Ahhh; quinoa. How I love thee.
I love your soft, fluffy texture.
I love cooking up a batch on Sunday night and picking on your leftovers with my little fingers before tossing it into salads, soups and desserts for the week ahead.
(p.s. I’ve got a TON of amazing Quinoa recipes in my NEW Cookbook Eating Clean: The 21-Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation, and Reset Your Body).
I love how every time I cook you up, you remind me of a cozy family dinner when I was a kid. After being on lockdown at the dinner table with Brussels sprouts and a crock pot meal – quinoa never looked so good or tasted so good, for that matter.
Sigh. I love you quinoa. And so do my clients- they can’t get enough lately.
Actually they’ve been eating so much of it that they asked me for some other ways to prepare it.
Well, have no fear Amie is here.
And wait until you see how cute these little bites are that I’ve created.
If you, too love this darling qunioa seed then I know you’ll love this recipe with tiny flecks of basil, onion and chives. It’s the perfect touch that makes this recipe the best I’ve had in a long, long time.
There’s just something special about it that I can’t put my finger on….
Maybe because it’s a fun lil’ finger food that you’ll love to dip right into a fresh tomato sauce.
Or maybe it’s just because I love quinoa.
One bite of these and you’ll be batting your eyelashes while smiling ear to ear. And you’ll probably wanna make ’em again next week…because they’re a bit too good to be true.
I added dairy-free cheese to this recipe but you can use regular cheese if you prefer. The amount of cherry tomatoes depends on their ripeness. Right now, if your tomatoes are as ruby red n’ juicy and sweet as mine- you probably only need about 7-8 of those little guys. But you’ll have to be the judge!
I used regular muffin tins to make this recipe an entree but you are welcome to use mini muffin tins if you’d like to create bite sized appetizers as they’d be awfully cute for a summer BBQ, wouldn’t they?
There’s nothing better, folks, than the smell of savory quinoa bites baking in the oven. Well, I take that back. The only better thing is actually eating these bites.
Obviously.
Perfect for Memorial Day Cookouts.
Just don’t forget your sunglasses and sunscreen.
Ingredients
Quinoa Bites
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup uncooked black rice
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup Vidalia onions finely chopped
- 1 cup dairy-free vegan shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves finely chopped
- 1/3 cup grape tomatoes diced
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 2 chives finely chopped, for garnish
- 2 cups homemade tomato sauce for serving
Sun Dried-Tomato Sauce
- 2 yellow bell peppers diced and seeded
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth plus more if needed for a thinner sauce
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 large heirloom tomato diced
- 1 shallot diced
- 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil
- 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 Medjool date pitted and finely diced
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- Large pinch chili powder
- pinch cayenne pepper
- pinch ground paprika
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
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For the Quinoa Bites:
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Cook quinoa and rice according to package directions. Prepare muffin pan with nonstick baking spray.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
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In a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa and rice with remaining ingredients, except chives and pasta sauce; mix well to combine.
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Transfer quinoa and rice mixture to prepared muffin pan. Using a tablespoon, fill each muffin cup to the top, then using a spatula, press down on the mixture to create a flat surface.
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Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce (below). Remove from oven; set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Using a teaspoon, gently remove rice and quinoa snacks from the muffin cups.
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Transfer to a serving platter; serve with a sprinkle of fresh chives and a side of tomato sauce for dipping.
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For the Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce:
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In a large pot over medium heat, combine all sauce ingredients and cook until all veggies are very tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and puree until smooth. Return to the pot, heat until warm throughout and serve with the warm quinoa bites.
I made these for dinner last night and they were fantastic! I served them as the main course, with roasted brussel sprouts and marinara. My kids asked for seconds. My husband took them for lunch today and said they were the best left overs he has ever had! Thank you for a great recipe!
That is so great to hear Shana; wahooo!!!!!!!!! Enjoy darling; have a great day and thanks so much for taking the time to comment! xox
Yummmm. Would these freeze well.
