Taco Pasta & Sushi Salad

I don't cook dairy these days, but I was just reminiscing about taco pasta.  This is easier than making tacos and a good was to use up leftover pasta and other things.  Plus you can make it from canned and dry goods, so it's a good meal when you're can't make it out the the grocery store.  Basically, you add everything you would want in a taco (except maybe lettuce) to the pasta.  I like rottini.  Some ideas:
cheddar cheese; canned black, red, or refried beans; fresh tomatoes or salsa, left over corn cut off the cob or canned corn, olives, "veggie ground" (I microwave it with salsa, then add it.)... This is a delicious way to use up leftovers.


With the same concept, you can get all the flavor of sushi without the time it takes to roll.  I also like to do this when my sushi ingredients come out uneven, or with the Nori pieces I slice off the end when I make real sushi.  Make sushi rice as usual, or whatever rice you have.  I like short grain brown rice or sweet brown rice.  Then add all your sushi ingredients:
seasoned rice vinegar; soy sauce; torn strips of Nori; leftover fish, fake crab, canned tuna or salmon (I like to make frozen salmon with teriyaki sauce in the microwave.); chopped veggies like cucumbers, avocado, and grated carrots; anything else you can think to put in sushi, including scrambled egg or sweetened chopped up omelet.  Garnish with pickled ginger or black sesame seeds.  Serve warm or cold.