TEMARIZUSHI: EASY SUSHI!

Temari are beautiful vibrant balls of thread, originally a Japanese folk art. Temarizushi - or temari sushi in English - is named as such because this form of sushi resembles temari balls. It's really versatile, pretty, and you can get creative with the patterns you make with the various toppings! If you can get fresh sashimi-grade fish, do use that. Otherwise, you can make do with smoked fish or of course, vegetables if you're vegetarian. No matter what, you can't really go wrong with this. And it's a fresh, healthy, gorgeous meal! Perfect for warm weather, and even as an appetizer at a party.

Do make the proper sushi rice or your temari (or whatever sushi you're making) will taste awful and bland! It doesn't matter if you don't have the perfect texture of the rice and all that - mine seldom does - as long as it's properly seasoned.

Temarizushi: Easy Sushi!

makes: 12 - 16 pieces

- 2 cups prepared sushi rice (use Marc Matsumoto's recipe here)

- 1 cup sliced assorted sashimi grade fish (salmon, tuna, seabass, shrimp, etc.)

- 1 cup sliced vegetables (avocado, lemon, jalapeno, carrots, asparagus, cucumbers, etc.)

- 1/4 cup fish roe (optional)

- 2-3 squares of plastic wrap or wax paper (4 in - 6 in. squares)

Garnishes:

- 1/3 cup (or more, to taste) tamari or regular soy sauce

- 4 - 5 tbsp. fresh grated wasabi (or packaged if you don't have fresh wasabi root)

1. Put the plastic wrap/wax paper on your palm. Starting with the fish or vegetables you want at the top, layer the ingredients and then add two tbsp. rice on top. Gather the edges of the plastic wrap and pull to the center to wrap the whole thing.
2. Twist the loose ends of the plastic wrap around the fish, vegetables, rice, etc. tightly enough to press everything together into an even round ball, but not so tightly that you tear the plastic!
3. Your temari sushi is almost ready! Unwrap and place the round temari sushi on a plate. Repeat with the rest of the rice and ingredients, replacing the plastic wrap as needed. I can usually use one piece of plastic wrap for 4 - 5 temari before it gets too worn to use again.
4. Serve the temari sushi with tamari or regular soy sauce and wasabi. Or, not so Japanese but delicious nevertheless: with a hot sauce, additional sliced jalapenos, thinly sliced lemon, etc.

TOASTED SEAWEED SNACKS: IODINE BOOSTER!

This toasted nori, zucchini, muhammara, feta tangerine herb dip was born out of necessity, because I was famished and wanted something tasty yet with minimal effort. I put together stuff I had in the fridge and pantry. This is a terrific snack, pretty enough to serve to company, and is an iodine booster! Perfect for those of us who don't use iodized salt.

Toasted Seaweed Snacks: Iodine Booster!

makes: 1 serving

- 2 sheets toasted nori, cut into 16 pieces

- 1 small zucchini or cucumber, sliced

- 1/4 cup muhammara

- 1/4 cup feta tangerine herb dip

1. Arrange the pieces on a plate, as shown above.
2. Top with one or two zucchini slices and the dips.
3. Serve immediately.

RAW SOUP, OR SAVOURY DINNER SMOOTHIE

I love this mildly earthy raw soup at any time but especially at dinner when I don't want the sweetness of fruits, and need a quick dinner after the gym. 

Raw Soup, or Savoury Dinner Smoothie

makes: 32 oz.

- 1 small beetroot, peeled and cubed

- 1 cup cucumber chunks

- 2 small zucchini, cubed

- 1 capsicum (any colour), trimmed and cut into chunks

- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes (or tomato chunks)

- 1 packed cup red amaranth (sometimes also called red spinach) or other greens

- 12-15 sprigs cilantro (or parsley)

- 1 tbsp. fennel seeds (optional)

- 1 lemon, juiced

- 1/2 tsp. salt

- 2 - 3 cups water

1. Put all the vegetables, fennel seeds if using, lemon juice, salt, and 1-1/2 cups water into a blender jar. Blend everything till smooth. Add water to adjust consistency and enjoy! This will keep in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

ORANGE PEAR TURMERIC REFRESHER

This is a really refreshing combination of flavours, and a total energy boost! This is one of my favourites during citrus season. I've previously talked about turmeric and it's benefits. It's an immunity booster, and excellent for preventing - and curing - sore throats. Perfect during flu season or when the seasons change! 

