I’ve been intrigued with the idea of baking with quinoa for a while now, so when I stumbled across this pretty muffin recipe from Poor Girl Eats Well, I really wanted to try it. They turned out a little differently what I expected, though, which is why I’m not calling them muffins. When I think of muffins, I think of something light, moist and cakey. These are not light and cakey. They are more dense, with a little crunch from the walnuts. I had my friend try them and she said they tasted like those fruit bars that you buy.
Anyway, they do have a lovely sweet vanilla taste, with juicy berries … and the quinoa adds a lot of fiber and protein, so that makes these little bites a really good breakfast … or a great snack to keep you going … especially before or after a workout.
Baked Strawberry Walnut Quinoa Bites
Recipe from Poor Girl Eats Well. I made 6 larger “muffins” and about 20 mini-muffin-sized bites.
Ingredients
- 1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 Tablespoons melted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 medium overripe bananas, mashed
- 1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour (or quinoa flour, if you can find it)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries (I actually used part strawberries, part blueberries)
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, loosely chopped
- several strawberries, thinly sliced (for the top)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Spray a muffin or mini-muffin tin with cooking spray or use muffin liners. In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, eggs, bananas & vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients, stirring together until everything is well blended.
2. Add the quinoa and mix well. Fold the chopped strawberries (and/or blueberries) into the batter. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Place one strawberry slice on top of each lil bite, and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
3. Remove from oven and cool for a couple of minutes. Remove the bites from the pan and cool on a rack for about 10 minutes. Store any leftovers in the fridge.
This recipe was shared at Everyday Mom’s Meals and Trick or Treat Tuesdays.
3 comments
These look delicious, Ann! Were you able to find quinoa flour? If so, where did you find it. My daughter’s boyfriend is gluten intolerant and is going to be with us for Memorial Weekend, so I thought these would be perfect to try for breakfast, if I can find the quinoa flour.
Hi Lisa! I haven’t find the quinoa flour anywhere yet, but I neglected to look at the coop, so I used whole wheat. I bet they would have it at a local coop … or try looking in the bulk sections at the health food (or some of the larger grocery) stores. I am sure you could order it online if you can’t find it locally. I know Bob’s Red Mill makes it.
Thanks, Ann! I will check those ideas out.