Quinoa Pizza Bites

I know what you're thinking: "How much quinoa does this chick buy?"  But seriously y'all, it's the best grain ever! I even made PIZZA out of it.  This are so yummy and so simple to make. I replaced beef pepperoni with turkey pepperoni, so it's a little healthier.  This would be great in a lunch box, or even as an appetizer on Italian night. The best part? It's healthy pizza!! Can you believe it??

Here's what you need:

2 cups of cooked quinoa

2 large eggs

1/2 cup of fresh chopped basil

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup of chopped turkey pepperoni

2 tbsp of minced garlic

1 tsp of sea salt

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp paprika

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together all ingredients.  Scoop into a mini muffin tin, or in my case, silicone muffin tins. I like the silicone ones because they did not stick to the sides. Be sure to really compact the mixture into the muffin tins so it bakes all together and does not fall apart. Bake for 15-20 minutes. I cooked mine for a three extra minutes since my muffin tins were a bit larger. Enjoy!

**Dip these in your favorite pizza sauce! Oh, and I guess you can add chopped onion if you really want. 

Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Quinoa

MORE QUINOA?! Can you believe it? The possibilities with this super grain are endless.  Did you know one serving has eight grams of protein and five grams of fiber. Amazing! Since Mac and Cheese is my all time favorite food, I decided to try to make Mac and Cheese Quinoa. I wanted to mix in some veggies and chicken to make a "casserole" of out if.  My mistake here was I mixed cheddar cheese with Italian style cheese, since I did not have enough cheddar. I highly recommend using all cheddar when you make this.

You will need:

One cup quinoa, uncooked

10 oz of chopped broccoli

one chicken breast, cooked and cubed

minced garlic

Cheddar cheese

2 eggs

one cup of milk

Panko bread crumbs

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Cook the quinoa as directed (one part quinoa, two parts water, or chicken broth). Once cooked, add two cups of cheddar, two eggs, garlic, and one cup of milk into the mixture. Stir until the cheese is melted. Add in the mixings. I decided on broccoli and chicken, but you can really use whatever your heart desires. Pour into a greased casserole dish and top with another layer of cheese and panko bread crumbs. Bake for 20 -30 minutes. 

**I ate this by itself as a meal for dinner. We used the left overs the next day as a side with grilled chicken, and then even more left overs the following day paired with london broil. 

Greek Style Quinoa

I love coming up with variations for quinoa. It's the new super grain! I took the basic recipe for a cucumber salad and added quinoa to make it more filling for dinner the other night. I purposely made extra so I would have lunch the next day. I think it tasted better refrigerated.

You will need:

one breast of cooked chicken, cubed

half of a large cucumber, peeled and cubed

a handful of grape tomatoes, halved

half a can of black olives

feta to your liking

one cup of cooked quinoa

olive oil

red wine vinegar

oregano

garlic salt

salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and enjoy!! Refrigerate left overs for a no hassle lunch the following day.

**Chopped red onion would be a nice addition, if you are into those things.

Quinoa and Chicken Mexican Style

After a great work out at Meyer Fitness, I decided to cook something healthy tonight! My mom inspired me, and I purchased some quinoa. Not knowing how to cook this, or what goes well with it, I decided to wing it. For those of you who don't know how to cook quinoa it's very similar to cooking rice. Two parts liquid to one part quinoa.

You will need:

Grilled chicken strips

Quinoa (cooked)

black beans

tomato, diced

splash of lime juice

sprinkle of mexican cheese

diced green chili peppers

avocado

Mix first seven ingredients together, top with avocado, and enjoy!!!!!!

**THE INSPIRATION:  Last night for Mother's day, my mom made the best dinner ever!! I realize that I should have been cooking, but she is the bomb dot com when it comes to the kitchen. She made grilled chicken tenderloins (we love to marinate in caesar dressing), cucumber greek salad, and sautéed quinoa with some yummy veggies. It was AMAZING!  

Here is our yummy Mother's Day Dinner!

I think she incorporated chopped green peppers, chopped carrots, chopped shallots, and baked almond slices in the quinoa.  

The cucumber salad was diced cucumber, chopped black olives, halved cherry tomatoes, diced onion, feta, garlic salt, oregano, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. SOO GOOD! (But I didn't eat the onions)