Looking for something new to make for dinner? Try quinoa!
Quinoa (keen-wah) packs all of the benefits (and more) of a whole grain. Whole grains are proven to lower your risk for many chronic diseases (diabetes, health disease) and proven to aid in weight management. In addition to these common whole grain benefits, quinoa is a complete protein–meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids. If you’re a vegan or vegetarian concerned with getting adequate protein, this means a lot for your diet.
While quinoa is relatively new to the United States, it has been cultivated near the Andes Mountains for thousands and thousands of years. Quinoa is fluffy, light, filling, versatile and easy to make–what more could you ask for?
Here is an easy quinoa bites recipe from my personal kitchen.
“Veggie Quinoa Bites”
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of quinoa
2 cups of water
1/2 cup carrots
1 handful of spinach or kale (washed and dried)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 tsp. minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1 egg
STEPS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On the stovetop, place the water and quinoa in a pot over medium heat until all of the water has been absorbed (about 10 minutes).
2. While the quinoa cooks, place all of these ingredients in a food processor and chop them finely.
3. After the quinoa is cooked, transfer it to a big mixing bowl. Add the egg and veggie mixture from the food processor to the mixing bowl and combine well.
4. Fill greased mini-muffin tins with your quinoa concoction and place in the oven for about 15 minutes (give or take 5 minutes), or until they start to brown lightly.
Serve immediately–or store them in the refrigerator for tomorrow’s lunch.
5. Enjoy these little bites with a size of Greek yogurt and hot sauce or your choice of creamy (but, low-fat) dressing. This recipe makes approximately 4 servings (~20 mini-muffins total, 5 per serving). 1 serving will be between 200 and 300 calories depending on which veggies and cheeses you add.