Roasted Cauliflower Quinoa Bites

After making Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bites,

and then following those up with Quinoa Pizza Bites,

I decided that I really liked the ease of eating these,

so I set out to make a brand new version of my own!

I'm a big fan of the flavor of roasted cauliflower,

so I knew right away I'd be using that.

And after tossing a few ideas around with a co-worker,

I knew I wanted to include lemon and parmesan as well.

Let me show you how easy it is to make these tasty

Roasted Cauliflower Quinoa Bites!!!

The Goods:

Quinoa

Roasted Cauliflower

Yellow Onion

Garlic

Eggs

Lemons

Parmesan Cheese

Salt

Pepper

Parsley Flakes

Cook quinoa according to your package directions.

In a large bowl, combine your cooked quinoa, roasted cauliflower, 

diced onion, minced garlic, both eggs, most of your parmesan cheese, salt, 

pepper and parsley to your liking, lemon juice and zest and mix to combine.

Stuff filling into greased mini muffin pans

and top with remaining parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes,

until tops are nice and crisp.

Cool in muffin pans for about 5 minutes,

then remove and finish cooling on wire rack.

Roasted Cauliflower Quinoa Bites

3/4 Cup Uncooked Quinoa

1 1/2 Cups Water

2 Cup Roasted Cauliflower

1/2 Cup Diced Yellow Onion

2 Cloves Minced Garlic

2 Eggs

Salt, Pepper and Parsley To Taste

1 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Juice and Zest from 1/2 a Lemon

1. Cook your quinoa according to package directions.
2. Roast your cauliflower (I did mine with juice and zest from 1 lemon, salt, pepper and olive oil.)
3. In large bowl combine everything (reserve 1/4 of the cheese for topping) and mix well.
4. Stuff filling into greased mini muffin pans and top with remaining cheese.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes until tops are nice and crisp.
6. Cool in muffin pans for about 5 minutes, then remove and finish cooling on wire rack.

Quinoa Pizza Bites

After making Quinoa Broccoli Cheddar Bites,

I was hooked on bite sized quinoa foods

and was on the lookout for even more!

So when I came across a recipe for Quinoa Pizza Bites,

I was not only excited but also became super hungry.

I couldn't wait to make them to eat and share with you guys!

If you thought the Broccoli Cheddar ones were simple to make,

you'll be happy to know that these are just as easy,

if not even easier to make!!

Keep reading and I'll show ya how! 

The Goods:

Cooked Quinoa

Mozzarella

Pepperoni

Eggs

Onion

Garlic

Paprika

Seasoning Salt

Oregano

Fresh Basil

Marinara Sauce

In a large mixing bowl, add all ingredients except for marinara sauce.

Mix everything up so it's well incorporated.

Distribute mixture into greased mini muffin pans, filling completely.

Press mixture down with hands to compact.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes,

until tops are crisp and a little golden in color.

Remove from muffin pans and serve with warmed marinara sauce.

Dip a pizza bite into the sauce and enjoy!

And because they're so tiny, go ahead and have another!!!

Quinoa Pizza Bites

Adapted from Miss Be Fit's Recipe

2 Cups Cooked Quinoa

2 Large Eggs

3/4 Cup Cooked Quinoa

1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1/2 Cup Fresh Basil, Chopped

4 Ounces Pepperoni Slices, Chopped

1/2 Teaspoon Seasoning Salt

1 Teaspoon Paprika

1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

Marinara Sauce for Dipping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease two mini muffin pans and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add all ingredients except for marinara sauce.
3. Mix everything up so it's well incorporated.
4. Distribute mixture into greased mini muffin pans, filling completely.
5. Press mixture down with hands to compact.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes - until tops are crisp and a little golden in color.
7. Remove from muffin pans and serve with warmed marinara sauce.

Spring Quinoa Salad

I'm a BIG fan of quinoa and recipes that use the super grain.

By far, my favorite way to eat it is salad form.

You can see past recipes I've shared here, here and here!

Quite often I bring some version of quinoa salad to work for lunch.

In fact, my coworkers have caught on to my love of quinoa salad

and one even shared a link with me that she thought I'd like.

While browsing the link the next day,

I quickly realized I already had one of the links bookmarked!

I already had plans to make it and had forgotten!

Because of my awesome coworker, I was reminded of this recipe!

