Joust Rice Cakes

Posted by Ben On May - 22 - 2009 Under Appetizers and Side dishes

I will never tire of saying that my favoritest food event is The Royal Foodie Joust, a brainchild of our Leftover Queen Jenn. Every month we are challenged to come up with a dish using three ingredients chosen by the previous month’s winner. This is always a lot of fun and a great way to get your creativity going. Last month’s winner was my lovely friend Nuría the author of the amazing blog Spanish Recipes (if you have never visited it go right now. I can wait :) ) Nuría in all her food wisdom choose three ingredients that almost every foodie loves: rice, tomatoes and bacon. I didn’t think hard for this challenge. I love rice, especially when it is Mexican rice, which is made with tomatoes. I just needed to add bacon to the equation and this is what came out:

Rice and bacon cakes

I wasn’t sure my experiment was going to work, but when these little beauties came out of the oven I was so proud that I decided to name them after myself (LOL just kidding). For this dish I used very simple ingredients:

  • 2 cups of Mexican rice (I added 1 chipotle adobado pepper to give it some spiciness)
  • 1 cup of cooked pinto beans
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
  • spices (oregano, cumin, basil, fresh parsley)
  • salt and pepper
  • 12 slices of turkey bacon

Rice and bacon cakes

And the preparation was even simpler:

  • Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
  • Align 1 cupcake tray (in my case 2 of these disposable ones. Can you tell I don’t make cupcakes or muffins very often?) and spray it with non-stick oil.
  • Place a bacon strip making a circle inside each cup.
  • In a large bowl mix the rest of the ingredients very well.
  • Carefully scoop some of the rice and bean mixture into each cup.
  • Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with avocado slices and enjoy.

Rice and bacon cakes

This was our dinner last night. Each little cake has vegetables from the Mexican rice) proteins from the bacon, beans and cheese, fiber and carbs from the rice and tons of flavor from the spices and pepper. One more time the Joust has ignited our imagination to create some delicious food. Just look at the entries so far and be prepared to be blown away :)

¡Buen provecho!

I am also sending this recipe to Original Recipes, a monthly event hosted by Lore of Culinarty.

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31 Replies

  1. doggybloggy Said,

    incredibly beautiful work here….such a great idea too….

    Posted on May 22nd, 2009 at 9:42 am

  2. Peter G Said,

    These are very creative Ben! God luck!

    Posted on May 22nd, 2009 at 10:05 am

  3. kat Said,

    Those are super cute little things & tasty too I’m sure!

    Posted on May 22nd, 2009 at 10:19 am

  4. elle Said,

    do you use cooked mexican rice?

    Posted on May 22nd, 2009 at 11:00 am

  5. patsyk Said,

    Adorable! Funny, but when I saw this month’s ingredients my mind immediately went to rice cakes as well! You did a great job putting this together!

    Posted on May 22nd, 2009 at 11:19 am

  6. joan nova Said,

    wow…great job, Ben! Looks like a winner to me.

    Posted on May 22nd, 2009 at 12:50 pm

  7. Natasha - 5 Star Foodie Said,

    Beautiful! I love these cakes wrapped in bacon and avocado slices on top! Great entry!

    Posted on May 22nd, 2009 at 1:06 pm

  8. Madeleine Said,

    Hermoso platillo!!!! felicidades!

    Posted on May 22nd, 2009 at 1:10 pm

  9. Maria Said,

    Great entry! I was thinking all week about what I would try to submit. These look so flavorful … great execution and beautiful presentation!

    Posted on May 22nd, 2009 at 4:53 pm

  10. Jen of a2eatwrite Said,

    I love the contrast in colors, Ben. I really have to get active with the Joust again… sigh.

    Posted on May 22nd, 2009 at 7:44 pm

  11. Sophie Said,

    Buen provecho à ti! Qué plato rico!
    Está delicioso! Eres muy creativo!
    Saludos de Sophie en Bruselas, Bélgica!

    Posted on May 23rd, 2009 at 2:31 am

  12. pigpigscorner Said,

    Very creative! Looks lovely.

