpowering. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Nachos

Vegetarian? I'm not usually one to eat things without meat. Not that I don't dislike plain vegetables, it's just I can never find anything filling and appealing enough to eat without meat. I know vegetarians everywhere are cringing at that statement, but maybe you guys could give me some insight eh?

These were actually supposed to be faux tacos, too, but once again, I had to improvise. Jicama was supposed to be sliced really really thin so it would act as a taco shell for my filling, but I ran into 2 problems. #1... I didn't have a mandolin (which I'm really thinking about investing in sometime soon) and #2... my knife skills aren't amazing and I couldn't slice really really thin. So nachos were born.

Ingredients:
Adapted from the Top Chef Quickfire Cookbook "Richard B.'s Vegetarian Tacos"

1 large jicama, peeled and cut into thin slices or wedges
2 avocados, halved and pitted
1/2 large papaya, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
juice from 8 key limes
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
10 corn tortillas, quarted
vegetable oil for frying
sour cream
shredded cheddar cheese

Because I couldn't use my jicama as taco shells, I used them as faux nacho chips instead. Along with a mixture of corn tortilla chips (which I'll give the details on making here in a minute) to give it some added texture. And let me just say... I love jicama. Not many people know about jicama (key example, the grocery store clerk who completely had the "what the hell is this?" look on his face. It's kind of ugly on the outside, but on the inside is a sweet apple-y flavored vegetable after you peel the exterior. Anyway, I digress...

In a medium bowl, lightly mash up the avocados, papaya, and tomato. Mix in the lime juice, coriander, cinnamon, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix in as much of the 1/2 cup of cilantro as you'd like, but save some for topping if you wish.

To make your tortilla chips, add enough vegetable oil to a large heavy pan to bring it up about 1/2 and inch. Heat the oil under medium high heat and fry about 10 chips at a time, or more if you wanted to and had a big enough pan. Cook each for about 30-45 seconds per side. Place in a bowl lined with paper towels and salt each batch as they come out of the oil. It will allow the salt to "stick" on the chip, if you will.

To plate, get a large plate and mix in the jicama with the chips. Pile on the avocado mixture, top with shredded cheese, and then sour cream, if desired. Maybe strict vegans can't do those last 2 toppings, but pile it on however you wish!

I really loved the flavor profile of this dish. The avocado mixture with the chips tasted differently than with the jicama chips. It was kind of crazy how well the jicama paired with the mixture. When the chips were in the dip, you could really taste the lime, but when the jicama was thrown in there, the lime sort of "blended" in and you could really get a sense of all the flavors in the dish. This really impressed me and would be a great appetizer dip for any occasion! Enjoy!