Jicama “Sushi” Rolls
These sushi rolls are based on a recipe from the book Raw Food Real World , by Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melngailis. I don’t change the recipes because I think I’m better than the original chefs, but because I like to be creative and I don’t always have the called-for ingredients. Plus, I wouldn’t want any chefs to stumble across my site and think I misrepresented their recipe! 
Alright, let’s get to the preparation…
First, soak about 1 cup sliced mushrooms in 1/4 cup Nama Shoyu (like soy sauce), and 2 Tbsp. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Let these sit for about an hour.
This is where I really differed from the recipe. I took some lightly sweetened and air dried ginger from Trader Joe’s, and I soaked it in rice wine vinegar, agave nectar, and some beet slices (for color). You could slice fresh ginger and soak it in the same ingredients. I let mine sit for about an hour, but fresh ginger could sit for about a day or two. You could also buy a jar of sushi ginger and not do any of the work yourself!
Next, gather your ingredients for the “rice.” If you prefer to use real rice, go for it. I won’t think any less of you, I promise. But, if you want to keep this as raw and vegan as you can, here’s what to use: (these values are all approximate: you can add or subtract any to suit your taste).
3 cups jicama, 1/4 cup raw pine nuts (or pignolias), about 1/2 Tbsp. sea salt, about 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar, 1 1/2 Tbsp. agave nectar.
Cut the jicama into small chunks to make it easier on your food processor. Jicama is kind of hard to cut, so be careful and use a sharp knife.
Process the jicama and pine nuts.
It should look like this when it’s done processing. Jicama has very high water content, so I placed it on a clean towel after processing and patted it to get out a lot of the moisture.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix in by hand: about 1/2 Tbsp. sea salt, about 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar, 1 1/2 Tbsp. agave nectar.
Spread the jicama mixture onto the dehydrator and dehydrate at 115-125 degrees for about 2 hours. Stir the mixture occasionally, because the edges dry more quickly.
Spread jicama mixture over 1/2 to 2/3rds of a sheet of nori (preferably untoasted).
Gather your filling ingredients. I chose: pea sprouts, cucumber and carrots sliced into long thin strips, watercress, and the mushrooms that were soaking earlier.
Layer the fillings on the middle of the jicama “rice.” You can let some of the fillings stick out of the end so they look pretty when you arrange the rolls for serving.
You can choose to put the marinated ginger inside the sushi rolls, or save it to put on top of the sushi later. I tried it both ways, because I’m a risk-taker.
Use your bamboo sushi mat (or the bamboo placemat that you got at Wal-Mart because you couldn’t find a sushi mat) to roll up everything. Sorry there are no pictures of this critical step. I was neglecting my photography duties. But, if you really need help figuring out how to roll it up, search youtube for “how to roll sushi” and plenty of videos will come up. Dab your fingertip in water and run in along the nori roll where you want the end to stick. Next, slice the roll, with a sharp knife, into bite-sized pieces.
I sprinkled sesame seeds on the rolls. I also put some wasabi paste into a dipping dish with extra nama shoyu, and put the extra ginger in another dish. Of course, Tim and I ate this with chopsticks.
Enjoy!
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