    Posted on May 23rd, 2009 at 4:27 am

  13. Peter Said,

    Ben, good thinking here – very creative. Good luck in the Joust!

    Posted on May 23rd, 2009 at 9:47 am

  14. Hélène Said,

    What a meal. You have those great ideas and turn simple ingredients into beautiful dish. :)

    Posted on May 23rd, 2009 at 11:42 am

  15. lisaiscooking Said,

    What a great idea! I love that you used turkey bacon (my favorite). The chipotle sounds great here too.

    Posted on May 23rd, 2009 at 5:29 pm

  16. Soma Said,

    I do not eat bacon, but these are very creative & pretty! I love mexican rice.

    Posted on May 23rd, 2009 at 9:16 pm

  17. Dragon Said,

    These are stunning and the sound delicious. Great job!

    Posted on May 23rd, 2009 at 9:54 pm

  18. nina Said,

    Simply beautiful!!!!! I do not stand a chance!!!!!

    Posted on May 24th, 2009 at 6:14 am

  19. Lore Said,

    They are so cute! One glance at the ingredients and I just know these must have tasted great. Thanks for sharing them with the Original Recipes Round-Up :)

    Posted on May 25th, 2009 at 4:34 pm

  20. Adam Said,

    Awesome job brother! How can you really go wrong with bacon wrapped anything? I totally miss your creative ideas dude, and I’m glad you’re still churning them out like crazy.

    I have this new found love for Mexican rice. There’s quite the Mexican population down here, and I’m getting exposed to their food more day by day :)

    Posted on May 25th, 2009 at 8:38 pm

  21. Jeff Said,

    Beautifully done and your pics look awesome.

    I keep forgetting about the joust mostly because the BBA is killing me timewise.

    Bacon goes wonderfully with everything too.

    Posted on May 26th, 2009 at 9:59 am

  22. Ivy Said,

    Very creative Ben and surely delicious. Good luck with the Joust.

    Posted on May 26th, 2009 at 1:18 pm

  23. Jenn AKA The Leftover Queen Said,

    I really love this entry Ben! They look (and I bet taste) GREAT!!! Best of luck!!!

    Posted on May 26th, 2009 at 3:54 pm

  24. Lynn Said,

    Wow, those are amazing! I love your artistic and creative presentation. And I’m sure it tastes fabulous!

    Posted on May 28th, 2009 at 8:05 am

  25. Angela Said,

    I’m so glad I found this site. Mexican food is something that I need to learn more about. I lived in California for 20 years and just went to restaurants. I remember one place with homemade tortillas that they would just toss on grill and serve warm with a sweetened butter. So good. This will be my go to site for this cuisine.

    Your entry for joust is a great idea.

    Posted on May 28th, 2009 at 8:11 am

  26. Bellini Valli Said,

    They look as beautuful as they taste ben:D Good luck in the joust!!

    Posted on May 28th, 2009 at 8:41 am

  27. Marta Said,

    Well Ben this just looks like the perfectly nutritious little package! I love it! I don’t eat pork, so I’m glad to see you use some turkey bacon here. Lovely use of the ingredients, I think it’s very creative :)
    PS: soy Venezolana :)

    Posted on May 28th, 2009 at 11:28 am

  28. [[Nutella]] Said,

    ben: me tuve que venir aca porque no hay actualizaciones en tu blog en español, soberbia y deliciosa receta, pero no se puede hacer sin frijoles? no puedo comerlos y se me antojo la recetita :S bueno te dejo saludos

    Posted on May 29th, 2009 at 1:52 am

  29. Sarah Et Cetera » Free for All Friday 23 Said,

    [...] Mexican rice and bacon cakes [...]

    Posted on May 29th, 2009 at 6:14 am

  30. Lexie Said,

    This recipe looks awesome! It’s so creative!

    Just found your blog and love it! Can’t wait to read more :)

    Posted on June 4th, 2009 at 8:20 pm

  31. Navita Said,

    this looks so much like sushi…decorative food n oh so yum! Congrats.

    Posted on June 12th, 2009 at 3:46 am

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