Edamame Sushi Salad

I recently started doing research at school and have met some of the graduate students in the PsyD/PhD program. During our first encounter one of the questions was what is it like to be an undergraduate at my school. The best way to describe it is dirty, grimy, and overly entertaining. I think a sum of daily life here at college could be described by my recent finding near my house at school. I was taking out the garbage after making this edamame sushi salad for my weekly blog post, when I noticed something ever so interesting sitting at the edge of my driveway. It was a pair of men's boxers. Trying to be sensible, I asked my housemate if they were her boyfriends and possibly fell out of his bag. Well she took a picture and sent it to him only to find out that a strangers underwear were casually left in our driveway. From boxers, to panties, to shoes, and condoms, the odd things you find on the ground are far from classy. In contrast to the grimy interactions you come across on a college campus, I like to think that some of the foods that emerge from the kitchens on this campus (especially mine) can make up for the classic undergrad shenanigans that occur only mere inches from my doorstep. Whether cooking in a granite countertop and stainless steel appliance kitchen or a run down college house, I hope you stay semi-classy and don't leave your underwear on the ground.

Servings: 5 (if eating as an entree)

Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
1 1/2 cups of de-shelled edamame
1 cucumber (de-seeded)
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 avocado
2 sheets of nori (broken down into small pieces)
2 tablespoons of black sesame seeds
1 bunch (about 1/2 cup) of chopped scallions
1 tablespoon of mirin
4 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of ponzu
1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon of wasabi paste

Directions:

Add 1 cup of rice and two cups of water to a pot. Bring the rice and water to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover the pan and allow the rice to simmer for about 30 minutes (or until all the water has evaporated).

In a large bowl combine the edamame, carrots, diced cucumber, sliced avocado, and sesame seeds. Then add chopped scallions and the rice when done cooking. In a smaller bowl whisk together the ginger, ponzu, soy sauce, mirin, and wasabi paste. Pour the dressing over the rice and edamame mixture. Lastly toss in the crumbled nori sheets and fully mix the salad.

Enjoy with chopsticks, a fork, or simply your hands!