Pasta Maki Recipe

Transform your sushi experience by substituting rice for orzo.  

Serves: 8 people

Ingredients
1 box orzo 
½ cup rice vinegar
8 toasted seaweed sheets
24-1 ounce rectangles of smoked tofu
2 cups carrots, sliced Julienne-style
2 cucumbers
½ cup green onion, thinly sliced
4 ounces reduced-sodium soy-ginger dipping sauce
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; cook the pasta according to the directions, drain
2. Do not rinse pasta; in a mixing bowl add pasta and rice vinegar and mix thoroughly
3. Please pasta in fridge for 30 minutes
4. Divide cold pasta into 8 equal portions
5. Peel cucumbers; cut in half and remove the seeds, then cutting each half into 4 equal spears
6. Lay 4 sushi nori seaweed sheets on a clean cutting board
7. Build each sheet with following products end to end
8. Portion of pasta, ¼ julienne carrots, 1 cucumber spear, and smoked tofu rectangle
9. Roll each nori sheet and repeat process with remaining sheets
10. Using a sharp knife cut all rolls into 6 equal pieces
11. Garnish portions with thin sliced scallions and serve with ½ ounce dipping sauce

Photo Credit: Lou Manna