Brown Rice and Mushroom Pancakes

Brown rice can be pretty unexciting. For some reason we seem to have more of it than we really need. Since I'm not such a fan of rice in general, especially brown rice, I tried to find something interesting to do with it. This should have been a great recipe using some common, easy to find ingredients. Instead it took too much time and while it still tasted good, it wasn't really worth it. I've made some changes for those who are still interested. (It should work better now but I can't guarantee anything...)

Olive oil

5 cups thinly sliced mushrooms

1 medium sized finely chopped onion

1 finely chopped red bell pepper

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon chopped thyme

1 cup vegetable (or chicken) broth

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 cup cooked brown rice

4 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs

2 large eggs, beaten

Salt

Pepper

Sauce:

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper; cook 10 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in thyme, salt, and black pepper. Remove 1 cup mushroom mixture, and set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add broth and cornstarch to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Keep warm.

Pancakes:

Combine reserved 1 cup mushroom mixture, brown rice, breadcrumbs, and eggs; mix well.Heat oil in a nonstick griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Spoon about 1/2 cup rice batter per pancake onto hot pan, spreading each to a 4-inch diameter. Cook 5 minutes on each side or until bottoms are golden brown. Serve with mushroom sauce.

In the end I made a few "pancakes" but we just fried most of the remaining rice. For now, brown rice will have to remain unexciting.