Rice, honey?

If you have celiac disease, or are gluten-intolerant, then rice is probably one of your "go-to" grains!  Thankfully, rice is plentiful and mercifully inexpensive, especially when compared with other gluten-free grains.  I have always been a rice lover--brown, basmati, jasmine, arborio...the list goes on and I love them all!!


When my husband was in the Air Force, there was a little Asian lady who worked at one of the dining facilities that he ate at frequently.  When the men would walk up to the counter, she would look up and yell, "Rice, honey?"  But, with her accent, it actually came out sounding like, "Lice, honey??"  This has been a joke in our family for many years and never fails to get a good laugh when someone yells it out.  

I'm not going to tell you that the only rice you should eat is brown rice--although, it is definitely the healthiest because it still contains all of the bran coating where the nutrients and fiber reside.  Many people find the flavor off-putting, but if you flavor it, you'll learn to like it.  Try adding a few squirts of Bragg's Liquid Aminos to the cooking liquid for a nutty flavor.  Or, cook it in your favorite broth instead of water, or add some fresh herbs to infuse some different flavors.

I probably shouldn't confess this...but, my favorite rice is Jasmine!!  In ancient times, it was a rice grown for, and consumed only by, the royal family of Thailand.  It has been infused with a wonderful jasmine essence and I just can't get enough of it!!  Thankfully, in our day, it's widely available to all of us serfs :)


One of my favorite breakfasts is brown rice (okay, I'd rather have Jasmine) with an over-easy egg on top!  I began eating this dish when I was first diagnosed with the celiac disease and was seriously malnourished.  I was trying to get protein and nutrients into my system any way I possibly could!  People laughed at me every time they heard that I ate rice and eggs for breakfast and would tease me that no one else could possibly ever eat that for breakfast! Well, I discovered just how wrong they were when I went to Hawaii for my daughter, Amanda's, high school graduation and discovered it was on the menu of every breakfast place we went!! Now, it was white rice, not brown, but still...

Because I love rice so much and I have it around all the time, I'm always trying to find something new and different to do with it!  I thought today I'd share with you one of my favorite, fun things to do with leftover rice....fried rice balls!  Yes, doesn't that just sound super yummy??

The great thing about making fried rice balls is that you can do whatever you want to them and use up any leftover meats or vegetables that you might have in your fridge that need to be used before they turn into science experiments!

Fried rice balls recipe

There's not really a set recipe for making these balls, but here's the general idea...

About 1 cup of leftover rice, any variety
1 egg
About 1/2 cup of leftover meat, such as ham, cut into small cubes
About 1/2 cup of vegetables, any variety, diced small
1-2 T. cornstarch
Salt and pepper, to taste...or any other seasoning you want to add.  I like to put in a squirt of siracha for some kick!
Gluten-free bread crumbs for rolling

Mix all of the ingredients, except the bread crumbs, in a bowl with your hands until blended and able to hold together into a ball.  Make balls and roll them in bread crumbs.  Deep fat fry until golden brown.  Serve hot as an appetizer or side dish.  Use dipping sauce, if desired.

This is especially fun with kids!!  Get the whole family together in the kitchen to chop and mix the balls together!  Kids are always more willing to eat something that they've helped make themselves.  You could probably even slip in something healthy, like spinach, and they will love it because they helped make it!!  Give it a try!