Brown Rice & Veggie Nori Rolls

Prep time: 10 minutes

Assembly: 5 minutes

This recipe is a great way to incorporate them into your diet. The rolls are easy to pack up for kid's lunches or to take with you where ever you go. Be creative and experiment with different ingredients like smoked salmon, tofu or other vegetables.

1 – 1½ cups cooked short grain brown rice

1 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 sheets roasted nori
½ seedless cucumber, cut into matchsticks
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
½ peeled avocado, cut lengthwise into thin slices
Sushi mat (a thick but flexible piece of paper can work here as a substitute)

Rice:

* Place rice in a bowl.

* In a small bowl stir together vinegar and soy sauce.

* Pour vinegar mixture over rice, tossing gently with a large spoon to combine.

Sushi Roll:

* Place sushi mat on a work surface with slats running crosswise.

* Arrange 1 sheet nori, shiny side down, on mat, lining up a long edge of sheet with edge of mat nearest you.

* Using damp fingers gently press half of rice onto nori in 1 layer, leaving a 1 3/4-inch border on side farthest from you.

* Arrange half of cucumber in an even strip horizontally across rice, starting 1 inch from side nearest you.

* Stack half of carrot just above cucumber in same manner.

* Stack half of avocado over carrot in same manner.

* Beginning with edge nearest you, lift mat up with your thumbs, holding filling in place with your fingers and fold mat over so that you are rolling the nori away from you. Make sure to keep the ingredients in place and that the rice sticks together.

* Open mat and roll the nori log forward to seal with its border.

* Transfer roll, seam side down, to a cutting board and let it sit for a few minutes.

* Make second log in same manner, then cut each log crosswise into 6 pieces with a wet thin-bladed knife.

* Serve with wasabi paste, soy sauce and ginger