Rockin' Rice Rolls

     These rockin' rice rolls feature brown rice & seaweed - two foods that are wonderful for your body! Brown rice is an exciting staple in life...in my opinion! And what better way to eat it than to spice it up with sesame butter (tahini), nori sheets, and ume vinegar. Now that's my kind of quick snack! Although you may be giving me a funky look through the computer screen right now, I encourage you to make these little rolls & find the joy in the natural sweetness of the brown rice & the rich satisfaction in the sesame butter.

     Sesame seeds are a fantastic source of copper, magnesium, & calcium (about 35% of DV per 1/4 cup)! Skip the glass of milk - have a rice roll & receive more bio-available iron & calcium, and more fiber & flavor while you're at it!

  Fun Fact:

          "'Open sesame'—the famous phrase from the Arabian Nights—reflects the
           distinguishing feature of the sesame seed pod, which bursts open when it
           reaches maturity." :-)

Brown Rice with Sesame Butter & Ume Mixed In... Time for the Nori!



Tear the Nori and Mix in!



...Rockin' Rice Rolls...

1 cup short-grain brown rice, uncooked

2 cups filtered water

1 inch piece kombu

1/3 cup sesame butter (tahini)

1 tsp ume plum vinegar

2 (un)toasted nori sheets

Sesame seeds for garnish

Rinse and drain the rice using several changes of water. Place rice and water in a medium-size saucepan and let soak 6-8 hours or overnight (to improve digestibility). After soaking (do not pour out soaking water), place over high heat and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, lower heat and add kombu (another sea vegetable high in minerals). Simmer for 25 minutes until all water is absorbed. Remove kombu before moving on with the next step. Makes about 2 ½ cups of delicious brown rice.

In the same medium saucepan, stir in the sesame tahini butter and ume plum vinegar with the warm rice until combined. Roughly tear the nori sheets into small pieces and stir to fully incorporate with the rice mixture

Using wet fingers, mold mixture into 1 ½ inch rolls. Sprinkle the rolls with sesame seeds for garnish. Enjoy munching on these salty & “buttery” little guys!

*Yields about 14 rolls*

...simple, yet delicious...