Rice cakes with mixed vegetable cream cheese: the anti-bagel ~ Ham Pie Sandwiches

05 April 2012

Rice cakes with mixed vegetable cream cheese: the anti-bagel

rice cake with vegetable cream cheese homemade schmear

Does anyone else ever have cravings for rice cakes? No? Just me?

Lately we've had a couple weeks in which we were fussy and tired and hungry and didn't want anything at our house, so we went out. We ordered takeout. We went out again. And of course when you do this for more than one or two meals per week you are going to start to feel just awful. I certainly did. So we called an unofficial moratorium on going out to eat and started making an effort to cook and eat more at home. Good so far.

Today I wanted to go to the bagel shop. But why go to the bagel shop when you have half a block of cream cheese, all the vegetables you can eat, and a package of long thin crackery rice cakes at home?

No, rice cakes are not really anything like bagels. They do provide a nice crispy poppy salty base on which to pile a massive amount of cream cheese and vegetables, though.

chopped chard and mixed veg

I chopped up chard, parsley, red onion, red bell pepper, and mushrooms. I mixed them with a whack of cream cheese and a spoonful of yogurt to thin everything down just a touch. Salt; pepper. I spread my homemade schmear onto my rice cakes, threw a little bit of extra parsley and pepper on top, grabbed a banana and a glass of water, and sat down for lunch.

I feel much better.

11 comments:

Kat said...

Yes, takeout is a great motivator for me to start cooking (it's always how awful you feel afterwards, almost like you're paying for it). And bagels, as much as I love a good bagel, are really heavy. PS: I love your use of the terms whack and schmear.

Anna @ the shady pine said...

This is full of flavour...love the 'anti bagel' name!

Joanne said...

FABULOUS idea! Next time I'm craving a bagel, I am SO doing this!

noelle said...

My favorite is pb+j on a rice cake. They are totally comfort food! I can't wait to try this – that cream cheese is a genius use of leftover veg.

Jes said...

Wish I could get your veg schmear at the bagel shop in town...looks damn good! Not sure about rice cakes...but they're gf so I could try to tempt G with them :)

KirstenM said...

Yum! I just had breakfast, but now I'm ready for lunch as well :)

KirstenM said...

I should have said - I just popped over from ApronStringz. Hi!

kale said...

Truth be told...if I have to choose between a bagel and a rice cake, well, I choose bagel. I'm sorry!! But I spent 7 years in Montreal and had the most amazing bagels on a pretty constant basis. That said, I wouldn't turn my nose up at these...that is, if bagels weren't present. ;)

Eileen said...

Hello hello! Glad to see you all here!

I think both rice cakes and bagels are great comfort food, actually. They're just for different moods.

I have never had a Montreal bagel, but I did live in Brooklyn for awhile, so I completely understand the regional specialty awesomeness!

veggiegobbler said...

Marvelous. Looks delicious.

Aylin @ Glow Kitchen said...

I crave rice cakes all the time. This looks delish.