Quinoa Bites

    The other night I was looking for a healthy snack to take to a pot luck and came across quinoa bites. I have cooked with quinoa only once before and it was for a supper healthy project so the end product really did not taste incredible, so  I was ready to try it again and thought this would be the perfect time. The ones I found at The Iron You, which I am so glad to find this blog he has some great stuff, are buffalo bites to replace your buffalo chicken wings. They turned out delicious and were a big hit.

Cooking Quinoa

First I toasted it a bit to get a nuttier flavor. Then I cooked it in chicken broth instead of water to add a bit more flavor as well.  All you need to do is add the quinoa into boiling liquid and then let it cook for 15 minutes, make sure all the water is gone. Then fluff with a fork.

The buffalo bites before and after the first 15 minutes. Then I added Frank's hot sauce and cooked for another 8 minutes and they were done. 

BUT when I cooked the recommended amount I ended up with about double the quinoa needed so I went to play around with it to see what I could make. And what I came with were in mine and Hubby’s opinion were even better.

ITALIAN QUINOA BITES! Yup I started out the same way, but instead of spicy seasonings I added in my favorite Italian ones and when done dipped in marinara sauce!

Italian Quinoa Bites

1 cup cooked quinoa

3 tablespoons cold water with 1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon basil

1 tablespoon oregano

1 cup breadcrumbs

30 cubes of mozzarella

1. Mix together quinoa, tomato paste, salt, seasonings. Then add in the bread crumbs. Use the water and cornstarch so that it is not to dry, but not soupy.
2. Using a tablespoon to be sure that each ball is the same, scoop out quinoa mixture and form into a ball with a cube of cheese in the middle.
3. Place into 350°F oven for 20 minutes, they will brown up some.
4. Serve with marinara or if you’re like me and just happen to have only pizza sauce it works just as well.