Have you had enough of preparing enormous amounts of food for entertaining? We all know how drained a party celebration can leave anyone, especially those hosting it or in charge of the kitchen. It’s one thing to love preparing homemade meals for your family, without having to impress anyone with flamboyant decorations and exotic tastes; but cooking for a large number of people, and making sure everything is ready before they arrive, is a very different story.

Since December is big on social events for most people, and certainly for Latinos who give much greater importance to Christmas than to Thanksgiving, I decided to help out a bit with a cool and delicious idea. If you’re running out of creativity for finger food or appetizers made for home entertaining and parties, and want to do something fun and out of the ordinary this year, how about trying some Japanese creations? Your guests will probably appreciate the surprise, and the fact that at least one of the courses on the menu is low on fat and very healthy in general.

To make these easy sushi squares you can use only rice and salmon if you prefer, or add as many fresh vegetables as you like, turning something simple into a rainbow of colors and textures. For example, I used radishes and avocados along with the rice and salmon in the original preparation. But for the leftovers, I  quickly fried the salmon, put it back in its place, and then covered it with extra layers of thinly-sliced carrots, and mixed greens. It was a completely different experience, but equally enjoyable, and certainly a better option for those who shy away from eating raw fish.

As any itamae in the world would tell you, the key for good sushi lies in the freshness of the ingredients, and in the proper preparation of the rice. The correct method goes like this: You need to get the special glutinous sushi rice, wash 2 cups of it 3 times in plenty of water (this is to get rid of any excess starch), and then cook it in 3 cups of water, without salt, for 17 minutes. When ready, turn the heat off, let cool a little, and season with the special rice vinegar preparation. This vinegar preparation can be made while the rice is cooking, by bringing 1/2 a cup of Nakano All-Natural Rice Vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil, and then letting this cool to room temperature. Once the rice and vinegar are mixed together (a wooden spoon is best for this job), you must put it in a large dish or container where you can spread out the rice in a very thin layer. With the help of a fan (or magazine), air it until it’s cool. Yes, this may sounds like too much work, but that’s because we’re used to cooking without putting much effort into anything. Let’s face it folks: traditional methods sometimes work better than machines.

Happy entertaining!

Easy Sushi Squares

Ingredients:

Sushi Rice with Nakano All-Natural Rice Vinegar (Read post above for directions)

6-8 oz salmon

1 avocado

8-10 radishes

Sesame seeds

Mitzukan Ponzu Citrus Seasoned Soy Sauce

Wasabi (optional)

Preparation:

Line a chopping board with film, parchment, or a silpat, and spread the cooked and cooled rice all over it. Press it to flatten.

With a mandolin or a very sharp knife, cut the radishes in very thin slices. Cut the avocado and the salmon in very thin slices.

Put a layer of avocado over the rice. Follow with a layer of radishes and a layer of salmon.

With a very sharp knife, cut in squares, pressing the sides with the knife to even out.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve with wasabi and Mitzukan Ponzu Citrus Seasones Soy Sauce on the side.

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Disclosure: We give thanks to Mizkan for being a SpanglishBaby sponsor.

Sandwiches are one of my favorite inventions in the world. You can pretty much carry around any food you like (except soup and ice cream!) inside two loaves of bread, and enjoy it wherever you happen to be, and whenever you feel like it. Gotta love it!

One of the things I like the most about sandwiches, is that they allow you to conceal, in a way, and enjoy without judgement, things that you wouldn’t usually eat on their own, but that you know your body would thrive on. For example, I was never a big salad person, (I know, that’s weird coming from a vegetarian), until one fine day, my friend Andrea introduced me to an amazing salad wrap place in NYC. All of a sudden, salad seemed like a delicious treat I craved and looked forward to eating, because all the flavors of the different veggies seemed to mysteriously come together and be enhanced inside the flatbread.

In the summer, I now love to eat lots of vegetables, and my favorite way to make them is in a sandwich. Sometimes I put such a large mountain of veggies, that it doesn’t fit in my mouth. What I do when this happens is I take out the top layer of bread and eat it as an open sandwich or bruschetta.

Today I decided to make a sandwich using Mediterranean flavors (my favorite), with Nakano’s Basil & Oregano Seasoned Rice Vinegar. I bought some good quality bread, roasted a red pepper, added artichoke hearts, steamed asparagus (I like them al dente), and some halloumi cheese, which I didn’t grill for lack of time, but is exquisite when grilled too, and gives the sandwich a whole different texture that way. Some salt and pepper, a splash of Nakano’s Basil & Oregano Vinegar, and not much else was needed. It was perfection. It always gets me excited when I find an easy-to-use product like this seasoned rice vinegar, which saves time, money, and has the same delicious effect as as if I had used all those ingredients separately. It’s light but full of flavor, which I find to be an awesome replacement for the traditional, unhealthy sandwich condiments or spreads that people use. I can’t wait to splash it over all my veggie dishes this summer to bring out the best in them.

As you can see, when it comes to eating more veggies, all it really comes down to is being creative, and having fun. You just need to find your sweet spot, and I guarantee  it will become a lifelong romance from then on.

Ingredients:

(Serves 2)

• 2 good quality bread roll (I used spouted whole wheat)
• 1 pepper
• 1 cup artichokes
• 1/2 bunch green artichokes
• 1 pack halloumi cheese
• Salt
• Pepper
• Nakano Basil & Oregano Seasoned Rice Vinegar

Preparation:

• Put the pepper over the stove’s flame for several minutes, turning around until it’s all black. You can also roast it in the oven.
• Put the pepper in a sealed, air-tight container for 10 minutes.
• In the meantime, steam or blanch the asparagus in boiling water for 5-10 minutes
• Peel the pepper, and cut in thin strips.
• Cut the bread , and toast a little bit (I broiled it in the oven for 10 minutes).
• Put a layer of cheese slices on the bottom half of the bread. On top of it, put pepper slices, artichoke pieces, and some asparagus.
• Season with salt and pepper, and splash with Nakano Basil & Oregano Seasoned Rice Vinegar.

Nakano has a cool sweepstakes going on right now called “Splash it on, Step it up,” a 60-Day Walking Challenge where you can enter your steps daily and be eligible to win fabulous prizes including gym memberships, workout bags or personal training sessions.

Disclosure: We give thanks to Mizkan for being a SpanglishBaby sponsor.