I found my Asian Quinoa Salad Recipe on Two Peas & Their Pod,

so I had a feeling I'd really enjoy another recipe from them too!

The Goods:

Cooked Quinoa

Asparagus

Peas

Avocado

Olive Oil

Honey

Lemon Juice

Basil

Garlic

Salt

Pepper

First step - make your lemon basil dressing.

In a deep bowl or jar, combine the following:

olive oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic, basil, salt and pepper.

Whisk or shake to combine.

Next wash and cut your asparagus into 1-inch pieces.

Heat olive oil to medium, then add the asparagus and lemon juice.

Cook for about 5 minutes - until asparagus is tender.

Add your peas, stir and cook an additional 2 minutes.

While the asparagus and peas are cooking, chop up your basil.

Now the fun begins - adding and mixing everything together!

In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, asparagus and peas, then toss.

Now add the dressing and basil, then mix again until well coated.

The original recipe called for adding the avocado before tossing,

but since I was going to be enjoying this for the next few days,

I decided to add diced avocado right before eating!

Now the only thing left is to dig in and enjoy!!!

Spring Quinoa Salad

Adapted from Two Peas & The Pod's Recipe!

For the dressing:
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon Honey
1 Clove Garlic - Minced
1 Tablespoon Basil - Chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

For the salad:
2 Cups Water
1 Cup Quinoa
2 Teaspoons Olive Oil
15 Spears Asparagus - cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Cup Frozen Peas
1 to 2 Avocados
1/4 Cup Basil - Chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Cook your quinoa according to package directions. Once cooked, fluff with a fork and set aside.
2. In a deep bowl or jar, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Whisk or shake to combine.
3. Heat olive oil to medium, then add the asparagus and lemon juice. Cook for about 5 minutes - until asparagus is tender.
4. Add your peas, stir and cook an additional 2 minutes.
5. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, asparagus and peas, then toss.
6. Pour the dressing over the quinoa mixture, add the chopped basil and then mix again until well coated.
7. Right before serving/eating, add fresh chopped avocado.

Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

One of my friends is always posting pictures of dinners she makes.

They always look so good and make me so hungry!

She recently posted Stuffed Peppers that she made.

They looked amazing and I couldn't help but ask for her recipe.

She didn't follow a recipe, but instead just made it up herself.

I was impressed and couldn't wait to make them!

And now here I am sharing their deliciousness with YOU!!!

The Goods:

Cooked Quinoa

Ground Turkey

Onion

Garlic

Jalapeno

Bell Peppers

Corn

Black Beans

Green Chilis

Tomato Sauce

Taco Seasoning

Cheddar Cheese (Not pictured - oops!)

Saute your onion and garlic until fragrant.

Add chipped jalapeno and ground turkey.

Cook until the ground turkey is browned.

Season with taco seasoning and then add tomato sauce.

Stir to combine with ground turkey mixture.

Add your corn and black beans, then stir again.

Now time for the quinoa!

Add that and stir.

Last, add the green chili and stir one last time.

Prep your peppers by washing, deseeding and cutting them in half.

Then stuff, and I mean STUFF, them with your turkey quinoa mixture.

Spray your covered baking dish with cooking spray.

Add the number of peppers you want to bake and cover with cheese.

I only baked three of the eight I prepared,

but froze the remaining ones to bake sometime soon!

Cover the baking dish and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.

Ta da!

Now time to dig in and enjoy!!!

If you want the peppers to be less crisp, you can do one of two things:

1. Cook a little bit longer 

or 

2. Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth to the dish before baking.

Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Recipe

4 to 5 bell peppers

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 onion - chopped

1 garlic clove - minced

1 jalapeno - minced

1/2 cup black beans

1/2 cup corn

1 can green chilies - diced

7 oz can tomato sauce

1 teaspoon taco seasoning

fresh cilantro

fresh parsley

salt and pepper to taste

cheddar cheese - shredded

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Sauté onion and garlic until fragrant. 
3. Add jalapeño and cook one minute.
4. Add ground turkey and brown.
5. Season with salt, pepper and taco seasoning.
6. After five minutes or so, add tomato sauce 
7. Once cooked, combine in a bowl with quinoa, black beans, corn and green chiles.
8. Add chopped cilantro and parsley to your liking
9. Put mixture into peppers. 
10. Spray a Dutch oven. Put the peppers into a Dutch oven and cover the peppers with cheese. 
11. Put the lid on and bake 40 to 50 minutes.

