sweet potato sushi + citrus soy dipping sauce

I am currently obsessed with vegan sushi. I have always loved sushi flavors; the nori, the wasabi, all the sweet and tangy sauces. But recently I have been more aware of the impact that over fishing has had on our oceans. Just in the last 65 years we have depleted the ocean's fish supply by half!

I have always been an occasional fish eater, or pescatarian, if you will. This is part of my "almost" vegan label I have given myself. Although I don't think I will ever completely stop eating fish, I am cutting down significantly. For every fish that I don't eat, is another fish in the sea, and a step closer to regaining the delicate balance that we are so drastically disturbing on this planet. I want my children, and my children's children, to enjoy the oceans as they are meant to be; full of life and fish! And to enjoy eating it every once in a while too.

With that being said, let's get rolling. Rolling sushi that is!

I have experimented with different veggie combinations and sauce consistencies to find a way to enjoy vegan sushi, without missing the fish!  This week I was given the amazing opportunity to make lunch for the lovely ladies of Wings Hawaii. We ate like mermaids, and felt great doing it. This is one of the recipes from our lunch!

sweet potato sushi:

• 1 sweet potato
• 3-4 sheets of nori seaweed
• veggies of your choice: my veggies of the day were carrots, golden beets, green beans, and pea sprouts.

citrus soy dipping sauce:

• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1/4 tsp grated ginger (optional)
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 2 tsp orange juice
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp chopped green onions

Peel, cube, and boil the sweet potato. Save some of the potato water when you drain the cooked potatoes. Mash the sweet potato with a fork or masher, adding the leftover water as needed to get the right consistency. You want enough moisture to not be crumbly but not too much to soggy up the nori. Set aside to cool, hot potatoes are very hard to work with.

Cut all veggies julienne (I have a julienne peeler which I would highly recommend). 

One sweet potato will usually be enough for 3 or 4 rolls. For a more detailed sushi rolling tutorial, check out my earlier post vegan brown rice sushi, it is the same concept but with rice instead of potatoes! 

Make sure your nori is rough side up, spread a thin layer of potatoes on the 2/3 closest to you.

Arrange veggies...

And roll, starting with the edge of the mat closest to you. Keep your thumbs on the outside of the mat and your fingers tucking the veggies in, tuck in the edge of the nori and continue rolling to the other edge. Seal the nori on top of itself by wetting your fingers and running them along the edge. If your roll is a not so symmetrical shape just place it in the middle of the mat, fold the mat over it, and roll it back and forth until it is even. 

To cut the rolls use the sharpest knife you have and slice into 1 inch pieces. 

For the dipping sauce I just put all of the ingredients into a little jelly jar, cover it, and shake it up! Ready to dip! 

Mermaid plates are courtesy of Wings Hawaii! You'll be seeing a lot more mermaids in my photos now! Thanks ladies!