Starters/Starters, Salads, Soups

Kale Chickpea Sushi Roll

Name: Kale Chickpea Sushi Roll
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 7 servings
Ingredients: 4 large kale leaves; 1 cup sweet peas; 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes; 1 cup coconut milk or yogurt; 1 cup chickpea flour; 2 tablespoon coconut butter; 2 cups water; 1 teaspoon thyme; 1 teaspoon ginger powder; 1 teaspoon cumin powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon pepper; 1/4 cup coconut oil; For a variation, you can use caraway or anise seeds. (original: For a variation, you can use caraway or anise seeds.)

Por Dada Shivananda

I am always experimenting with food, and my travels inspire many of my recipes in friends' kitchens worldwide. This Kale Chickpea Sushi Roll is a fabulous outcome. We made it at my fellow chefs' home, and we loved the form, taste, and texture of the roll. The filling was absolutely soft, tender, and smooth to the bite. A couple of weeks later, I was scheduled to conduct an event on Terceira Island, one of the nine islands of the Azores archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean.

They call the islands the Hidden Emerald Jewel of the Atlantic. At a gathering of friends by the ocean in a little village called Biscoitus, I prepared similar recipes for my friends to sample, and all I can say is, "Holy moly," as all the rolls were gobbled up delightfully; they genuinely loved it! The fresh organic kale and vegetables made an immense difference in both flavor and fragrance.

A little more about the small, idyllic Biscoitus village: it is nestled around a small bay where fishermen and whalers once caught fish and hunted sperm whales about 50 years ago. Today, this place is a quaint village with few inhabitants, as many emigrated after the EU imposed sanctions to protect the whales. Biscoitus is a beautiful place to tour and relax; you can visit lush vineyards shielded by barriers of molten lava rocks, which protect the vines growing at ground level when the ocean winds become unyielding at times.

The 9 Azores islands are volcanic. As such, the land is incredibly fertile and lush, allowing whatever you plant to grow abundantly. Our friends grow all kinds of vegetables and hardly ever buy any. They plant sweet peas, kale, red cabbages, carrots, zucchini, herbs of all kinds, and many other seasonal plants. At lunchtime, we gathered some organic fresh kale leaves, sweet peas, and salad greens. We even used ocean water as a salt substitute in our cooking. The final dishes were simply delicious! The freshly picked herbs tickled and stimulated the senses with their rich fragrance, turning the meal into pure palatable joy.

Learn this simple recipe below on how to create this deliciously healthy dish.

This Kale Chickpea Sushi Roll is a beauty and a delight to the taste buds. Enjoy! Nutritional benefits: Sweet peas are high in antioxidants, phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein, which offer immense health benefits. Lutein and zeaxanthin, found in sweet peas, boost eye health by filtering harmful blue light that can lead to cataracts and age-related vision loss. They also improve digestive health due to high fiber content and enhance immunity by fighting inflammation. Chickpea flour is rich in thiamine, manganese, folate, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and fiber, making it a great gluten flour alternative. Kale, sundried tomatoes, coconut milk, and coconut butter add immune-boosting benefits for overall better health.