Quinoa Broccoli Cheddar Bites

A few weeks ago one of my friends shared this recipe on their Facebook.

I love quinoa, so as soon as I saw it I made a mental note to make it soon.

Soon didn't take too long to come and after tasting these little bites,

I knew it was a recipe I wanted to share on my blog.

These Quinoa Broccoli Cheddar Bites are easy to make,

so you'll be enjoying their deliciousness in very little time.

Keep reading to see how easy they really are to make!

I think you'll be happy with the outcome.

The Goods:

Quinoa

Broccoli

Cheddar

Onion

Garlic

Egg

Red Peppers

Paprika

(Full recipe found in link above)

Get your ingredients all prepped.

Cook your quinoa, 

chop your broccoli, 

dice you onion,

mince your garlic

and shred your cheese.

Then throw everything into one bowl....

And mix until everything is well combined.

Spray your mini muffin pan and fill with the mixture.

Note - I halved the original recipe and still had 24 bites.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 20 minutes,

or until the edges turn golden brown.

Cool in the pan for a minute or two,

then remove and finish cooling on a wire rack.

I ate a few these delicious bites the day they were made,

but also enjoyed them reheated over the next few days.

Edamame Quinoa Salad

I've been out of town for a bit watching my two adorable nephews

(look for a VERY LONG post on that soon!),

so today I'm posting a recipe I've been meaning to get posted for awhile!

And I think it's great timing because I haven't posted about quinoa for a bit,

so I figured now would be a great day to post another delicious recipe using the super grain!

When reading a Better Homes and Gardens a few months back,

I ran across for a quinoa recipe that looked amazing.

It was simply called Edamame Quinoa Salad,

but it had LOTS of goodies I loved.

I couldn't wait to make this new quinoa recipe!!!

The Goods:

Cooked Quinoa*

1 Cup Shelled Edamame, thawed if using frozen

1 Cup Corn Kernels, I used fresh but frozen is fine

1/2 Cup Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, halved

1/4 Cup Cilantro, chopped

1/4 Cup Fresh Lime Juice

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Combine everything in a large bowl, toss and combine.

Package salad for lunches. Or as seen above, 

individual containers for co-workers to enjoy too!

Hope you enjoy as much as I did!!

*To cook, start with 1/2 Cup quinoa and 1 Cup water.

In a saucepan, combine water and quinoa.

Bring water to a boil, reduce heat

and simmer until water is absorbed. 

See THIS post for quinoa cooking/cooling pictures.

Quinoa Apple Salad

A few weeks ago, I met up with some friends for lunch and 

we went to one of the newly opened locations for Lemonade!

If you live in LA and haven't tried Lemonade yet, you're missing out.

Find one close to you and try it ASAP!

I've been to a few different Lemonade locations and have been a fan from day one.

A friend even gave me their cookbook for Christmas this year!

I have yet to make anything out of the cookbook, 

but after my most recent visit I knew I needed to try to recreate one of the dishes I had.

So what was the dish you ask?

Red Quinoa Salad with Apples, Arugula, Sunflower Seeds and Pistachios!

If you don't know already - I love love love me some quinoa salad.

(You can check out some past posts about it here, here and here!)

Just a few hours after lunch, I decided I didn't want to wait long and 

got to work searching for a copycat recipe online. 

To my surprise, it wasn't very hard and I had a recipe in no time!

Now that I'm done rambling, let me show you how easy it is to make!!!

The Goods:

Qunioa 

Water (Not Pictured)

Fuji Apples

Arugula 

Sunflower Kernels

Pistachios

Juice from an Orange

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Cook your qunioa according to package directions.

Since I'm using this in a salad - I always like to cool my qunioa before adding it.

Pour/scoop the quinoa onto a chilled baking sheet and spread it out to cool.

While the qunioa is cooking, get your other goods ready!

Add the apples, pistachios and sunflower kernels to the bowl and toss to combine.

Fold in the arugula, orange juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

That's it! Now it's time to dig in and ENJOY!!!

Hope you like this quinoa salad as much as I do!

I've already made it twice since having it at Lemonade.

Oh and don't forget - go try Lemonade if you haven't already!!!

Craisin Green Bean Quinoa Salad!

Wow! That title is a mouthful.

