Sushi!

I made sushi for the first time on Saturday for an Olympics-watching party. Everyone picked a country and made a dish from that country's cuisine. I chose Japan because I've been wanting to give sushi-making a whirl and figured this would be an incentive to try it. I had so much fun that I made another batch of sushi rice yesterday and had sushi for lunch and dinner. Sushi is my one vegetarian "cheat," so I was planning on getting some high-quality tuna, but I decided that it would be easier and safer just to go veggie with it. I think if you don't mind messes, this would be a really fun build-your-own dinner with your kids. They can choose their favorite fillings and go nuts.
I won't give a recipe here for making sushi rice because I followed a very complicated recipe and while it worked well, it's also a little confusing. So use whatever guide you have for making sushi rice dressed with a sweet vinegar sauce. Then get out your nori sheets* and a bamboo sushi-rolling mat. I got a little creative with the fillings, and they all turned out pretty tasty. I had some trouble at first getting the rolls to seal up, and I'm still not great at cutting them without losing the contents, but it was actually way easier that I thought it would be, and the results are certainly worth it. I might update periodically with new sushi filling combos. I might not even bother with fish. These were all made with white sushi rice, but I'm going to buy some brown sushi rice and try that too. I also want to make rolls with avocado and/or cucumber on the outside. Those are always pretty when I get them at sushi restaurants.
Small rolls:
Avocado
Cucumber
Cucumber and pea shoots

Large rolls:
Asian pear, avocado, and pea shoots
Sauteed spinach, tofu, and shiitake mushrooms
Avocado, carrot, cucumber, shiso (Japanese herb) leaves
Carrot, daikon, and pea shoots

Tower of sushi

*Funny nori story: I bought nori sheets over a year ago and never got around to making sushi until Saturday. When I opened the package, the dessicant packet in there was way swollen up. Ah, the joys of living in the moist air of Houston!