I love to make chicken stock.  It’s so good for you and is a very important part of any healthy diet.  The only problem I find is that my kids just don’t want to drink it straight all the time.  They will have a 1/2 cup now and then, but not every day.  So, the trick is to find other ways of getting it in them.  One of their favorite ways to have broth (well, they don’t actually know that they are eating broth) is to make flavored rice.  I quit buying boxed flavored rice a while ago, so I came up with my own recipe.  (I will post the recipe soon).  I usually make way too much rice and it doesn’t get eaten on the first or second day, so I have to come up with creative ways to use it.  One obvious way to use leftover rice is in soup.  Heat up some broth, add the rice, some veggies and maybe little bits of meat, and voila!  You’ve got soup.  Or you can simply freeze the rice and heat it up at a later time.

The other day, I was trying to figure out a good after school snack for my kids and it came to me: Egg and Rice Cakes.  They have loads of my good 24-hour stock and free-range eggs, so they are much better and more nutrient-dense than a lot of other after school snacks.  And, the kids like them.  My daughter, R (6 years old) said, “They don’t really have a taste, but they are so good!”  Um, I’m not sure what that meant, but one of these “cakes” fill her up.  And, she’s asked for them at least 2 times this week.

Let me know if you give them a try and what you think.

Egg and Rice Cakes
1 cup flavored rice (or plain, but you’ll need some spices)
1 egg
1 tsp or so butter

Heat a pan over medium heat until hot.  Melt butter and coat pan.  In a small bowl, beat egg well.  Add rice and mix.  Once the pan is hot, take a handful of the egg/rice mixture and place it in the pan.  Pat down and form a patty or cake.  It’s easier to do this in the pan, than in your hand.  Fry cake for 2-3 minutes, then using 2 utensils, flip to other side and fry at least 3-4 minutes.  You want to make sure that the egg is set in the middle of the cake.  Both sides of the cake should be brown.

My kids like to dip the cakes into some organic ketchup, but I think a little sour cream with chives is yummy.  The next time I make these, I was thinking of adding some onion or broccoli.  I’ll let you know how they turn out.