Sushi Roll Salad

For those of us who love a good California Roll, here's all the components mixed up in a delicious, summery salad. This is one of our favorite recipes. It's adapted from one of my most beloved cookbooks, "The Best of Cooking Light." We just finished a big batch of this and I'm already thinking it's time to make some more. Yummy!
Sushi Roll Salad

2 cups uncooked sushi rice (or can substitute a short grain variety)
2 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Dressing:
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 -3/4 teaspoon prepared wasabi (Japanese horseradish), optional

Other ingredients:
1 cup cucumber, julienne-cut
1/4 cup minced red onion
1 8oz package flake-style imitation crab
1 small avocado, diced
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
sheets of toasted nori (seaweed), cut into strips

Directions:
Combine , salt and rice in a medium sauce pan or rice cooker. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and allow to simmer until all the water is absorbed and rice is tender (about 20 minutes).

Once rice is cooked through, remove cover and allow to cool to room temperature. You can speed this process by spreading it out in a thin layer on a baking sheet.

While rice is cooking, prepare dressing. Whisk together all the ingredients in the bowl you will be serving the salad in. Stir in rice, cucumber, onion and crab. Toss to combine. Sprinkle evenly (or dish into individual bowls) with the avocado, sesame seeds and nori to garnish.

Notes: you can also substitute imitation lobster for the crab. Black sesame seeds are especially pretty in this salad but somewhat harder to find. Currently, Trader Joe's has a toasted seaweed snack package for $.99 that is perfect for the strips of nori, but you can also find it in the Asian section of any major grocery store. Wasabi can be found in paste or powdered form (aslo in the Asian section of the grocery store). If you find the powdered form, mix desired amount with water to form a paste. Allow to sit a few minutes to allow flavors to develop, then stir into dressing. Finally, for a "Spicy California Roll," stir together 2 Tablespoons of mayonnaise and desired amount of Sriacha (or other Asian style spicy chili garlic sauce) and add to dressing mixture.