These look yummy but I have not seen black rice. It is the same as wild rice? Could I use brown rice? I anxious to try them.
Thanks Donna; yes you can certainly use brown rice or wild rice in place of the black rice. Enjoy!!
could i use brown rice or perhaps wheat berries in place of the black rice? i have never tried black rice and I don’t have it, so would it work if I sub something else?
Yes of course you can use it. Try brown rice – that works! Have a great day. Enjoy!
The directions aren’t quite clear about how many muffin tins to prepare and put these in; does this really serve 24 as it states at the top of the recipe? Thanks!
24 muffins is 2 tins if they are 12 muffins each or 4 tins if they are 6 muffins each. Thanks Sheri!
Okay, so I’m late to this game…but the wonders of search bars led me to this deliciousness. Can’t figure out why they didn’t come out nice and muffin shaped in my big muffin tin, but they did in my mini tin (maybe I should have baked longer? I think I did 25 mins).
Either way – this is an amazing recipe. It would have been fine just as a casserole in a square pan. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Veronica; glad you enjoyed it! You could have left it to bake longer; that may have been the reason but so glad that you enjoyed them!!
Where can I find black rice…???
Here is a great black rice! Hope you enjoy it Vicki; I love it!
Sooooooo yummy!!!!!!
Thanks Keliann! Enjoy!
I am making these for dinner tomorrow – it says serving size 24 – does that mean you used two muffin pans? Thanks!
Thanks Annie! I used 2 muffin pans. Enjoy!
These look amazing. Do you have a recipe for the homemade tomato sauce?
Thanks Kate; hope you enjoy it! I usually take Pomi (boxed tomato sauce) which the only ingredients are “tomatoes” and no added salt or anything. I mix them with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, herbs de provence and a bit of fresh basil for a homemade tomato sauce. Hope that helps; have a great night!
I just found this on Pinterest, and can’t wait to make it! It might be lunch today! Thanks
Awe; thanks so much Erin. SO great to hear from you and I hope you enjoy these fun lil’ bites! Have a great weekend!
I love these little pick-me-up muffins – easy and portable. Can’t wait to try them. Thanks!
Thank you so much Ellen; so great to hear from you. Hope you enjoy them. Have a fabulous day!!
Hi Amie, Any suggestions for removing the cheese? Does it act as a binder in the recipe or just for flavor? For flavor, I might be able to use tofu based ricotta (which is amazing) but not sure if it will bind as well. Thoughts?
Thanks Danielle; I would try a vegan (tofu based ricotta) or you could try a vegan cream cheese- that could work well too. Also, a silken tofu may do the job! Let me know what works for you and hope you enjoy them.
Have a wonderful day!
Excellent savoury. Delicious. Easy to make.
Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy it. It’s perfect for summer and delish!
I just made these for dinner and my three year old and I love them! So good!
So happy to hear Mia; sending you a big hug! Have a great Sunday evening. xox
Those look incredible. I love using quinoa as the star of my dinners, but I only know a few recipes. I will definitely give this one a try!
Thanks so much Jennifer; hope you enjoy these!
These sound amazing and I can’t wait to try! Thanks for awesome g-free recipes and ideas.
Thank you Lisa; hope you enjoy them. I greatly appreciate your kind words and hope to hear from you again soon! xo
Hi Amie, I am just about to make these! Thanks for sharing!
I am wondering if these can be put in the freezer? If not, how long will they last in the fridge? (I am thinking of making a batch and taking one to work throughout the week)
Thanks so much Gosia; hope you enjoy them. I don’t think they’ll taste as good if frozen, however I would suggest keeping them in the fridge for 1-2 days as they may start to get soggy after that depending on your fridge. You can wait to stuff the mushrooms and keep the rice mixture separate for a few days until you are ready to eat the mushrooms and then stuff them.
Enjoy and have a great weekend!