Not So Cheesy Balls!.....Baked Vegan Arancini

If you are not familiar with arancini, it is typically a fried rice ball coated with bread crumbs and filled with cheese or a ragu.  But, guess what?  We are rocking this recipe in a healthy baked and vegan way!

So you can do this recipe a few ways.  You can use your left over vegan mushroom risotto or you can make a fresh batch of arborio rice, white rice or brown rice.  I personally used white rice because there was an abundance of it in my plantry (don't be scared to sub your favorite kind of rice for this recipe!).


Baked Vegan Arancini

You can fill your balls with whatever you desire.  But, for this recipe, the stars were my vegan walnut pesto and daiya cheese.

Also, chose the size that you desire to make.  I opted for the oversized guy this time.  Though, if you just want to do little bites, I recommend at least 1/4 c of rice in order to stuff the arancini properly.



Ingredients:
2 cups cooked rice (either arborio, white or brown)
vegan walnut basil pesto
shredded daiya cheese
2 tbsp substitute egg powder with water (mixed)
1/4 c flour
1/2 c panko
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
s+p
marinara sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven 350.  Take your rice, and form into a ball- size of your choice.  Once formed, carefully cut in half and fill with a scoop of your pesto and a tbsp of daiya shredded cheese.  Press into the middle and then re-form into a ball.
Set up 3 different stations: one plate for flour, one for egg substitute dredge and then finally the panko/nutritional yeast.  Take your ball, roll in flour, then go down the line to the egg sub, and panko mixture.  Repeat all steps with each additional ball.
Place in baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.
Heat your marinara.  Transfer into bowl and place Vegan Arancini balls on top.

Yummy and gooey- with a surprise in the center!