Surprise center.

I may cook with a lot of butter (and by now my readers know I'm not shy when it comes to dessert). My cooking and nutrition philosophy revolves more around balancing the "good" and "bad," focusing on flavor and variety, and eating real, natural food.

Few know more about natural food than Heidi Swanson, the culinary genius behind the blog, 101Cookbooks, and a 2012 James Beard winner. Her new book, Super Natural Every Day, is filled with healthful, delicious recipes using all-natural ingredients. The beautiful photography and writing inspire even the most white-flour chefs among us to try her recipes.

Her post about Sesame Almond Brown Rice Balls was so cute that I immediately searched high and low for black sesame seeds (not an integral part of the dish by any means, but a cute addition I had to have). Specialty food store after supermarket failed me, and I was only rescued by my mom bringing me a little pouch of black sesame seeds from home on one of our whirlwind-weekend New York trips.

Sesame seeds in hand, I made the rice and started rolling. As Heidi says, you can put pretty much anything in the center of these little munchkins. I chose avocado for one batch and marinated cubes of tofu for the other. (See? Her recipes inspire me to use tofu.) In the end, they hand-rolling wasn't quite as tedious as I feared they would be, and they tasted even better after a couple days in the refrigerator.


Two tips: I would try to minimize the amount of rice for each ball while still covering the secret center, as they were quite filling. Also, take care with the seasoning -- you don't want to put too much salt in the ball itself because the dipping soy sauce will be quite salty. Do give the avocado a dash of salt when you're tossing it with the lemon, though, since it takes a while for the soy to hit the center when eating them. I ate two or three of these at a time with some Chinese vegetables in soup, which made for a light and delicious meal.

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Sesame Almond Brown Rice Balls
(101 Cookbooks)

Makes 2 dozen

2 c (when measured raw) brown sushi rice, cooked (I used a rice cooker, and it worked perfectly)

3 c water

1/2 t sea salt

1/4 c sesame seeds (white/black mix)

3 T toasted almond slices/slivers, chopped

1/4 c minced green onions

In the center: avocado cubes tossed in lemon juice and salt; tofu marinated in my "Hero" sauce

After rice is cooked, remove from heat/unplug the rice cooker and let rest, covered, for at least 15 minutes, preferably a bit longer. Fluff with a fork, then gradually add and incorporate the sesame seeds, almonds, and green onions. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt if needed. Let the rice cool quite a bit before shaping.

To form the rice balls, line a small cup/ramekin with plastic wrap, then fill with 1 1/2 - 2 T of the rice mixture. Place your "surprise center" in the middle, then gather the plastic wrap at the top and twist to seal the center inside the rice ball. Using your other palm, shape the rice into a ball. Carefully remove plastic wrap and set the rice ball in a parchment lined container or on a plate. Repeat with the remaining rice. Serve with a dish of soy sauce.

Heidi's tips: If your fingers get sticky, dab with water. And if you run out of steam making rice balls, just cook up a couple eggs into a thin omelette, cut into shreds, and toss with the rice.