Customizable Quinoa Bites... and some TRUTH!

Quinoa... (pronounced Keen-Wah)...

Here's why I use, love, obsess over quinoa...

It is high in protein (in fact, it is a complete protein), gluten free, high in antioxidant phytonutrients, fiber, magnesium, copper, zinc, phosphorus, iron and calcium!
From a tiny little grain that is incredibly versatile, adaptable, and easy to work with.

You can find quinoa in virtually every store you shop at, from whole foods to wal-mart, so no excuses that you can't find any :)

What you eat is so incredibly important. You want to nourish yourself in the very best way. It's not about calories to me, it's about real food as close to nature as possible that nourish and fuel my body the way they were intended to. No chemical crap storms please! I don't want my food created in a lab or full of artificial flavors and colors, I want REAL food.

Real food tastes GREAT! You do not need to buy processed, fake, sugar and salt laden foods to get flavor. There are certain flavors you will never be able to make in your kitchen, the msg, artificial, lab created, chemical concoctions that do nothing but fool your brain into thinking they are real but do not nourish or fuel you properly. These type of 'foods' cause unhealthy addictions as well - have you ever tried to cut out all forms of processed sugar or caffeine?!?! hello withdrawals!

You can make your own chocolate out of 3 ingredients that tastes amazing and contains foods that are not only real, but healthy and beneficial to your body - WHAT?! Sign me up for a chocolate fix that is healthy! :)

There is some truth for you today, fun isn't it ;-)

Back to the quinoa!

I use quinoa in everything from sweet breakfast 'oatmeal' type of bowls, to additions in smoothies, to lunch or dinners. You can use it like you would rice.

These bites are a GREAT time saver! They freeze wonderfully, are super easy to make, and it is one basic recipe that you can change up to suit your tastes - WIN!!

I make mine in regular cupcake pans, but you can use mini ones as well!

Here is the basic recipe

Customizable Quinoa Bites (Base Recipe)makes about 14 regular cupcake sized bites

2 cups cooked quinoa (make sure you rinse your quinoa before you use it to get rid of the natural bitter tasting saponins and then toast it in a dry, hot pan to toast it and bring out it's natural nuttiness until lightly brown)
            Use a 2 to 1 ratio when cooking quinoa - 2 parts liquid to 1 part dry quinoa
2 eggs
1 to 1.5 cup(s) breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat panko crumbs and I recommend panko for the added crunch)
1/2 cup cooked vegetables chopped into small bite sized pieces (I used carrots, peppers, onions, garlic, but any will work as long as they are cut small enough)
1 cup cooked chopped chicken
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar cheese - nope, not yellow, cheddar is actually white - they add coloring (natural) into the cheese to make it yellow)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano

I split mine up into 2 bowls because I was going to make a buffalo one and a barbeque one. Both had about 1/4 cup of sauce added in so you may need extra panko to make up for the added moisture. I used an all natural BBQ sauce mixed with a sweet chili Asian sauce and then in the other one I used a plain hot sauce with some grass fed butter.

Preheat oven to 375 F, butter or oil your cupcake pan (or pans if using more than 1)

Mix all ingredients together (mixture will seem a bit wet and that it ok, you just do not want it sopping wet or runny)

Using a traditional sized ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake section, pressing it down with a spoon or your hands

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until bites are browned at the top and hold together well.

LET COOL! You need to do this! Trust me! They need about 5 to 10 minutes to cool slightly and firm  up in the pans. If you try to remove them while really hot they will most likely fall apart.

Carefully run a knife around the edges and remove from the pan. Serve or freeze for later :-)

These are so yummy, healthy, filling, and best of all EASY! You can make them with any combination of spices or sauces that you want and they will always come out amazing - as long as you remember to compensate for any additional liquid with the panko crumbs.

Happy Eating!