Fishcakes (from leftover tuna rice salad)

I made a giant bowl of tuna rice salad for a BBQ this weekend and had a lot left over...what to do? Instead of eating the same thing several meals in a row, I was inspired by risotto cakes and fish cakes to make: Tuna cakes!

Tuna rice cakes - a simple Monday night dinner

Ingredients

• leftover tuna rice salad, risotto or fried rice
• 1 egg (or 2 if you have a lot of leftovers) to bind
• Parmesan or other shredded cheese
• salt, pepper to taste
• olive oil or neutral oil for pan-frying

Method:

1. Beat the egg(s) in a bowl.
2. Add to the leftover tuna rice salad and mix well.
3. Stir in the shredded cheese
4. Add in a bit of salt and pepper (put less if your original tuna rice salad was already well-seasoned/salty). 
5. Using a large spoon, shape into patties.
6. Heat 2-3 tablespoons oil into your frying pan.
7. Scoop the patties onto the oiled frying pan and flatten slightly with your spatula.
8. When the bottom is crispy and golden brown, gently flip the cakes and brown the other side.
9. Remove from pan and serve immediately. 

These rice cakes go well with a simple green salad. 

Orangettes (candied chocolate orange peel)

I was inspired by Smitten Kitchen's orangettes and decided to try making some of my own:

Peeling the oranges... 

Blanching them in boiling water to get rid of the bitterness. 
Do this 3 times. I added cinnamon and 
fresh ginger to add a little spice. 

Simmer in simple syrup (1:1 sugar-water ratio) for 1 hour.  
I used vanilla sugar but plain white sugar works too. 

Let dry - this can take more than 24 hours 

if you live in a humid climate like I do!

Dip in melted dark chocolate, then let 

dry...and try not to eat them too quickly! :)