Orange Pear Turmeric Refresher

makes: ~ 24 oz.

- 3 oranges, juiced

- 1 pear, cut into large chunks

- 6-8 sprigs parsley

- 1 lime, juiced

- 1/2 in. piece of turmeric, skin scraped off

1.  Blend everything till smooth. Enjoy!

LYCHEE CUCUMBER SMOOTHIE

Not that we need much convincing to eat this silky juicy fruit by the bagful, but lychees are very high in Vitamin C! Just 10-12 lychees provide 100% of the US Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of Vitamin C. Even if you don't consider the US RDA as sound nutritional advice, lychees are an exceptional little fruit. In addition to Vitamin C, lychees are rich in minerals - potassium, phosphorous, copper, to name a few.

Lychees are very sweet and juicy, but not intensely flavoured. So I like to eat them plain or with a few other fruits. I also like them in smoothies with complementary mild ingredients like mint, ginger, and cucumber. This smoothies is so light and refreshing, you'll want to make it often!

Lychee Cucumber Smoothie

makes: 20 oz.

- 2 cups lychee flesh (~20 lychees, skin and pits removed)

- 1 Persian cucumber, cut into chunks

- 7-10 mint leaves (from 2 sprigs)

- 1/2 in. piece of ginger (peeled if not organic)

- 1 cup water

1. Put everything in a blender jar in this order: lychees, cucumber, ginger, mint leaves, water.
2. Blend on High into a smoothie.
3. Pour into a glass and enjoy! Or refrigerate for up to 12 hrs.

INFLAMMATION-REDUCING TURMERIC SMOOTHIE

It's well-known that reducing inflammation internally and topically is one of turmeric's many many salient and healing qualities. In addition to it's quality of imparting a beautiful golden hue to foods, turmeric is used in nearly all Indian savoury foods, because Indian cuisine is rooted in Ayurveda, in which turmeric is revered for it's medicinal and immunizing properties. The beneficial compound in turmeric - curcumin - is fat soluble (not water soluble), so in order to get the best of turmeric, it should be combined with a bit of fat. In my turmeric smoothies I generally add up to 1 tbsp. of hemp hearts, flax seeds, flax oil, coconut oil, or ghee (in savoury smoothies).

However, if you don't want to add fat, you'll still get plenty of Vitamin C, a water soluble compound, from fresh turmeric. So do add it to smoothies as often as you please.

In India internal and topical use of turmeric is ages old, and now it's increasingly being used in the West. When I was at university, I was working on a research project for developing artificial human tissue from the intestinal submucosa of pigs since pig mucosa is closest to human. Anyway in the course of that project I met a woman from Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) who was delighted to tell me (since I'm Indian) that BMS is developing a turmeric-based skin care cream for reducing/removing facial hair. I was quite delighted as well, though perhaps a hair less than her. Face masks with turmeric and yogurt are commonly used in India for reducing facial hair and brightening and cooling the skin in the summer.

Sliced fresh turmeric root marinated in lemon juice and salt is also eaten as a relish in India. Generally though, when taken internally, turmeric is paired with a fat to enable assimilation of curcumin compounds. Powdered turmeric used in cooking is briefly sautéed in ghee or oil before other spices and ingredients are added. In this smoothie, I added a tsp. of hemp hearts as the fat along with raw turmeric. If you don't have hemp, you can add a tsp. of coconut, olive, or flax seed oil, or flax seeds to the smoothie.

Inflammation-Reducing Turmeric Smoothie

makes: approximately 32 oz.

- 1/2 in. turmeric root, peeled
- 1/2 in. ginger root, peeled if not organic
- 2 cucumbers, cut into chunks
- 6 stalks celery, cut into chunks
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 tsp. pink Himalayan salt (or uniodized sea salt)
- 1-1/2 tsp. hemp hearts (or flax, coconut, or olive oil)
- 2 cups romaine lettuce
- 3 cups water 

1. In the order listed, put everything except water in a blender.
2. Add 1 cup of water and blend to a thick smooth paste.
3. Add the remaining water and blend to a thin-nish smoothie.
4. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate/store away from heat and light up to 8 hours.