Arancini Rice Balls

I recently made this at a dinner party as a side dish for a pasta dish and it seemed to add just enough of a crunch to both contrast and compliment the pasta dish at the same time. 

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic

2 Cups Arborio Rice

1 Qt chicken broth

1/2 cup dry white wine (Chardonnay)

1/2 lb shredded fontina cheese

3 Tbsp light butter

Vegetable / Canola oil for deep frying

* Olive Oil

* Salt

* Black pepper

Stuffing Mix

3 parts - Progresso Italian Style breadcrumbs

1 part - Parmesan Cheese

Fresh Oregano - minced

Fresh Parsley - minced
Garlic Powder

Olive Oil (amount will vary based on quantity, we are looking for a specific texture)

Rice ball coating mix

Progresso Italian Style Breadcrumbs

4C seasoned panko breadcrumbs

1 Pint Eggbeaters (original)

Tools:

Instant Pot

6 - 8 qt stock pot

Wire basket

Preparation: 

Rice Filling: 

Set the Instant pot to saute for 7 minutes with some olive oil and the minced garlic cloves with salt and pepper until fragrant. After about 5 minutes, add the wine and mix up the bits of garlic. Add the arborio rice, butter, and the chicken broth. Close up the instant pot and pressure cook on high for 6 minutes. Quick release when done and immediately mix in Fontina cheese. Set aside and allow to cool. 

Stuffing Mix:

In a bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, cheese, oregano, parsley and garlic powder. Stir in olive oil until the mixture has the consistency of wet beach sand (should hold its shape when formed)

Coating Mix:

In a 1 qt chinese food soup container (or equivalent) mix together the italian style and panko breadcrumbs. Cover and shake to incorporate together. 

Rice Balls:

In a bowl mix the cooked rice, stuffing, and some egg beater mix to incorporate it well. It does not have to match the rice 1:1 but it should be enough that its visible throughout. Using a teaspoon, scoop off some of the mixture and roll like a meatball into a ball anywhere between 1.25 and 2" in diameter. Place into the breadcrumb container and shake until coated thoroughly. 

Cooking:

Heat enough oil in a large stock pot to 370 - 380 degrees and drop in rice balls for between 30 - 60 seconds until each is golden brown. Set aside on a cooling rack to drip dry of any extra oil.  

Arancini Pork Casserole

This is a less healthy variant of https://www.skinnytaste.com/sicilian-rice-ball-casserole/ 

Ingredients:
1 Qt Joe's Homemade Pasta Sauce

1/2 Medium Red Onion

3 cloves garlic

1/2 Cauliflower

2 Cups uncooked Jasmati Rice

1 Qt Homemade Low Salt Vegetable Broth

3/4 lbs Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese grated

1/2 cup Progresso Italian Style Breadcrumbs

5 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 whole egg

1 egg white

1 lb Ground Pork

* Olive Oil

* Cooking Spray

* Salt

* Black pepper

* Garlic Powder

* Dry Basil

Tools:

13x9 Oven safe casserole dish

Small oven safe dish (for roasting cauliflower)

Large skillet for pork

2 qt saucepan 

Preparation: 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small oven save dish, add olive oil, cauliflower, salt and pepper. Put in the oven and roast until it has started to brown. 

In a 2 qt saucepan bring vegetable broth with salt to a boil. Add 2 cups of jasmati rice, cover and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. 

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Dice onion and mince garlic, add to skillet with salt & pepper. While cooking, flatten out pork and season with salt, pepper, garlic and basil and fold into the ends over. Once the onion/garlic mix has become fragrant and starts to become translucent, spread to the outside of the skillet and add pork breaking up as it browns on one side. Once cooked through and broken up into small pieces (think taco meat) add enough sauce to mix through but not cover the pork. Cover with a lid leaving partially open and reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes. 

In a separate bowl, mix together Parmesan cheese, egg, egg white, and cooked rice with about 1 pint of sauce. Mix thoroughly until well incorporated and set aside. 

Prepare oven safe casserole dish by spraying all sides and adding 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs, spreading around until all sides of the dish are coated in breadcrumb. Add a 1/2" layer of the rice mixture, cover with pork combined with chopped cauliflower.  Add 1/4 lb of grated mozzarella then cover with another 1/2" layer of rice mixture. 

Top with remaining 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs and remaining mozzarella cheese. 

