Are Rice Cakes Healthy?

In short, yes, rice cakes are a healthy snack. They are simple and allergen-friendly, so you can enjoy them if you are gluten-free, nut-free or soy-free. They contain no animal products, making them perfect for vegans and vegetarians too. From a nutrition perspective, rice cakes are low in calories and nutrients so they are best when paired with other foods to help round out your snack. While brown rice cakes are technically a whole grain, they don't offer much by way of fiber. Choose whichever type of rice you prefer or mix it up with a variety pack. Rice cakes can also be stored on the shelf and are an affordable option from many grocers, so they are perfect if you are on a budget. 

Rice cake snack ideas on Eating Well

Crispy Rice Cake

Health Benefits of Rice

Rice is such an important food in some countries that "to eat" means "to eat rice." Nearly half of the people in the world get approximately 50% of their calories from rice. Without rice, or something to take the place of rice, many people would go hungry.

Botanically, rice is the seed of an aquatic grass. It has been cultivated for more than 8,000 years. The Latin name for rice is Oryza sativa. There are many varieties of rice, such as arborio, jasmine, and basmati. It also comes in red, black, and purple, with the colors coming from pigments in the bran layer. The more you learn about the different types of rice, the more you'll appreciate this simple food. 

CLICK HERE to read more about the benefits.

How Much Rice Can One Plant Produce?!

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Baked Mushroom Rice

Butter and garlickly, golden brown roasted mushrooms with fluffy rice made in one pan!

Jasmine Rice with Coconut & Cherries

INGREDIENTS

2-1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups uncooked jasmine rice
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup chopped salted peanuts
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

DIRECTIONS

In a large saucepan, bring water, oil and salt to a boil. Stir in rice; return to a boil, stirring once. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until water is absorbed, 15-17 minutes.

Stir in cherries, peanuts and orange zest; let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Sprinkle with coconut.

Recipe source: Taste of Home

Perfect Jasmine Rice

Named after the sweet-smelling jasmine flower, jasmine rice is a long grain rice native to Thailand with a delicate floral and buttery scent. The secret to cooking it perfectly is getting the right ratio of water to rice. Typically, the instructions on the package call for 1-1/2 cups water for every 1 cup of rice. That’s fine if you like your rice “al dente” but I prefer mine soft, so I always add a bit more water. Many recipes call for rinsing the grains before cooking but I don’t think it’s necessary — even when you rinse jasmine rice, the grains have a slightly sticky texture and cling together.

Perfect Jasmine Rice
By Jennifer Segal

With the right water to rice ratio, you can make fragrant, perfectly cooked jasmine rice every time.

Servings: 4-6

Total Time: 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

2-3/4 cups water, plus more if necessary
1-1/2 cups jasmine rice
3/4 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the rice and the salt; cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes until all of the water is absorbed. Taste the rice; if it is still too firm, add a few more tablespoons of water. Cover the pan and let the rice absorb the water off of the heat.

Freezer-Friendly Instructions: This rice can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. (Putting it in a flat layer in sealable plastic bags works well as it will take up less space in the freezer.) No need to thaw before reheating; remove it from the freezer and reheat in the microwave with 1 to 2 Tbsp. of water.

GLUTEN-FREE ADAPTABLE NOTE

To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.

Recipe source

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You've been cooking Jasmine Rice wrong your whole life

Jasmine rice is softer than other white rice. So you only need 1 1/4 cups of water for every 1 cup of rice.

Also, if you buy your rice retail and you use 1 1/4 cups of water, it's totally fluffy whether you rinse or not.

In fact, if you rinse, you have to reduce the water by 2 tablespoons.

I did side by side taste tests, and the difference was barely noticeable. Rinsing rice is a pain. Skip it - just use the right amount of water!

CAVEAT: If you guy direct from rice farmers or other places not retail (ie in shiny plastic packets) then you MUST RINSE to clean it :)

What Is the Difference Between Jasmine and Basmati Rice?

Ah, rice. A hardworking yet humble grain, often overlooked as a beautiful thing in its own right and valued most as a supporting player—and it is great at propping up other dishes.

There are more than 40,000 types of rice cultivated in the world (from arborio to carnaroli, sticky to sushi, black to brown, and white to wild (which is actually a type of grass)), but today, let’s look at two of the most common and beguiling examples: jasmine and basmati rice.

Jasmine rice hails from Thailand, while basmati comes from India and Pakistan. They are both of the long grain variety, which means they cook up fluffy and not very sticky, so their grains remain distinct, although jasmine is plumper, softer, and a bit more moist than basmati, which has a firmer chew and drier character.

Basmati grains are extra long and thin, and many sources say they benefit from soaking, whereas the shorter, wider grains of jasmine rice just need a few quick rinses to remove excess starch (and you can even skip this step if you are really lazy don’t mind a bit more stickiness).

Both basmati and jasmine rice are especially aromatic, sharing the 2-Acetyl-1-pyrroline compound that gives them both a pandan-like or popcorn-esque aroma, but basmati has a nuttier quality, while jasmine rice is more faintly floral.

Continue reading @ greatist.com

Perfect Basmati Rice

Basmati is a fragrant, nutty-tasting long grain rice grown in the Himalayas and Pakistan. “Bas” in Hindi language means “aroma” and “mati” means “full of,” hence the word Basmati — or “full of aroma.” The key to making basmati rice that is light, tender and fluffy is to rinse it first, otherwise, the grains will be gummy and stick together. It only takes a minute or two. Simply place the rice in a bowl with water, and then swish it around to release any excess starch. The water will be cloudy at first but after several rinses, it will be clear.

Check out this simple recipe from Once Upon a Chef