We're delighted to share our Aunt Nettie with you. She's agreed to answer any questions you might ask about vegetarian food, its preparation, and even clean-up tips. But we have to prepare you. She just might want to come right over to your house and help you fix dinner.
To send any questions to Ask Aunt Nettie, .
Dear Aunt Nettie,
Got any ideas about what to do with leftover brown rice? I've served it with tomato sauce and even salsa on top, but it's so boring.
Hanna
Howdy there, Hanna,
Sure darlin', you kin count on yer ole Aunt Nettie to take the ho hum outer yer rice dilemma. That leftover brown rice kin almost be turned into magic with a tad o'this 'n that an' a handy griddle. Purty soon out comes the some mighty fine rice pancakes that's fittin' ta serve when company's a'comin'. Now, I has ta go tend my soup that's a-simmerin' away on the stovetop.
Yer ever lovin' Aunt Nettie
SAVORY RICE PANCAKES
Dinner or brunch pancakes ought to be so hearty and flavorful they bring out spontaneous sounds of joy that simply cannot be contained. This recipe, simple as it sounds, is a no-fail winner that offers delicate, whole-grain texture and an appealing golden brown crispy surface dotted with onions and red bell peppers. To serve the pancakes, top them with a dollop of tofu sour cream or fresh tomato sauce and accompany them with a salad, steamed veggies, and a bean dish.
Yield: 6 servings
- 2 cups (480 ml) cooked short-grain brown rice (sometimes called sweet brown rice)
3/4 cup (180 ml) regular soymilk
3/4 cup (180 ml) chopped onions, (about 1/2 medium onion)
1/2 cup (120 ml) diced red bell pepper, (about 1/2 small pepper)
1/2 cup (120 ml) whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Canola oil
- Combine the brown rice, soymilk, onions, bell pepper, flour, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl and stir thoroughly to distribute the ingredients evenly.
- Preheat a non-stick griddle to 375 degrees (190 C) and lightly oil it with the canola oil.
- Spoon 1/6th of the batter onto the hot griddle and flatten the pancakes with the back of the spoon so they will cook evenly. The pancakes will measure about 4 inches in diameter.
- Cook the pancakes about 2 minutes or until many bubbles form on the surface. Turn the pancakes with a non-metal spatula and cook another 2 minutes or until golden brown.
Our Aunt Nettie has a head like a hard disk. It's filled with gigabytes of information about food and cooking. And she's just itchin' to share her learnin' with city folk who live in mortal fear of the stovetop.
Aunt Nettie grew up on the farm. She did not eat out of a can or reach into the freezer. There was no microwave to pop her food into. Everything she made was from scratch. All the food she ate was natural, without pesticides. It was grown right there on the family farm, and she had to cook to survive. At eighty-three years young she still leaps and bounds around the kitchen and can shake, rattle, and roll those pots and pans with the best of them.
Nowadays, Aunt Nettie just shakes her head and complains, "Nobody cooks anymore. They have no idea about puttin' a meal together." She's on a mission. She wants to help those younguns eat better so they can grow up healthy like her own eight kids.