I'm sorry, but I couldn't think of a better way 

to describe this delicious salad in fewer words.

You may or may not have figured out that I really like quinoa.

I usual use it to make tasty salads for lunches throughout the week.

You can read about one here and another here!

After eating both of those above salads many times, 

I wanted to branch out and try a NEW quinoa salad!

A local lunch place makes one with craisins and green beens. 

It is so simple and tasty, so I was looking for a recipe similar to that.
I couldn't find one exactly like I wanted, so I just sorta made up my own!

Craisin Green Bean Quinoa Salad 

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

½ teaspoon salt or to taste

¾ cup craisins

1 cup green beans

¼ cup sliced almond

¼ cup sliced green onion

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

Salt and Pepper

1. Rinse the quinoa in several changes of water. Combine the 2 cups water and ½ teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and continue cooking until all water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, uncover, and allow to cool for 15 minutes. 

2. In a medium bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, craisins, green beans, almonds,

and green onion until well mixed. 

3. In a small bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and garlic until well blended. Pour over the quinoa mixture. Toss until well blended. 

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. 

Asian Quinoa Salad

For awhile, I have been making a Grain Greek Salad for lunches on a pretty regular basis.
Not too long ago, I decided I wanted to look for other grain salads.
I specifically set out to find quinoa recipes and quickly found one I knew I wanted to try!
Asian Quinoa Salad sounded great and I couldn't wait to make it!

The Goods:

Quinoa

Sesame Oil

Soy Sauce

Rice Vinegar

Sesame Seeds

Crushed Red Peppers

Cilantro

Ginger

Cabbage

Red Bell Pepper

Cucumber

Shredded Carrots

Edamame

Make the dressing, chop the veggies and cook the quinoa.
Then combine in one bowl and mix it all together.
Refrigerate at least a few hours before serving.

I made this salad for lunches one week,
and it was SO good that I decided I needed to blog about it.
So I made it for a second week in a row in order to document the process.

It's so simple and so tasty!
I can't wait to make it again to be honest.

Quinoa Spinach Patties

I ran across this recipe awhile ago, and made it not too long after. 

I really liked them, but forgot all about them...that is until recently! 

Once I remembered them, 

I knew I wanted to make them as soon as possible and blog about them to share their deliciousness! 

And you know what? 

They were even better than I remembered them being and I seriously cannot wait to make them again! 

I love to eat them alone, but they're super tasty in a salad or with a fried or poached egg!

Oh and the best part - they are SUPER easy to make. 

I only make a half a batch, which is more than enough for myself.

Now take a look for yourself and then go make them!!

The Goods:

Uncooked Quinoa

Water

Eggs

Parmesan Cheese

Green Onions

Garlic

Salt

Spinach

Panko Breadcrumbs

Olive Oil

 Cook the quinoa according to package directions.

Add the cooked quinoa to everything else but the olive oil.

Form the patties and fry in the olive oil for 8 to 10 minutes per side. 

Cool slightly on paper towel lined plate.

Grain Greek Salad

One of my go-to lunches (and favorite lunches in fact) is a Greek Salad grain mixture. You can use any grain you'd like - but I tend to prefer quinoa and have recently decided I liked the combination of quinoa and Israeli couscous. The vegetable chopping takes a little time, but I always make a BIG batch and get to enjoy the salad all week! It's so easy once it's made and I'm full for hours after eating it. 

Take a look at the salad making process and you'll be amazed at how simple AND delicious it is!

The Goods:

Quinoa

Israeli Couscous

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Lemon

Salt

Cherry/Grape Tomatoes

Persian Cucumbers

Green Onions

Feta

Kalamata Olives

Cook the grains...

Israeli Couscous

And Quinoa for me!

Chop the Cucumbers

Chop the Green Onions

Chop the Tomatoes

Chop the Olives

(I ran out of Kalamata so used Green Queen ones too!)

Add the Feta! 

And the Quinoa.

And FINALLY the Israeli Couscous.

Toss it all together with fresh squeezed lemon juice, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Add a little salt for flavor if necessary. 

The finished product! 

This salad can be eaten alone, or enjoyed on a bed of mixed greens tossed in fresh lemon juice as I usually do!

Grab some spring mix.

Toss it with more fresh squeezed lemon juice.

And add the mixed grain salad on top!

Dig in and enjoy!!!

YUM!