Arancini Cakes with Lemony Asparagus Salad

With the oven out-of-service this week I have been improvising meals.

On our busiest evening in the week, I found myself in a lurch to get dinner prepared. With three kids in activities sandwiching suppertime and Daddy at work, I was a bit frantic to organize a hot meal.

Arancini cakes check all the boxes: kid-friendly, fast, and putting to use the leftovers. We almost always have cold rice in the fridge from prior meals that pains me to waste.

Although I have not tried this recipe with Jasmine or sushi rice, it is creamy and delicious with cooked risotto. Finish the meal by tossing a lemony vinegerette with sautéed asparagus into a bed of arugula.

Arancini:

Use a standard risotto cake recipe to start dabbling with my own version. For breading, I use grated parmesan, panko crumbs and garlic powder for added flavor.

Salad:
Chop asparagus in 1 inch parts and sauté in butter in a skillet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and almond slivers before adding to a bed of arugula.

Lemony Vinegerette:

In a measuring cup fill 2/3 C fresh lemon juice, 1/2C olive oil, 1/2tsp salt and 1/2tsp pepper. Whisk vigiorously before lightly dressing your Asparagus-Arugula greens. Save the rest for salads later in the week.