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
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a mini muffin pan well with non stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and mix until fully combined.
- Fill the muffin tins to the top and gently press it down. You should end up with about 18-20.
- Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and serve with marinara sauce (optional).

those look amazing! I regularly use soaked quinoa as a pizza ‘crust’ so I’ll have to try this!
LikeLike