Week 19

Yay our stay-at-home order is done in Denver. I am happily ending the Coronavirus miniseries of shelf stable snack ideas, and for week 19, I made Mexican Quinoa bites.

They are so good and super versatile! Next time I’m definitely adding some spicy green chiles!!

Recipe

  • ¾ cups quinoa, cooked
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can (14.5 ounces) Diced Tomatoes, drained
  • 1 ¾ cups shredded cheese
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray mini muffin tins with cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, combine cooled quinoa, eggs, black beans, tomatoes, 1½ cups cheese, garlic, chili powder and cumin.
  3. Put a heaping tablespoonful of quinoa mixture into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle tops with remaining shredded cheese.
  4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until edges turn golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes and then gently remove from pan.

Week 11

Week 11 Healthy Snacks
Why not make a coronavirus miniseries? Stay tuned for more shelf stable healthy snack ideas 🙃

This week is Cinnamon Toast Breakfast Quinoa, additions are toasted almonds, dried cranberries, coconut flakes, hemp seed and maple syrup for sweetness.

Recipe

  • Heaping 2 tbsp sliced almonds
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coconut oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top
  • Tiny pinch of salt
  • 1 cup pre-cooked quinoa* (either chilled or warm from cooking—both will work)
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup, more if desired

Toppings and optional accompaniments

  • 1 tablespoon chopped dried cherries or dried cranberries
  • Hemp seeds, chia seeds or flax seeds (optional), for serving
  • Milk or yogurt of choice (totally optional), for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. First, toast the almonds before we add the remaining ingredients. To do so, warm the almonds in a small saucepan (use a larger saucepan if you are making multiple servings) over medium heat, shimmying the pan often, until the almonds smell fragrant and toasty, about 2 to 4 minutes.
  2. Add the coconut oil, cinnamon and salt to the pot. While stirring constantly, cook until the cinnamon is fragrant, about 15 seconds.
  3. Add the quinoa to the pot and stir to combine. Cook, while stirring constantly, just until the quinoa is warmed through, about a minute or so. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the maple syrup.
  4. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and top with dried fruit and a hefty sprinkle of hemp seeds, if using. Top with a light sprinkle of cinnamon. Serve promptly, with additional maple syrup and milk or yogurt on the side, if you’d like.