Easy Peasy Japaneasy

Sometimes you need an easy meal. Sometimes you need your kids to just get along. Sometimes you need some time to yourself. Sometimes you need to not be in charge. I've been highly irritable lately. I expect that should change in the next day or two. Otherwise I may need to get my crib back. But let's not go there. It seems too scary.

I love sushi but rarely go out for it the way I did in the past. It use to be on the top of our list when we went out for dinner. Now it pales in comparison to the other options out there. I think that's probably because we don't dine out as frequently as we use to. There are so many different types of food that I want to try, and the possibilities seem endless in Toronto. Although I love Japanese food, I feel like I've sampled most of the culinary delights that Japan has to offer. This, of course, does not negate my frequent cravings for sushi. Instead of wasting a night out at a Japanese restaurant, we now delight in a night in on Japanese. It's not a purists meal but it does satisfy that base need for rice, nori, fish and wasabi. Plus you can throw it together when you feel like your fridge is empty and you need a break from life.

Cheater's Sushi

2 cups sushi rice
1 1/4 cups of water
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 avocado, thinly sliced without peel
1/4 lb smoked salmon
2 tbsp of honey mustard or wasabi
1/4 cup mayonaise
1 sheet toasted nori
1/4 cup fresh chives or green onions
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Combine water and rice and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute and reduce to low and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes. Do not remove lid during cooking and resting. Transfer rice to large bowl and toss with rice vinegar.
Line an 8 inch square baking dish with plastic wrap. Arrange smoked salmon slices on bottom, overlapping slightly. Arrange avocado slices on salmon. Combine mustard and mayonnaise and spread over salmon.
Gently spread half of the rice in dish as the next layer. Place nori on rice and cover with remaining rice. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 15 minutes at room temperature or refrigerate.
To serve , unwrap and invert onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with chives and sesame seeds. Cut into squares, and serve with wasabi and pickled ginger.