Pumpkin Shaped Rice Balls
There was a time when during the week of Halloween I would busy myself frosting pumpkin cookies, snacking on my secret Halloween candy stash, and eating candy corn color by color. Not this year! This week, less sugar for all of us. Friday night we’ll all have enough to induce a coma. Why start early?
In trying to think what I could shape into Halloween images that didn’t involve 1 cup of butter, I thought about our Japanese exchange student that taught us how to make rice balls this summer. Then I thought I could make some pumpkins out of the rice.
Step 1: I soaked the rice in water and added some color to the water. After rinsing the rice, I put more color in the cooking water. The food coloring I used was the Icing concentrated colors. (remember the frosted pumpkin cookies). This way the orange turned out really bright.
Step 2: While rice was still warm, I sprinkled a piece of plastic wrap with salt. Then put a dollap of rice in the wrap.
Step 3: Wrap the rice ball and move it between your hands back and forth while packing the rice really well.
Step 4: Unwrap ball and shape into a pumpkin. Add any greens (this is celery) for the stem. You can decorate a Jack-o-lantern face using things such as dried sea weed (that is what they would use if we were in Japan)
The kids loved these for a snack. They can eat them with their fingers. Try it tonight!
Posted: October 27th, 2008 under Whole Grains.
Tags: ball, halloween, healthy, kids, pumpkin, rice, Snacks
Comments
Comment from pamela
Time October 27, 2008 at 9:07 am
You rock! These are so cute and creative! The girls asked me to make rice balls just the other night and I wasn’t sure if there was more to it than this, that I missed when our student made them. She also put half a package of seaweed and who knows what in the middle, but we don’t need to do that…
Comment from angee
Time October 27, 2008 at 9:51 am
Okay, now THAT is cute!!! I love fun snacks like that. We will definitely be trying it this week! Thanx for the fun idea.
Comment from Nancy
Time October 27, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I’m not completely confident my kids will be willing to give up all of their Halloween candy in place of this eye-catching pumpkin, but this will certainly make for a healthy and festive way to fill their bellies before trick or treating! Thanks.
Comment from Amy
Time October 27, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Oh heavens! I would never expect my kids to give up their Halloween candy. I’m just trying not to make Halloween treats all week like I used to.
Comment from Liz
Time October 27, 2008 at 1:09 pm
So creative and so cute!
Comment from Veggie Wedgie
Time October 28, 2008 at 6:20 am
This is awesome and I love the idea of making the face details with nori! Its so smart!
Comment from Ashley
Time October 28, 2008 at 10:44 am
Sooo Cute, did you use plain old rice?
Comment from Autumn
Time October 28, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Those are darling!! You are so creative!
Comment from Dilla
Time November 1, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Very cute, and I love rice balls, but I’m not sure I’d call something made entirely of white rice healthy. Empty calories are empty calories, and white rice causes a bigger blood sugar spike than many types of candy.
Comment from Amy
Time November 1, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Actually, candy does cause a greater spike in blood sugar, and its usually fed with HFCS, fat, and other chemicals. Rice (even white rice) is less processed than any candy I know of, and comes with vitamins such as Vitamin B
Comment from Susan
Time October 27, 2008 at 7:26 am
Wow Amy! Such artistic creativity and imagination. You really did it this time – I love the less sugar Halloween treat idea.