Turkey & Cream Cheese Sushi

This is sushi for the sushi haters in the world … because contrary to popular belief, sushi does NOT mean raw fish. It means a rolled thing with rice or, according to Google: “a Japanese dish consisting of small balls or rolls of vinegar-flavored cold cooked rice served with a garnish of raw fish, vegetables, or egg”.

I have to confess, friends: I have a long-standing hate-hate relationship with sushi. I recognize the beauty and artistry of sushi and I totally appreciate that and have, for a long time, genuinely wished that I actually liked sushi … I’ve tried, on multiple occasions, everything my sushi-loving friends said I should like, but no matter how bland or “non-fishy” the sushi was that I tried, I still just hated it. Don’t get me wrong: I love wasabi. I love the pickled ginger. I’m totally cool with rice. Raw fish I am not crazy about, but even when I tried things like California rolls, I just couldn’t get past the “sushi” taste.

But then my work friends asked if I would do a class on sushi. And suddenly I was challenged to make something I really, really, really never cared to make or eat ever in my life. EVER! But, because I know that people have a huge passion for sushi, and moreso because my work friends asked if I would do a cooking class on sushi, I decided okay, okay, I will find a way to do this. I just have to find a way to make sushi into something I actually like to eat.

So here’s my first try at making sushi that sushi-haters will actually love to eat. (aka, ME!) One of my foodie friends named it “South Dakota Sushi”. (I am not there with him, but I can just hear him, chuckling, as he said this … and it made me laugh too.) I hope to post some sushi recipes for sushi lovers too, as I start down this sushi journey, but I have to start with this, for my own sake and for all the rest of you that just can NOT do sushi. This is your bridge to connect with the sushi lovers in your life. Sushi lovers will love this too … I shared it with my sushi-loving friends at work and they all agreed: this is very good. And all my yoga friends loved it too.

Turkey & Cream Cheese Sushi

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: lots!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the sushi rice:

• 2 cups sushi rice
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 Tablespoon kosher salt

For the sushi:

• Thin sliced oven baked or smoked turkey
• Greek cream cheese (or Neufchatel), softened
• English or mini cucumbers
• Matchstick carrots
• Green onions or chives, snipped

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Instructions

1. To make the rice: put the rice in a bowl, fill with water and swirl around. Pour the rice into a colander to rinse out the water, spray the rice well to remove any excess starch, then put back in the bowl and repeat a few times until the water stays clear when you swirl the rice around.
2. Place the rice and 2 1/4 cups water in a nonstick saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and cook for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and, leaving the cover on, let it cool for about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Once the rice is done resting, stir this mixture into the rice, stirring to coat all the rice in the sticky mixture.
4. To make the sushi: lay a slice or two of the turkey meat onto a silicon baking mat (or bamboo mat). Use a butter knife to spread one edge of the turkey with cream cheese so you have about an inch or so of cream cheese on the edge. Dip your fingers in water, then pat a thin layer of the sushi rice onto the turkey, leaving a strip of bare cream cheese on the one side.
5. Slice the cucumbers in long strips and put a couple thin strips of cucumber, a bit of carrots, and some snipped green onion or chives in a stripe over the rice, towards the side of the turkey against the cream cheese.
6. Starting on the end AWAY from the cream cheese, begin to roll up the turkey, using your mat to assist you, until you reach the end of the turkey. Use the mat to gently squeeze the ingredients together. Check that the cream cheese is sealing the edges … if there are spots where it is not sealing well, add a little spot of cream cheese and press gently.
7. Using a good sharp knife, slice the roll into 1/2 inch pieces. Garnish with fresh parsley leaves and enjoy!

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Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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This recipe was shared at Gluten Free Friday and Foodie Friends Friday.