Karina's Greens and Garden Rolls...

So in my last post, I told of my recent visit to Santa Cruz where I visited my sister Alia's garden. Here's the booty I snuck away with:




And here is what I did with it:



Already I had in my produce drawer an onion, thyme, basil and mushrooms- so I sauteed them up together with some olive oil, braggs, salt and pepper.



I soaked some sunflower seeds and cashews in water for a half hour and then drained them and threw them in the food processor with the mushroom/onion saute.


I added a half of an avocado that I had, a spoonful of tahini, some braggs, lemon juice, agave, curry, cayenne, cinnamon, salt, pepper and cumin. It reached a wonderful texture and taste- thick and almost meaty. Dynamic, deep flavors with both spice and sweetness. YUM! I set this aside.


I cut up the rest of my onion and all my garden produce (zucchini, yellow baby squash, eggplant and Pablano peppers) into long strips like I would use with sushi. I sauteed these in olive oil and lightly spiced.


Simultaneously , I had been steaming the garden kale until cooked yet not completely soft and wilted, and drained it to cool down. I placed it in a large bowl and added fresh lime juice, agave and braggs.


I had scored bag of my sister's cherry plums from her tree, so I cut these up to add to the kale, deciding to make cold salad.


I cut up the fresh squash blossoms we had picked off her squash plants and added them raw.



I added raw sunflower and sesame seeds.



Lastly, I finished with carrots I had and the cucumber from her garden. I set my salad aside once it was tossed in some light olive oil and more lime.



Back to the mushroom/nut "pate"...



I found some nori sheets in my cabinet and quickly decided these where the perfect vessel for my improvised pate.



I spread a thick layer of pate over 3/4 of the nori sheet like I would with rice for sushi.



I lined up stripes of my sauteed veggies in the middle of my spread...



And rolled and sliced the same as sushi.




My roommate Annie and I ate and ate until we could eat no more...



And even though we were beyond full, it felt so light and clean it kept me energized and stoked all day long! I seriously could eat this 5 times a week and not get bored or sick of it!