On Friday night, I ate my entire body weight (and some) in cheese and chutney. It was absolutely wonderful (we went to WC in Clapham Common for those with a relatable cheese addiction). However, dinner on Saturday called for something a little lighter as a result.

I have made nori rolls before, but it was the traditional way with sticky sushi rice. It’s really not as difficult as everybody makes out (either way you try), and that’s coming from somebody that does not have a creative bone in their body. It was a really good dinner for the girls, and although Ella’s recipe is simply vegetable you can easily add prawns/salmon/crabmeat to your heart’s content. The leftover’s also made a great lunch today without an Itsu or Wasabi in sight.

Shopping list: Quinoa (30g per person), lemon (1 per person), 1 carrot, 1 courgette, 1 red pepper, sesame seeds, nori sheets, avocado (half per person), lime (1 per person).

I bought my nori sheets from Marks & Spencer, along with one of those wooden rolly things (see image) – but that’s not really necessary!

Credit to Annie for stopping off on the way over for quinoa… I completely forgot and was considering some sort of couscous/brown rice improvisation. She saved us from that disaster. Credit also goes to Annie for being a wonderful photographer throughout this sushi journey!

I made this recipe for 4 people and I still have some veg leftover so 1 of each should be enough unless you’re truly feasting!

1. First off, cook the quinoa. Place it in a saucepan with 125ml of water for every 30g of quinoa, and the lemon juice. Bring it to the boil, and then reduce the heat and let it simmer until all of the water has been absorbed (10-15 minutes). I often cook with couscous and brown rice but I am not well practiced in quinoa so I think mine was a little too mushy…

2. Whilst this is cooking (and hopefully not getting too mushy), chop the veg into thin strips. I was once again so grateful that Jenna stole our wonderful chef knife because I managed to get the veg super-thin. I also chopped up my prawns at this stage, but these are optional.

3. Make the avocado cream. Scoop the avocado flesh into a bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the lime juice, salt, and a tablespoon of water. Either mash this with a fork or blend if you have a good blender. My NutriBullet is still scarred from all the houmous I make and wasn’t really co-operating at this stage. A fork is fine.

4. Once the quinoa is cooked, allow it to cool for a few minutes and then stir in a handful of sesame seeds.

5. Time to assemble your nori roll. First lay the nori sheet on your wooden rolly thing, or work surface. Then, using a fork, cover half of the sheet in quinoa. Add a layer of avocado cream to the quinoa. You can then assemble your fillings and roll it all up tight!

Serve with soy sauce and edamame beans.