Cucumber Vegetable Rolls (All Phases)

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Total time: 10 minutes

Makes 4 servings

For their Always Hungry? book project, George Brown College culinary students Gia An Tiet and Ziyang Lai used presentation to turn a few simple ingredients into a gourmet appetizer worthy of a fine Japanese restaurant.

• 2 cucumbers (thinner-skinned, low-seed varieties like English cucumbers work best)

• 7 ounces smoked salmon slices or cubes

• 2 teaspoons wasabi powder

• ½ avocado, sliced

• 1 medium carrot, thinly sliced

• 1 cup Swiss chard, frisée, or other decorative lettuce or green vegetable

• 4 to 6 spears asparagus, thinly sliced

Dipping Sauce

• 2 to 4 teaspoons wasabi powder

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Shave the cucumber lengthwise with a vegetable peeler to form long, thin sheets. The wider pieces work best to form the roll.

Coat the salmon with the wasabi powder. Place a small amount of salmon, avocado, carrot, Swiss chard, and asparagus at the end of each cucumber slice (perpendicular) so that the top of the asparagus and other ingredients extend past one side of the cucumber, and the bottoms of each ingredient line up with the other side. Roll the cucumber gently around the stuffing, with the ingredients sticking out one side (the top of the finished product) and flat on the other side (the bottom). Stand each roll up on a platter with the vegetables peeking out the top.

Make the dipping sauce: Combine the wasabi powder, soy sauce, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Mix well.

Serve the rolls with the dipping sauce.

Calories: 136

Carbohydrate: 10 g

Protein: 12 g

Fat: 5 g