Bake in oven for 30 - 45 minutes until breadcrumbs have toasted and cheese has melted with a good crust. 

Serving: 

Remove from oven and serve in squares as you would lasagna. 

Stuffed Peppers

This is a recipe that I've used lately in conjunction with grilled chicken dishes though it could go along with nearly any protein. 

Ingredients: 
10 assorted small sweet peppers
1/2 cup of Italian style breadcrumbs
1 block Gruyere Cheese
2 tbsp olive oil 
Kosher Salt*



Preparation: 
Remove tops from peppers but do not cut into them. Slice the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and the white flesh of the pepper.  In a food processor mix cheese, breadcrumbs and olive oil until it has the consistency of sand castle sand. (Add oil to achieve this texture).  Spoon in the mixture and line a baking dish with the peppers stuffing side up. 

Cooking:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, add kosher salt to the baking dish and fill dish with water bath so that the peppers are halfway submerged.  Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until the stuffing mixture begins to brown. 

Serving:
Remove from baking dish and serve along side your favorite protein. 

Mozzarella Sticks

Ingredients: 
Polly-O String Cheese sticks
Egg Roll Wrappers
1 Pint Egg beaters
1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
Soybean Oil - Enough to fill a skillet approximately 1/2 inch

Preparation:
Cut cheese sticks in half (approx 2 1/2 inch pieces) and place at the end of an egg roll wrapper. Roll wrapper halfway around the cheese stick and then fold each side over (similar to how you would have rolled quarters in a wrapper).  Continue to roll the remainder of the wrapper until approximately 3/8 - 1/2 of an inch of the wrapper exposed.  Brush on a small amount of egg beater and complete roll. 

Place breadcrumbs in one shallow dish and egg beaters in another.  Dip the rolled cheese stick in the egg beater mix then roll in the breadcrumbs pressing them into the sides. 

Repeat this with the rest of the cheese sticks (should yield 2x the total number of sticks in the package).

In a shallow skillet, heat oil until a droplet of water will dance (excess of 212 degrees F).  Place cheese sticks in pan rotating every 10 - 15 seconds to ensure even cooking.  Remove from oil when breading has browned and place on a paper towel to allow excess oil to drain. 

Serving:
Best served with Joe's homemade pasta sauce

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients: 
28 g Whole Wheat seasoned Breadcrumbs
1/2 pint of Egg Beaters
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 pcs boneless skinless chicken 
1/4 cup of Joe Homemade Pasta Sauce
1 oz Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

* Dry Italian Seasoning - crushed in a mortar and pestle
Preparation:
Pour egg beaters into a shallow dish and spread breadcrumbs in another.  Dip chicken in egg then coat thoroughly in breadcrumbs. 

Place olive oil in a skillet and heat over medium high heat and pan fry the chicken until golden browned. It is recommended to use an oven safe skillet for this. Flip ensuring both sides are adequately crisped and remove from heat. Cover each piece with a layer of pasta sauce and coat in cheese.  Sprinkle top with crushed seasoning. 

Place entire skillet in the oven for approximately 5 - 7 minutes or until cheese melts. 

Serving:
It is recommended to serve this along side garlic bread and pasta. 

Italian Style Meatballs

Ingredients: 
12 oz Lean Ground Pork
84 g Whole Wheat seasoned breadcrumbs
28 g Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Egg

4 Cups of Joe's Homemade Pasta Sauce

* Salt
* Pepper
* Garlic Powder

Preparation:
In a large bowl, mix together meat, breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese until well incorporated. Once mixed well so that there are no dry ingredients separate from the mixture, add the egg, salt, pepper and garlic powder.  

Roll Meatballs to whatever size you would like (recommended between 23 - 27 g per meatball) (makes approximately 20 at that size). 

In a large pot/saucepan/stockpot/dutch oven, heat up pasta sauce over low heat. (Dutch oven is recommended since it can keep the contents hot without applying as much direct heat over a longer period of time). 

Once Sauce is simmering, add meatballs and cover. 

Cook for approximately 1 hour or until you can smell the garlic powder filling the air. 

Serving: 
Recommended to serve these with some spaghetti, other pasta, and or in a sandwich. 

Nutrition Info:  

Each meatball is approximately 2 Weight Watchers Points Plus points, recommended servings are between 4 and 6; or it can be summarized as 22 points for approximately 20 meatballs.