You know when you find something yummy and cook it so many times that everybody ends up hating it?

Yeah, that.

These rice cakes were on high rotation in my kitchen about five years ago until there was a protest! But they have made a reappearance and everyone is enjoying them again. I just have to pace myself now and not make them too often!

They are delicious hot or cold and make a very budget-friendly dinner with some salad or are great for lunch boxes too.

Whip them up when you have some leftover rice so it doesn’t go to waste. You can also throw in any leftover cooked vegetables or meat.

Cheese and Spinach Rice Cakes

Vital Stats: gluten free, nut free, vegetarian

This is what you need:

4 cups cooked brown rice

2 green shallots, finely chopped

2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

1 cup finely shredded baby spinach

100g tasty cheese, grated

50g parmesan cheese, grated

2 eggs

1/2 cup cream

1 small garlic clove, crushed

Herbamare (or salt) and pepper to taste

This is how you do it:

Preheat your oven to 180ºC and line a 12 cup muffin tray with some non-toxic muffin papers.

Whisk together the eggs and cream in a large bowl.

Add all the other ingredients and mix well.

Scoop into the muffin papers and press down slightly.

Sprinkle with more cheese if you like.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until firm and golden brown.

TIPS:

I have used the If You Care baking paper and cups for years now – nothing ever sticks and they are compostable and non-toxic.

Add whatever you like to the basic egg, rice and cream mixture. Some things that are also tasty in these rice cakes are: feta, sun-dried tomatoes, bacon, zucchini, char-grilled capsicum, chives, mushrooms and salami.

I always soak rice before I cook it, just to make it easier to digest and kinder on our tummies.

Use pure cream that doesn’t have any artificial fillers or thickeners.

My Chicken and Spinach Fritters are also brilliant cold in lunch boxes.

If you make my Cheese and Spinach Rice Cakes, let me know what the family thinks and upload a photo to my socials.

I think I have a crush on Julie Maree Wood. I buy her books, I make her recipes, I stalk her Facebook pages, I like her posts, I tell everyone about her.

“Julie Maree Wood is a naturopath and nutritionist (a food nerd). She teaches and writes on the topic, runs a clinic in Sydney and is the nutritionist for the Sydney Kings’ basketball team. She is the author of Feeding Fussy Kids, 60-Second Secrets, The Complete Food Makeover and The 4 week Energy Diet.”

Flicking through my copy of Feeding Fussy Kids, I came across Julie’s recipe for Three-Bubble Crunch. Hellooooo, breakfast just got a whole lot more interesting! I’m sorry Julie, but I had to tweak it – I am a ~~cereal~~ serial tweaker! So, this is my version of Julie’s recipe. I call mine…..

Puffy Coconut Cereal!

Vital Stats: egg free, nut free, gluten free

Okay, so this is what you need:

1 1/3 cups puffed brown rice

1 1/3 cups puffed corn

1 1/3 cups puffed millet

1/2 cup shredded organic coconut

2 tablespoons virgin organic coconut oil

2 tablespoons organic apple juice concentrate

3 teaspoons of cinnamon

Abundant Earth make fantastic puffed cereals with nothing artificial added. Find them in the health food aisle of major supermarkets.

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Line a large baking tray or two with baking paper. Set oven to 150°C.

Mix everything together thoroughly in a large bowl.

Spread onto the trays, making sure you have it all in one layer.

Bake for about 10 minutes, depending on your oven. It should be nice and golden brown and crunchy. It will get even crunchier as it cools. Be careful not to burn it though!

Cool it right down and then store it in an airtight container. Serve it with some organic milk for brekky or just as a snack on its own! You could also top it with a dried fruit, nut and seed mix.

Get more fantastic recipes and tips on getting nutrition into fussy kids:

Feeding Fussy Kids: Delicious Nutritious Recipes to Tame Fussy Eaters