Spicy Shrimp Hand Rolls

& why everyone needs to journal!

Hi! Welcome to “good mood food” from Kale Me Maybe’s Carina Wolff. If you’ve made it here and aren’t yet a subscriber, come join! You can expect recipes, musings, and faves in your inbox every Wednesday! Paid subscribers get even more! Learn more about my paid membership here. You can also try a week for free!

CATCH UP!

Hello friends! I’m drinking my rose matcha after a little bit of at-home yoga, which felt so necessary on my body. I’m experimenting with a new cottage cheese breakfast dish right now, and it’s making me excited to keep tweaking it and make it perfect. I’m picturing this healthy breakfast soufflé made with eggs, cottage cheese, and fruit, so I’m hoping I can make this vision come true.

I mentioned this in my stories earlier this week, but I’ve gotten myself back into journaling, and it is a welcome return, both for my mental wellbeing and preservation of memories. I journaled all through high school, into college, and for many years after and not only was it a great way for me to work through my emotions, I now have this amazing time capsule of how I was thinking and feeling during so many pivotal times of my life.

I’ve neglected my journal the past few years, but I decided it was time to bring it back. It always feels amazing when I’m done writing, and even though I’m in my early 30s and no longer an adolescent or in my more tumultuous 20s, there are still so many big moments and life changes happening all the time, and I want to have them documented. I also firmly believe every single person should journal to improve their mental state. There’s all this research showing that journaling can help with your overall emotional wellbeing, as it’s a great way to become an observer of your own thoughts and work through your emotions.

THINGS I’M LOVING!

I made a homemade rose lemonade for my sister’s bridal shower over the weekend, and it was a hit! I used this rose syrup from Cortas and just used less simple syrup when making the lemonade, since it has sugar in it. It made a really cute pink lemonade with a perfectly balanced rose flavor! You could also use this in a coffee drink, homemade soda, etc. If you want a rosewater instead of a rose syrup (no added sweetener) this is the one I always use! I love putting it in my matcha.

I’ve been wanting to try a filtered shower head for awhile now, especially since I live in LA, and we are known for our hard water. Jolie sent me one of their shower heads, and I’ve been enjoying using it! It looks nice in our shower and both Grant and I feel our hair feels softer! We got the brushed steel color because it matches the rest of our bathroom.

I know unitards are super trendy right now, but I think they’re so cute, and anything that’s stretchy and comfy is a yes from me. I’ve been struggling to find one that fits correctly, but I finally landed on this Madewell unitard! It’s super flattering and cute, and perfect for lounging or yoga. It fits true to size and has some stretch! Also — I don’t know why the girl in the picture is wearing a tank underneath, but ignore that, haha. That’s not part of the unitard!

RECIPE!

Hand rolls, also known as Temaki Sushi, are a Japanese dish made of nori sheets (seaweed), rice, and filling that are rolled into a cone shape. You can read more about traditional hand rolls/temaki in this blog post from Just One Cookbook!

I loooove me so some raw fish, but I know it can be hard to find for some people, so I wanted to make a hand roll with an ingredient most people can get their hands on: shrimp! I used the frozen Wild Caught Argentinian Shrimp from Trader Joe’s and tossed it in some spicy mayo for an (Americanized) sushi-esque vibe! The rest of the filling consists of just avocado, cucumber, and micro greens, which you can find at most grocery stores. I got my nori (seaweed wraps), at Whole Foods, but check your local Asian specialty stores for some as well!

For a more classic hand roll, you’re supposed to use short-grain sushi rice, which tends to be stickier. I just used my favorite white rice that I already had at home here, and it still worked well!

It took me a second to get the hang of rolling my hand rolls, but I used this video as a helpful tutorial for rolling.

Spicy Shrimp Hand Rolls

Ingredients (makes 12 hand rolls, serves 2-3)

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 lb shrimp, tails removed and deveined

• 3 tbsp mayo

• 1 1/2 tbsp sriracha

• 1 tsp soy sauce or tamari

• 2 stalks green onion, chopped

• 2 cups cooked white rice

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

• Pinch of salt and sugar

• 12 sheets nori/seaweed wraps

• 1 avocado, cut into thin slices

• 1 Persian cucumber, cut into thin, 2-inch slices

• Micro greens (I used assorted rainbow)

• Sesame seeds

1. Heat up olive oil in a large pan on medium heat. Pat the shrimp dry, and add to the pan. Cook for 3 minutes on each side or until shrimp is pink and cooked through. Set aside and let cool.

2. Roughly chop the shrimp and add it a bowl along with sriracha, mayo, and green onions. Toss until everything is coated and mixed together.

3. Add cooked rice to a bowl along with 1 tbsp rice vinegar and a pinch of salt and sugar. Mix together.

4. Cut your nori in half lengthwise, then trim 2 inches off the end. Lay the nori shiny side down. Add about 1 tbsp rice to one end of the nori, and press flat with the back of spoon. Top with about 1 tbsp of the shrimp filling, and top with a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Add 2 thin slices of avocado, followed by a pinch of micro greens and 4-5 pieces of the cucumber.

5. To roll the hand roll, take the bottom left corner and bring it up to meet the right corner of the filling, rolling at a diagonal. When you’ve rolled your hand roll, wet your finger with some water to seal the hand roll closed. Once you’re done with your hand rolls, serve immediately so they don’t get soggy!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

Last week, paid subscribers got an exclusive recipe for a spinach and basil one-pot pasta! This one’s perfect for a fam or to meal prep for a busy week. Join my paid subscriber list and get this recipe as well as access to ALL previous recipes in the archive!