The World of Sushi!

I love sushi. I now love to make sushi. I'm not skilled at it and I make a mess, but for some reason, making your own sushi makes it the tastiest sushi in the world. I started venturing into the world of sushi earlier this year when my bf thought it would be a fun activity for us to do together. It turned out to be something we love to do! That's not to say there haven't been a few less than savory slip-ups like solid eel sauce and using smoked salmon ( for sushi, let's just say ew), but for the most part, it has been delicious.

The trick is to have a couple of key utensils and ingredients. There are 3 sauces that I think you must have, but aside from that, you can make sushi from anything you want. I will be putting up the sauce recipes I use and how to make sushi rice, but for now, here are some pictures of our latest sushi venture.

Broiled Asparagus with Balsamic Aioli

1 package asparagus (I had 1 pound)
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Minced garlic
Pepper
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
Garlic powder
Sea salt

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Coat asparagus with olive oil and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Stir in 1-2 tablespoons of the garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put on foil lined pan. Cook for 10 minutes, taking out every now and then to move the asparagus around.

For the aioli: Stir in 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar in with the mayonnaise. Add garlic powder and pepper to taste.
Dip asparagus in aioli.

Obsessed!! Crawfish Tails.

Crawfish Etouffee recipe to come when I have perfected it!

Joseph's Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Pita Bread

I like to stay low-carb in my diet so I have been searching for tasty bread choices that will accommodate that. I found this pita-bread that only has 60 calories per serving and 8g of carbohydrates! It tastes great and I will use it for hummus and to make mini-pizza. Doesn't have the gross "i'm eating cardboard" texture.

Flat-Out Goat Cheese, Fig and Spinach Crostini

1 Flatout Light Italian Herb flatbread (only 90 calories!)
Handful of Spinach
1 oz. Goat Cheese
1/4 Onion, finely sliced
1 tablespoon fig preserves
Olive oil

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Drizzle olive oil on Flatout bread. Spread preserves on it. Cut up goat cheese and distribute on bread. Add onion and Spinach. Put in oven at 450 for 5 minutes until spinach has wilted and bread has become crispy and cracker-like.

Shrimp Diane with a Twist (Adapted from Paul Prudhomme's Recipe)

Paul Prudhomme says this makes 2 servings, but once I added my pasta it was more like 5 servings if not more.

1 pound shrimp

6 tablespoons seafood stock

1 and 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 pound mushrooms, cut into slices

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 lb. fresh spinach

1 box whole wheat rotini pasta (or whatever type you have)

Seasoning:

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried sweet basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/8 teaspoon oregano leaves

1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (I used red pepper flakes, and I like it spicy so I used a bit more than this)

In a large skillet melt 1 stick of the butter over high heat. Add the green onions, onion and green pepper and seasoning mixture and stir well. Add the shrimp and white wine. Saute the shrimp until they turn pink by shaking the pan back and forth. Add the mushrooms and 1/4 cup of the stock and then the remaining 4 tablespoons of the butter in chunks, continue shaking the pan. Add the parsley, heavy cream and the last 2 tablespoons of stock and continue cooking and shaking until all ingredients are mixed well and you have a cream consistency. Add the spinach and wilt. Pour your cooked, drained pasta into the shrimp mixture and toss until the pasta is well coated. 

Sauteed Spinach with Balsamic Caramelized Onions and Goat Cheese

1/2 lb. Fresh Spinach
1 medium Onion, finely sliced
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 oz. Goat Cheese
1 - 2 cloves minced Garlic

Heat olive oil in pan on medium heat. Once hot add garlic and onion. Add balsamic vinegar. Cook for several minutes until onion is soft. Add spinach and toss until spinach has wilted. Once in serving bowl, add goat cheese and toss.
Enjoy!