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!

Smoked Paprika Lime Tacos with Jackfruit, Quinoa & Black Beans

Sometimes adjusting back to reality from vacation mode is kind of rough.  I could have stayed in sunny Austin for at least another week or two.  So, in an attempt to bring some of that vacation feeling home to Portland I made tacos, one of our favorite Austin meals.  

And not just any taco.  And by no means a traditional taco.  But a jackfruit, black bean, quinoa, smoked paprika lime taco.  Let's start with the jackfruit.

Julienne one can of jackfruit, drained and rinsed well.  Add enough of your favorite taco sauce and seasonings to cover.  Simmer over medium heat until soft.  This takes at least 30 minutes.  Use a fork to mash and break up the jackfruit. 

Jackfruit taco filling is a real palate pleaser because it's sweet, salty and spicy.  While your jackfruit is simmering and making your kitchen smell like heaven cook a pot of quinoa.  Add a little lime juice, cumin, and sea salt.

Put on a pot of black beans or black refried beans.  Add some salt and lime and hot sauce.  Keep them warm while you saute crimini mushrooms with garlic.

Every taco must have avocado.  Mash up an avo with some lime juice, black pepper and sea salt.  Add some chopped onion, chopped tomato, and garlic.  

Ok, the last prep step before we build our taco is the smoked paprika lime cream sauce.  In a high speed  blender combine 1 cup cashews, 3/4 cup water, 1/4 cup lime juice, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika and sea salt to taste.  Blend until smooth and creamy.  This sauce is so good!  You'll have extra, so keep it in the fridge and use it as a veggie dip and salad dressing.

Ok, it's time to build a taco!  First, use a dry cast iron skillet over medium high heat to soften the corn tortillas.  Heat on each side until warm, soft and starting to brown.   After heating each tortilla put it on a plate covered with a towel to keep it warm until you're ready to eat.

Now, for each taco I use 2 tortillas on a plate about 3/4 overlapping each other.  Start with a spread of beans down the middle and some quinoa.

Next up, jackfruit taco filling. 

Pile on sauteed mushrooms, guac and the smoked paprika lime cream sauce.

Top with shredded cabbage, fold and eat.

This may seem like a lot of steps, but it doesn't take much time. Each step is quick and simple and the final product is totally worth it.  Of course you don't have to go all out taco crazy like I did.  You can make your own version using any of these components, but I highly recommend the smoked paprika lime cream sauce.  It's really yum.  These would be great on lettuce leaves if you don't do corn tortillas.  

You will most likely have left-overs.  I put them on a bed of spinach and cabbage for awesome work lunch salads.

Taco night was a big hit!  I have so many ideas for flavors and fillings.  We'll have to do it again soon.  

Hope you're having a nice Sunday!  Today's agenda includes a trip to the farmers market and pizza night.  I love Sundays.