I had two cups of leftover wild rice last week, and in using it up I created some cakes that I will be sure to make again. In fact, I realized that these are not only good served as a side or main dish, but they make a great veggie-burger as well. Just put them in a bun with all the fixings and you’ll be a happy vegetable burger eater.

Ingredients:
2 cups wild rice, cooked al dente
2 cups chopped kale, cooked (I used frozen chopped kale from last year’s garden)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup chopped scallions, sautéed in a tablespoon of olive oil until soft
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
freshly ground pepper to taste
olive oil for frying

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. You could also add chopped hot peppers or the herb of your choice, depending on what you decide to serve these with.

Make cakes into patty shape and fry in hot oil. The patties will be soft so you have to kind of toss them into the pan. I find it helpful to first heat the oil, turn the burner to medium low, add the patties and then cover the pan to cook the egg before flipping the cakes over to brown the other side.

You can top these with the sauce of your choice depending on what else is being served. We had them with tomato salsa and avocado. They could be seasoned with oregano and served with tomato sauce (I’m also thinking topped with smoked mozzarella) if you’re going Italian, or with soy sauce if Asian, or topped with sautéd mushrooms, or….

These wild rice cakes would also be fantastic topped by a fresh garden tomato slice. LOVE at first bite.

It’s the combination of the crunchy rice and the flavors of the parm cheese and kale that make this a winning recipe.