Quinoa sushi & cucumber salad

Today, autumn prematurely kicked in. I woke up to a very grey and rainy morning and I don't believe it stopped pouring all day long. No problemo, if seated inside with a hot cup of soy chai, but that good fortune was not mine to enjoy. No ma'am, I had to go out and get groceries, run errands and find outfits for a wedding and an upcoming show. So after going around on my bike from one side of town to the other doing Very Important Things like returning a malfunctioning salad spinner, I was cold, tired and soaked. On top of that, I did not succeed in buying a nice outfit. But hey, let us count our blessings and our little moments of win:
- I got myself some very cute blue old school rain boots for only 8 euro's
- I went to the juice bar and they supersized my spinach/ginger/pineapple juice for free
- I got my money back for the salad spinner without having to make a hassle
- all the biking must have burnt some serious calories

In the 'old days', after a day like this, I would have probably gone for some cheap and easy deep fried food and a pint of Ben & Jerry's to comfort me. But those days are over! Instead, I decided to make myself something tasty and superfood-good. In comes: Quinoa Sushi! I read about this idea on a few blogs and it made perfect sense to me. Sushi is wonderful and easily veganized and makes you as happy as a ray of sunlight from a carebear's tummy. But all the white rice is actually just a heap of simple and nutrition-lacking carbs. Quinoa, on the other hand, is a complete protein and even considered a 'superfood'. Guiltless indulgence, I'M LOVING IT.

Quinoa sushi & cucumber salad
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
4 sheets of nori
filling: avocado, carrot, cucumber,
shii take or spring onion
japanese soy sauce
wasabi

1/2 cucumber
pickled ginger
mirin (sweet japanese rice wine)

For the sushi, boil up some quinoa (takes about 15 minutes), spread out and let cool. Sprinkle it with some rice vinegar. Then roll it into some nori, with whatever filling you prefer (I had mine with avocado and carrot slices). I am still no expert, so pleace check Youtube for sushi rolling tips. I find that a bamboo mat is quite necessary to get a sushi that is handsome enough to be served to guests. Serve with soy sauce and, if you're anything like me, a serious amount of wasabi.

For the salad, chop up the cucumber in thin strips. Combine with chopped up pickled ginger, some mirin and soy sauce. For extra goodlooking credits, sprinkle with black sesame seeds.