Different rice cakes!

   I am so proud of this recipe. I have no idea how I came up with it. I wasn't really inspired by anything, I never saw or heard about it, I just thought that these things would work well together. I was trying to plan a cheap and healthy dish that would be completely different from what I usually cook and that's how I came up with these rice and sauerkraut cakes. Man, are they delicious or what? The recipe makes 12 nice-size cakes.

Ingredients:

*  2 1/2 cups brown rice
*  2 cups sauerkraut
*  10 scallions, chopped
*  1/3 cup chia seeds (optional)
*  2 eggs
*  panko bread crumbs
*  3 bay leaves
*  4 juniper berries
*  salt and pepper

* vegetable oil for cooking

Directions:

1. Cook rice in salted water with bay leaves and juniper berries until the rice is al dente (about 35-40 minutes). Drain, remove bay leaves and berries and set aside.
2. Drain all excess juice from sauerkraut and finely chop it.
3. Add 2/3 cup of water to chia seeds and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. I added chia seeds to add more nutrients to the dish, but you can skip it.
4. Combine rice, sauerkraut, scallions, chia seeds, eggs, and 2 tbsp of panko bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper, and mix utill everything is combined.
5. Form big patties, roll them gently in panko bread crumbs and place on a large plate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. In a skillet heat couple of tablespoons of oil to high temperature and fry the cakes for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

   Super crunchy on the outside and soft and flavorful on the inside. I'm telling you, this stuff is delicious. I served them with some chunky mushroom sauce and a side salad.

Enjoy,
Magda.