Lily Feeds You: Sungold Tomato Rice Cakes

What's your morning routine?

Im an early bird & I like to be up before the world gets moving. I start by checking in with my body to see how I'm feeling. I work from home, so I like to get out for a bit first thing. On most days, I sleepily put on my bathing suit & comfy sweats & head to the gym. I like to bring a warm herbal tea with me like my Bloat Aid Tea & hype myself up with music in the car. My favorite form of exercise has always been swimming laps, but I do switch it up with other workouts. If I have time, I'll add in journaling or the sauna. I shower off, head home, & make breakfast. Caffeine is different each day, but I use my morning routine to gauge what feels best first. I definitely don't like to be rushed because this is my favorite part of my day.

Who or what inspires your culinary creativity?

Finding pleasure in health inspires my work in food & holistic nutrition. I have Celiac Disease & Hashimoto's, which come with some restrictions, so making delicious food that also supports health without feeling restrictive is the creative problem solving that lights the fire under me. Being able to share gluten free recipes on Patreon is such a fun part of the job I've created for myself. I can't believe it's already been three years of sharing there, but it's fun to build an archive of healthy recipes to lean on. I pick an overarching health theme each month & share related recipes & journal prompts.

What's your current read?

I tend to read a lot of health related books as they support my day to day work & I find them fascinating, but a friend just recommended The House of Spirits to me as a more imaginative departure from my normal non-fiction. I just cracked it open this weekend, but I love elements of magical realism so I think I'll like this one.

Cooking playlist?

I really love making Spotify playlists. It's definitely one of those hobbies for me where the rest of the world blurs away a bit, I get to look for new music, follow different moods, & try to create a rhythm within playlists that flows without relying on shuffle. I love movie scores, so I recently made a playlist just for myself titled "Lily's Score" as a fun way to dream up a score for myself. That's what I've been listening to in my kitchen lately. It's a bit twinkly, soothing, with some sounds of nature, & some drama. It's actually great to cook along with, although I didn't intend it for that exactly. It's just a fun thing for me, but one song on it that I love is "Dusk" by Ernest Hood.

Ritual for grounding?

I have to say journaling. It's the most accessible. If I can get really quiet & release thoughts & emotions on a page I always feel better afterwards. I also love it as a reference to look back on & see patterns. The person I was four years ago would love where I am now!

Dream you're dreaming?

Recently I've been having dreams about getting another kitten, so I think I have subconscious kitten fever. In terms of bigger dreams rooted in reality, I want to continue finding ways to expand my holistic nutrition work. Much of my work is very practical, so I've been toying with making more playful ideas come to life & what that could look like. How can we interact with health in ways that feel less heavy?

Something soft?

I'm a big believer in finding ways to release emotion & finding ways to make yourself feel safe. I don't care what they look like as long as they don't hurt anyone else of course. Those are two great directions to help us soften into relaxation mentally & physically. In terms of things in my life that are soft, I love my weighted blanket, my cats, & I recently tried the buffalo milk soft serve at Rory's Place in Ojai which was heavenly soft.

Sungold Tomato Crispy Rice Cakes by Lily Harris

 

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
2 pints sun gold tomatoes, stems removed
1/4 yellow onion, cut into smaller pieces (or you could use one shallot)
3 cloves garlic
Salt
1 tbsp ghee or butter
1 cup basmati rice (or preferred white rice)
Water, preferably filtered
Avocado oil

 

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
2. Add the sungold tomatoes, onion, garlic, & a big pinch of salt (roughly 1 tsp) to cook down with the lid on. We’re looking for this to get nice & saucy, for the sungolds to fall apart & turn into liquid, which will take roughly 10 minutes. This should be bubbling, not boiling.
3. Once this mixture has turned into a bubbly sauce-like consistency, it’s time to blend it. Using either a blender or an immersion blender, blend until completely smooth. Taste & adjust was salt as you please. Set aside for now.
4. Feel free to use the same saucepan from before for this next step, just wipe it clean. Melt ghee or butter in it over medium heat.
5. Pour the rice in, stir to coat evenly, & toast for 1 minute.
6. Pour the sungold sauce in with the rice (this should be roughly 2 cups worth of sauce) along with 1.5 cups water, stir, lower the heat & allow to simmer & thicken for 20-25 minutes until the rice is cooked. If the rice gets too thick, add another 1/2 cup of water, and so on.
7. Remove from heat, allow the sungold rice to cool, then transfer it to the refrigerator overnight. Leftover rice really is best for making rice cakes because of consistency.
8. The next day, form your leftover sungold rice into roughly 8 cakes.
9. Heat a bit of avocado oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Once warm, add three rice cakes to cook in the pan at a time, avoiding overcrowding. Allow to brown on both sides, set on a plate to the side, sprinkle with flakey salt, & continue until all rice cakes are cooked & crispy with perfect browning. Enjoy!

www.lilyfeedsyou.com

@lilyfeedsyou

www.patreon.com/lilyfeedsyou

Sydney Bliss

Founder