Brown Rice Cakes

This recipe has been sitting in my drafts folder for years, and I finally got around to making it today! I think part of the problem is I couldn't really envision what it was supposed to look like. I figured it would be similar to a vegetarian patty (and, actually, it is) but Wayne likes his burgers to be made out of beef. That was another deterrent to making it sooner. However, while we probably won't eat them as the "bread" in a sandwich, and I definitely won't be serving them as the "burger" between a bun, they make a great side dish, kind of a cross between rice and stuffing. I think they'll be perfect for the leftover sauce from our fish dish last week.

Brown Rice Cakes
(from Williams-Sonoma Mayo Clinic Cookbook)

1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 slices whole wheat sandwich bread, made into crumbs (about 1 cup)
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 1/3 cups cooked, cold brown rice
1/3 cup chopped chives or green onions

Sift together flour, baking powder and pepper and set aside.

Toast the bread crumbs for about 12-15 minutes in a 350 degree oven, stirring a couple of times. Scrape into a bowl, stir in the milk and let stand for 5 minutes.

Add the egg and rice and stir vigorously. Stir in the chives and flour mixture. The batter will be quite stiff.

Using 1/4 cup batter, cook the cakes in a large nonstick frying pan (spray with Pam first) for a couple of minutes on each side.

Makes 10-12. Serve with roasted peppers, or use instead of bread in a sandwich.