Vegetarian Sushi

I know many people don't like sushi, just because they think it's just raw fish. For you people, you might like vegetarian sushi! I just love it. Now, you can go to a store or Japanese restaurant and pick up a box for $5...or...you can go to your local Asian market and get all the ingredients and make it yourself! I try to only use whole grains in my diet, but I admit, most Chinese food tastes better with white rice. I did hear that you can use short grain brown rice for sushi, so I gave it a try. Boy, it is delicious! I think it adds great flavor.
It helps to have a bamboo mat and paddle. I bought a set through my co-op for $3. The paddle helps a lot because the rice won't stick to it as much as your hands.
I bought 40 sheets of toasted nori for 5.99, wasabi for about $2, pickled ginger for 3.49, a bunch of black sesame seeds for maybe around $5, and I already have soy sauce on hand at all times. That's it! You would pay $200+ to buy 40 boxes of sushi and now I can make my own!
You just lay the nori sheet down, spread rice over it and press it down. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, add fillings, roll up, and voila! You are done.
In this picture, I used red bell pepper, avocado, and yellow carrots for my filling. Top some with pickled ginger, mix some wasabi and soy sauce together, and enjoy!

Quick Black Bean Soup

Cold weather is coming, Fall is here and it's soup weather! Here is a super easy and quick recipe from Dr. Dean Ornish. For 1 1/2 cups it only has 164 calories and packs in 8.6 grams of protein.

Quick Black Bean Soup

• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 (15oz) cans black beans
• 1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup diced peeled russet-type baking potato
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried cumin
• 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce, or to taste

Garnishes:
Diced red onion or green onion
Minced cilantro or parsley

Combine onion, garlic, and 1/4 cup vegetable broth in a large pot. Bring to a simmer and simmer until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of broth, black beans with their juice, tomatoes, potatoes, thyme, and cumin. Bring to a simmer, cover, adjust heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Add Tabasco.
This is my addition to the recipe:
After soup is finished, use an immersion blender, potato masher, or even put 1/4-1/3 of the soup into the blender. Blend or mash, then return to the pot and stir. This makes the soup creamy and thicker, without adding any calories!