Quinoa Pizza Bites

I tried 2 recipes today that appeared in my inbox this morning.  The first was a Paleo Pumpkin bread that, apparently, Lauren Conrad loves.  Total waste of my time and money! I took a bite and literally spit it out.  That couldn’t be right, because the instagram photo looked so good. So, I tried a second bite. Same reaction. It was disgusting!  Gelatinous texture with weird after taste. That has not happened very often.  My 13-year-old daughter tried it and had the same reaction.  I told her to feed it to the chickens.  Would you believe that the chickens wouldn’t even eat it.  They ran over eagerly, took a few pecks and then said, uh, no thank you and walked away.

Don’t pity me yet!  My second recipe was for the quinoa pizza bites.  I am always looking for healthy snacks for my kids and these are perfect for lunch boxes or snacks on the go.  My 13-year-old daughter said “you would never know these were quinoa, they are perfection.”  She has a flair for the dramatic.

My kids occasionally eat poultry and cheese so these will be a great option for them.  If you follow a plant-based or vegan diet, you can omit the pepperoni and substitute your favorite pizza toppings, like spinach, mushrooms or finely chopped broccoli  and vegan cheese. You can also substitute a flax egg.  Just let me know if you want a full recipe for a vegan substitute and I can work it out for you.

So here is the recipe adapted from Live Well Bake Often.

• 1 and ½ cups cooked quinoa
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup mini turkey pepperoni (i used applegate farms)
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt