Quinoa Pizza Bites

This was an all-around "oops to yummy" recipe. 

 

I made this dish from Fit for Success and enjoyed every bite before I realized I had made a mistake. 


I went to enter the recipe into myfitnesspal to get the nutritional  information and didn't understand how my calorie count was SO far off from Fit for success'!
I went back to the original post and found my error. 

Her ingredients state: 1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa. What did I do? Used only 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa. 
If you have ever made quinoa you know uncooked quinoa more than doubles when cooked so I was defiantly lacking in amount. --I did wonder why mine didn't fill the 24 pockets of the muffin tin like hers did but I was so focused and getting these made so I could eat them I just thought I had made mine too big. In the end, this oops just means I got to eat them all.

Now not knowing I had made a significant lower calorie meal I wanted to add turkey pepperoni to my bites regardless, and man or man am I glad I did. 

However, I had originally planned to chop up the pepperoni and blend it into the original mix, but I forgot until they were half way through baking. Yet again, this oops turned into a delicious treat as I decided to top each bite with a slice of pepperoni--held on by some melted cheese--and these were like perfect mini bites of pizza--pepperoni in every bite--without the fat, grease, and heavy carbs and filled with lots of protein, and delectable flavor. 

Make them and then eat them all! 

Recipe adapted from Fit for Success
Ingredients: 
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 cup egg whites
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded 
1/2 cup onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs basil 
1 tsp oregano 
1/4 tsp garlic powder
20 slices of turkey pepperoni 


Directions: 
Preheat oven 350 F.
Spray a mini muffin tin--24 count--with olive oil spray
Mix all but the pepperoni in a bowl. 
Spoon 1 tbs of mix into 20 of the muffin compartments. 
Press the mixture down so its nice and packed in. 

Bake for 20 min or until tops have a light golden edge. 

Remove from muffin tin and  sprinkle a tiny bit of cheese on top of the hot bites and press one slice of pepperoni per bite. 
I then microwaved 10 bites for 30 sec. to make sure the cheese was good and melted and to cook the pepperoni a bit. 

Serve with a side salad and homemade marinara sauce for dipping! 

Enjoy!!!!

Nutrition Information

10 bites with pepperoni

 202 cal * 15 carbs * 10g fat*  17g protein * 3g fiber

10 bites without pepperoni 

161 cal * 15 carbs * 7g fat * 12 protein * 3g fiber

Quinoa Granola

Quinoa Burns.

The first food experiment making this granola was a failure. 

Burnt to a crisp being only 15 min in the oven.

So note to self, and all, DO NOT bake uncooked quinoa at the temp of 400 degrees for 15 min. 

However,

 the second attempt  was amazing!!!!

I decided to cook the quinoa and then bake it at the lower temp of 300 (bumping it to 350 once I knew it wasn't going to burn) and it turned into a batch of cinnamony, sweet pebbles of bliss. 

It works well as a topping for yogurt, smoothies, and ice cream!!!! 

This could even be eaten as a cereal; ALL coupled with  ample amounts of protein and fiber.

Bake away my friends

Ingredients: 

1 cup quinoa, cooked
1 tbs cinnamon
1tbs honey--add more if you want it sweeter or brown sugar!
2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Pat dry cooked quinoa with paper towels 

--It's okay if not completely dry--

Place cinnamon, honey, and vanilla in a bowl.

Mix in quinoa with a spatula until well combined. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dump cinnamon/honey quinoa mixture on it and spread out.

Bake in 10 min intervals for 30-45 min. 

Every 10 min stir/flip quinoa. 

It will slowly bake into a deep rich brown and crunchy mix. 

Let cool for 2 min and transfer into a air-tight container for freshness--that is if you don't eat it all right then and there

ENJOY!!!!

** this is a very very versatile recipe! Feel free to add anything you want to the granola to suit you taste**

Cooking the Perfect Quinoa

Once you've mastered this  technique--which is pretty easy--you'll be making Quinoa weekly,

I DO!

The KEY trick for making any kind of quinoa recipe (for breakfast foods, soups, etc.)  is to wash it THOROUGHLY! Now, I don't mean throw it in a bowl and swirl it around a few times, I'm talking three really good washes. 

Why?
 1) Washing gets rid of the bitter taste that comes from the seeds shell. Who knows why, but it's there, but it's also wash-away-able. 
2) The seed can absorb some the water and help make it nice and fluffy later. 

So get your quinoa and let's begin. 

• Grab a large enough bowl to hold your desired amount quinoa (I generally cook about a cup of dry=~2 1/2 cups cooked) large enough to fully submerge the quinoa in water. 

• Dump your dry quinoa in the bowl and fill with wamish water. 

• Now reach your hands into that bowl and start playing with it. Move it around, swish it, rub the seeds between your fingers (obviously this is the best/most fun part).

• Once the water is pretty murky, dump the water and fill it up again. Repeat washing process. Repeat a 3rd time.

• The water should get less and less murky every wash--but not completely clear--this is okay. 3 times usually does the trick for the bitter part. 

• Now bring a small sauce pan full of your liquid of choice to a boil (water for versatility, Milk generally for breakfast recipes, broths for fillers--I always cook my in a chicken or veggie broth)

• Dump washed and drained quinoa into the heated liquid and stir for about 2 min on boil. 

• Now reduce Heat to Low and simmer covered for 20 min. Quinoa will expand, peel a little (the little white squiggles), and absorb the liquid as the time goes by. Feel free to stir every once in awhile. 

•  After timer goes off, fluff away by stirring it! 

Now you have an awesome batch of yummy quinoa ready for your adventurous recipes. 

ENJOY!!!!

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

I love this easy recipe. 

I have made it several times for lunches at work. 

This is also a very versatile recipe.

It can be a simple meal or a complex palate teaser. 

Use your imagination. 

but here's what I did: 

Ingredients: 

1 large bell pepper (or 2 small),
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1-2 olives, diced
1-2 diced cherry tomatoes 
3 tbs shredded cheese
OPTIONAL: 1 tsp sriracha (I love the spice!)
OPTIONAL: 2 tsp plain greek  yogurt (great sour cream substitute!)

Directions: 

Cut bell pepper in half and rid of seeds and ribs (the white part lining the wall)
Scoop and fill bell pepper halves with quinoa
Top with diced olives, cherry tomatoes and cheese. 

Option 1) Microwave for 30-45 sec until warmed and cheese is melted.

Option 2) Heat oven 350 degrees and bake for 10-15 min. (This option cooks the bell pepper more if you don't like it raw--i like the crunch in the raw)

ENJOY!!!!

Have any other suggestions or add-ins that you've done?