Mediterranean Rice Balls

Total Time: ~30 minutes

Yield: ~12 of medium  size

 

 

Ingredients

1 cup sticky rice (like rice for sushi)

3 tablespoons of parmesan, freshly grated

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 stick of celery, finely diced

1/2 cup spinach, cooked

10-15 olives, chopped

salt (optional)

 

 

Directions

1. Cook the rice (according to package directions) and add the parmesan right after the rice is cooked, while it is still hot, so that the parmesan melts and adds to the stickiness.

2. Mix all the vegetable ingredients in a separate bowl, and then add the rice. Mix well.

3. Form medium sized balls of rice by cupping half a handful of rice and pressing with both palms to create a ball shape.

 

Personal Notes

-Set aside ~1/2 cup of the chopped vegetables before adding them to the rice.  Once the rice and the majority of the vegetables have been mixed you can add the rest of them to ensure an adequate rice to veggies ratio.  I found that with too many vegetables the rices balls had difficulty forming; you could also cook 1/2 - 1 cup more of rice, which would ensure that there is enough rice to counter the vegetables.

 

*Adapted from LucullianDelights