Rice Cakes and Roasted Peppers and Tomatoes

Korean rice cakes are mixed with roasted mini peppers and tomatoes. This gluten-free dish makes a food Korean fusion dish.

Rice cakes are so versatile and there are so many things you can create with. They are gluten free, fat free, and somewhat flavor free, so that you can mingle them with many flavors and satisfy serious carb cravings.

When we saw bags of mini sweet peppers on sale at the store, we were instantly inspired to create something with rice cakes. We made Rice Cakes with Roasted Mini Peppers and Tomatoes. You can certainly use regular bell peppers instead if that’s what you have.

Sweet peppers and tomatoes brings the great flavor when roasted. The natural sweetness in these vegetables will stand out to the maximum and you will love the flavor together with rice cakes.

This is an unfussy recipe and you can’t mess it up.

How the dish comes together

Combine sliced peppers, tomatoes, and onion in a pan. Drizzle olive oil, dried herb of your choice (we used herb de Provence), salt and pepper. Toss well.

Roast them in the preheated 450 degree F. oven for about 20 minutes. You will need to toss them around half way of cooking time for even browning.

When your vegetables about to finish roasting, cook your rice cakes in boiling water for 3-4 minutes until soft.

NOTE: Fresh rice cakes are a keeper option in this recipe, but if they are not direct to obtain, use vacuum sealed refrigerated rice cakes and cook in the boiling water until soft. We used the refrigerated rice cakes in this recipe.

Add the rice cakes to the roasted vegetables, and sprinkle some freshly chopped parsley. Toss well.

Sprinkle shredded Parmesan cheese (however much you desire) and they are ready to please your taste bud.

So good! That’s all we can say. The balance between the sweetness from the roasted vegetables and the chewy rice cakes are superb, and we love the hint of savoriness from the fresh herb and cheese.

An unfussy meal packed in flavor and nutrition, you can invite your gluten intolerant, or vegetarian, or low fat dieter, and/or even your meat loving friends over and share this fabulous Korean fusion dish for an unfussy lunch!

You gotta serve this as soon as it is finished cooking. Rice cakes tends to go harden easily if they are exposed too long in the air.

Update: One reader commented below that most Korean product that claims gluten-free are not 100% gluten-free. In some products, she might be right. However, we just want to tell you to look for the ingredient label in your rice cake package and see it yourself if they are made with 100% rice. Rice cakes are made with rice, water and salt only. The image below are the actual rice cakes we used for this recipe. And we believe we can claim this recipe to be a gluten-free!

• Yield: 4
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1-1/3 lb sweet mini peppers, stem removed and sliced in half lengthwise
• 1 large onion sliced
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 4 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs de Provence or Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 lb rice cakes, fresh or vacuum sealed
• 3 tablespoon fresh parsley and/or basil, chopped
• shredded Parmesan cheese, however much you desire

Method

1. Preheat oven to 450ºF
2. Combine peppers, onion, tomatoes, olive oil, dried herbs, salt and pepper in a pan and toss them well. Roast the vegetables for 20 minutes. You will need to toss the vegetables during the halfway of roasting time to get the even browning.
3. Meanwhile, cook the rice cakes in the boiling water for 3-4 minutes until very soft. Add the rice cakes and parsley (and/or basil) to the hot roasted vegetables, toss them well. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.