These cheesy broccoli quinoa bites are hearty, flavorful, and totally snack-worthy. They make a crowd-pleasing appetizer and are also a hit with little ones.
14 Ingredients
45 Minutes
70 Calories 30 Servings
Ingredients
1 cup Quinoa, uncooked
2 cup Water (filtered; divided)
2 cup Broccoli florets (frozen)
3 tbsp Flaxseed meal (ground)
2 tbsp Olive oil
1/2 cup Almond flour
1/4 cup Nutritional yeast (flakes)
1 tbsp Lemon juice (fresh)
1 tsp Paprika (smoked)
1 1/4 tsp Salt (to taste)
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1/4 tsp Black pepper (to taste)
1/3 cup Mayonnaise (vegan)
2 tbsp Sriracha (or less, to taste)
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking pan with parchment paper.
Step 2: Thoroughly rinse the quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve or colander. Bring 1 3/4 cups of the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the quinoa, return to a boil, and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, uncovered, or until the quinoa has absorbed most of the water, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, fluff with a fork, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Steam or cook the broccoli until tender. Strain off any excess water and finely chop. Set aside.
Step 4: While the quinoa and broccoli cook, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup filtered water, the flaxseed meal, and the olive oil. Let stand for 10 minutes to thicken.
Step 5: Transfer the cooked quinoa to the mixing bowl with the flaxseed mixture. Stir in the broccoli, almond meal, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, paprika, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper until incorporated.
Step 6: Use a 1 1/2-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop out and compact mounds of the quinoa mixture. You want to really compress and compact them into the scoop. Drop each mound onto the baking tray. You should have about 30 bite-sized balls.
Step 7: Bake the balls for 24 to 26 minutes, or until deep golden brown and crisp on the bottoms and golden on top.
Step 8: Meanwhile, prepare the sriracha aioli. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and Sriracha until smooth. Chill until ready to serve.
Step 9: Serve the bites warm from the oven alongside the aioli.
Tips
Not a fan of spicy food? Skip the sriracha aioli and use a dipping sauce of choice!
