Gluten Free Crispy Vegetable & Risotto Cakes

A short, overweight, midlife celiac watching her carb and calorie intake cooking for tall, thin, athletic teens can run into problems. I ask them to go for 4 mile hikes with me. I ask them to go kayaking for an hour or two and then I come home and offer them meals of lean protein and grilled veggies. So, of course, they were starving. They love Lundberg risottos and now that I’m watching out for carbs, there are leftovers. I know that says a lot about my former carb consumption. Last night I was getting dinner together and realized I was once again serving up a menu for an almost 50 year-old and the kids were going to want “more please.” I saw a container of leftover risotto in the fridge and had to think fast. I’ve seen risotto cake recipes around, but never paid attention to the actual recipe. I decided to improvise with that cupful of risotto and the veggies I had in the fridge. They were a crispy on the outside, creamy in the center hit. The only complaint was that there were only six. That meant the kids got two each and Mom and Dad got one a piece. Tonight I tried again with a full batch of risotto and an attempt to recreate the risotto cake without oil or pan-frying. My oven method, full batch was also a success and here is the recipe:

1 box Lundberg Risotto prepared according to directions, cooled–If you have the kind of life that allows for real risotto with all the stirring and attention-that will work too. It doesn’t happen often around here and the kids don’t seem to appreciate the effort or the difference.
1/2 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli
1 egg
1 1/2 cup Kinnikkinnick Gluten Free Panko Bread Crumbs
Stir together the shredded and chopped vegetables, egg, and cooled risotto. Form into balls using a soup spoon. Dredge in the panko crumbs, form into patties, and place on an oiled baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, flipping midway. Remove from oven when crispy and golden brown. You can also pan-fry  them in oil until brown and crispy.

The panko crumbs are what make this dish work. Whether it is the low fat, oven version, or the pan-frying version, that crispy crumb coating makes this so satisfying and either way is still pretty low in fat for the crunch.

This is part of Amy’s Simply Indulgent Tuesdays. Check out all the other indulgent, yet heathy recipes at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free.