One of the best ways to end the week is with a little something different on your dinner plate.  Enter sushi.  Homemade sushi.  Wait!  Before you panic, know that making your own sushi is actually super easy (another reason this makes a great end-of-the-week meal) and doesn't require raw fish or anything fancier than some veggies and seaweed sheets, which you can find at your local health food store. 

I like to nix the rice in my sushi rolls, mostly because I think the best part of sushi is the veggies (and fish, if I'm ordering from a restaurant).  I also don't like a lot of carbs in my diet, and the rice part of sushi always makes this a heavier meal than I like it to be.  So, no rice for me which means easier prep.  If I want a little extra protein boost, I throw in extra-firm tofu strips I marinate in soy sauce and chile paste, but they aren't necessary to enjoying this healthy, quick meal. 

The only real trick to this light meal is learning how to properly fold your roll so that it doesn't fall apart when you slice it--we all remember how my first attempts went, right?  When I tried to make sushi for the first time, I overloaded my roll and didn't make it tight enough.  Now, I use less of each ingredient and leave empty space at either end of my seaweed sheet so that I can properly bind it with no mess.  It may take you some time to get the hang of it, but know that even if your first attempts end up a little messy, the meal is still tasty! 

Ingredients:

2 sushi nori seaweed sheets

1 avocado, thinly sliced

1 carrot, shredded

2 radishes, thinly sliced

4 dandelion or radish leaves

4 green beans (optional)

2 thin slices tofu, cut into strips (optional)

1 teaspoon chile paste (optional, as tofu flavoring)

1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce (optional, as tofu flavoring)

Wasabi and low sodium soy sauce for dipping

Drizzle tofu slices with soy sauce and chile paste and set aside.  Place one seaweed sheet on the bamboo mat.  Line it with half of the avocado slices, starting 1/2 inch of the way in and leave at least 2 inches at the opposite end.  Then line the avocados with half of the radish slices and then half of the carrot shreds.  Place two leaves of the greens in the center of that mix and two green beans across them if you are using them.  Finally, add the tofu in strips across the center. 

Then, slowly roll the sushi sheet, making sure that it is tight and holding all the veggies together as you go.  When you have reached the last 1-inch strip, rub a little water over this lip and press it against the rest of the rolled sushi sheet to bind your roll.  Cut into even slices.  Repeat, using the last of the ingredients to make a second roll.  Serves 2.  Enjoy!