Tasty Quinoa Nori Rolls!

With the official start of Summer just around the corner, warmer days, and more daylight hours I've started to want meals that are fresh, cool, and quick to prepare.  Last night I made a light, satisfying meal that will definitely be a part of this summer's regular dinner rotation.  Nori rolls are a fantastic summer time favorite because they're easy to make, the flavor combinations are endless, and they're the perfect vessel for those odds and ends of veggies that need to be used.

Quinoa is the grain of choice at my house these days, so I put a pot of it on the stove while I prepped the veggies.  This is what I had on hand:  crimini mushrooms (sauteed while the quinoa cooked), avocado, carrot, red bell pepper, green onion.

Quinoa takes 20 minutes to cook.  That's how long it took me to get everything else prepped.  As soon as the quinoa was done I started rollin' the nori.  No need to cool.

I prefer the raw nori sheets.  Start by spreading a layer of quinoa on 1/3 of the sheet, sprinkle with black sesame seeds, then top with your fillings of choice.  I made each roll a little different.

After everything is rolled up, start slicin'.  Or not.  You can leave the rolls whole and just eat them like burritos.  I like to cut mine into bit size slices for less messy eating.

That's peanut sauce on the side for dipping.  We're not very traditional about our meal combinations around here.  We tend to let the cultures mingle and go with whatever sounds good at the moment and last night peanut sauce won for a Northwest/Japanese/Thai fusion creation.

Thai Peanut Dipping Sauce

1 1/2 cups chunky, fresh ground peanut butter

• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons gluten free tamari
• 1 tablespoon sriracha
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
• pinch of sea salt
• pinch of cayenne pepper

In a bowl mix the peanut butter, coconut milk, water, lime juice, soy sauce, hot sauce, ginger, and garlic. 

A friend of mine saw my post about these on Instagram and said her favorite nori roll combo is sweet potato, basil, and avocado with sweet chili sauce.  I think that sounds great!  I love that there are so many possibilities for fillings and dipping sauces.  

These keep pretty well overnight in an airtight container, so make extra and pack them for an awesome work lunch the next day!  Or take them on a picnic.  

Do you make nori rolls?  What are your favorite fillings and dipping sauces?  I'd love to have a list of ideas of future nori nights.  Oh, and happy Friday!