Spa Sushi

This spa version has all the flavor, minus the raw fish. At better grocery or health food stores, as well as Target, you can find sushi ingredients for this recipe, including: nori (dried seaweed sheets in cellophane packages), rice vinegar, pink pickled ginger, tamari sauce, wasabi paste (green Japanese horseradish), and even a small woven sushi mat to help you roll it all up. Adapted from a sushi served at Canyon Ranch spas, this sushi also includes brown rice for better nutrition. Just cook it a little longer than package directions suggest, until the rice sticks together.

Makes 16 pieces; serves 8 • Prep Time: 25 minutes • Cook Time: 20 minutes

 

11/2  cups long-grain brown rice, cooked until sticky

2  tablespoons rice vinegar

4  nori sheets

1  cup shredded carrot

1  cup finely chopped cucumber

1  cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1  medium avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and cut into 16 slices

Pickled ginger, tamari sauce, and prepared wasabi

1. In a bowl, combine the rice with the rice vinegar and stir with a fork to blend.
2. To assemble, place each nori sheet on a woven sushi mat. Dip your fingers in water and brush 1 nori sheet to moisten. Spread one-quarter of the rice mixture on the bottom twothirds of the nori sheet, leaving a 1-inch perimeter on three sides. Arrange a row of carrot across the middle of the rice. Arrange a row of cucumber on top of the carrot, a row of bell pepper on top of the cucumber, and 4 slices of avocado on top of the bell pepper. Starting from the bottom, and using the sushi mat to help you grip the nori sheet, roll tightly and away from you until you have a cylinder. Place the cylinder, seam side down, on a flat surface and repeat the process with the remaining nori sheets, rice mixture, and fillings.
3. To serve, cut each cylinder into 4 pieces with a sharp knife. Serve, filling side up, with little bowls of ginger, tamari sauce, and wasabi.

Calories 114 • Total Fat 8g • Saturated Fat 3g • Carbohydrates 7g • Protein 4.5g • Dietary Fiber 0.5g • Sodium 48mg

 

I knew I was back in the swing when . . .

I was getting to that place where I felt that my body, mind, and spirit were my own, again. Not waking up every morning or going to sleep each night with the word cancer circling in my head. Feeling the strength to talk about what I’ve been through, and hoping that strength will help someone else who is going through some of the same things that I have experienced.

~Anonymous

WHO KNEW?

Q: What kind of olive oil should I buy and how do I store it?

A: “Virgin olive oil” denotes oil obtained from the fruit of the olive tree solely by mechanical or other means that cause no alteration or deterioration of the oil. No heat, no chemical interaction, no solvents, no radiation, no microwaves!

The best oils, those called “extra-virgin,” are cold-pressed, a chemical-free process that involves only cold pressure or cold centrifugation, which produces a natural level of low acidity. Extra-virgin olive oils must have an acidity of less than 1 percent. Virgin olive oils, on the other hand, may have an acidity of 1 to 2 percent.

STORING: Olive oil should be stored in a closed container, away from heat or light. Correctly stored, good oil has a shelf life of twelve to eighteen months. You do not need to store oil in the refrigerator. However, if you do, it will turn cloudy but should still be fine—just leave it at room temperature for half an hour, and it will return to its previous consistency.

Oxygen may cause olive oil to become rancid. The rancidity starts from the surface where air exposure is continuous; bottle necks are narrow, so that the surface area exposed to air is minimized. When the remaining olive oil will not be used for a month or so, it is better to transfer the olive oil to a smaller container, fill it up halfway, and seal the lid tightly to prevent air penetration.