Quinoa Pizza Bites
You have GOT to try these! It's like a guilt-free comfort food. The pizza bites provide a nutrition high protein and gluten-free treat featuring the goodness of the whole grain, quinoa.
How are these so high in protein? It's because of the amazing protein-packed quinoa! Plus with the egg and cheese, it adds up to a whopping 17 grams of protein for 1 serving size! Even having a third of the batch will still provide you over 11 grams of protein.
Have these as a healthy hearty snack, a well-balanced lunch/dinner, or a guilt-free, flavorful party appetizer. I've even doubled or quadrupled this recipe and place extras in the freezer to pull out for a quick lunch or snacks days later. So next time you go running to the chips, crackers or candy bar for a quick snack...pull some of these out instead. Your waistline will thank you.
If you eat dairy-free and don't want the cheese, try the recipe without it and see how they taste. They may be tasty without it! Or at least cut back on the amount used. Let me know how they turn out if you try it.
TIP: You'll want to use a MINI muffin tin for this recipe, if possible. I tried it with a regular muffin tin and they turn out O.K. but are more thin and flat and fall apart fairly easy. The mini muffin tin works better!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 large egg 1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 TB dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt pizza sauce or tomato sauce for dipping
Directions:
1. Cook your quinoa! In a small sauce pan, add your quinoa and 1 cup of water and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes (until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender).
2. While quinoa is cooking, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all other ingredients (minus the sauce) in a mixing bowl until it's well mixed. Once quinoa is cooked, add into the mixture.
3. Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray (I use coconut oil cooking spray or grease well with coconut oil).
4. Using a Tablespoon, scoop 1 TB into each muffin tin. Press down gently to compact. You should be able to fill about 20 of them.
5. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes. I do 20 minutes because I like mine golden brown and crispy edges. Let them cool slightly and serve warm with heated up pizza or tomato sauce to dip in!
Nutrition Facts:
Servings: 2 Per Serving: (About 10 Quinoa Pizza Bites)
Calories: 277
Protein: 17g
Carbohydrates: 31g
Fat: 9.5g
