Paleo Sushi Served with Asian Sesame Salmon

I have been wanting to try making my own sushi for a while, and finally got around to doing that last night!  The results: Tasty, but I need practice on rolling and cutting the sushi rolls.  Since this was our first time with our own sushi, Dan and I decided to go with vegan sushi instead of adding any raw fish (maybe next time!).  The cauliflower couscous for this recipe was a perfect substitute for sticky sushi rice - So this dish is completely Paleo as well!  I even served the sushi with coconut aminos as a soy sauce substitute.  :)

Since the sushi rolls were all vegetable based, we ate them as a side dish along with some Asian Sesame Salmon.  However, the rolls themselves ended up being more filling than expected!

Dan had his nice camera at my house (after his birthday Ferrari drive!), so I have much better pictures to go with these recipes!

Paleo [and Vegan] Sushi Rolls

Yield: 2 servings

Adapted from Tales of a Kitchen

Ingredients
For Sushi Rolls
2 sheets of nori
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
1/2 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/3 orange bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
(See picture)

For Cauliflower Couscous
3 medium to large cauliflower florets
1 Tablespoon raisins
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons tahini
Couple dashes black pepper
Couple dashes dried parsley

Directions

1) Place all cauliflower couscous ingredients into a food processor and blend until a couscous texture is reached (The cauliflower should be processed very small - smaller than cauliflower rice).

2) Lay a piece of plastic wrap over your bambo rolling mat, then top with one sheet of nori.

3) Cover the sheet of nori with slightly more than 1/2 cup of the cauliflower couscous mixture, leaving about 2 cm uncovered on the end farthest from you (See picture).

4) Place a layer of carrot sticks on top of the cauliflower couscous in the middle of the nori sheet (Lined up the same direction as the bamboo sticks on the rolling mat).  Top the carrots with a layer of bell pepper sticks, then cucumber sticks, and finally avocado slices.

5) Time to roll!  Keep your fingers on the filling to hold it in place, then gently begin rolling by lifting the edge closest to you.  Gently press on the mat as you're rolling to get a firmer, tighter, roll.

6) The roll should seal itself with the moisture from the cauliflower couscous, but if it doesn't, simply run your fingertips under some water then slide along the edge of the nori sheet.

7) To slice, make sure you have a sharp knife.  Cut the roll into about 6-7 pieces.  

*This is where I made my error: I only cut each sheet into about 4 rolls: They were HUGE (too big for one bite...trust me)!

8) Pour some coconut aminos in a small dipping dish and serve alongside the sushi rolls.

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Asian Sesame Salmon

Yield: 2 servings

Adapted from Hungry Hannah

Ingredients

2 salmon fillets

For Sauce

1 Tablespoon coconut aminos

1 Tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon raw honey

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice

3 Tablespoons chopped scallions

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 375°F.  

2) In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients for the sauce.

3) Tear 2 large pieces of aluminum foil (Large enough to create a packet to bake each fillet in).

4) Place 1 salmon fillet on each square of aluminum foil and fold the sides up to keep the sauce inside the packet.

5) Season each fillet with black pepper, then pour with slightly less than half of the sauce per fillet.  Reserve a portion of the sauce to spoon over the fillets just prior to serving.

6) Close each foil packet around the fillets and place on a baking sheet.

7) Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked and flakes nicely,

8) To serve, top each fillet with some of the reserved sauce.