Yummy Cheesy Veggie Quinoa Bites

I still had some cooked quinoa left and was not sure what to with it. I could add it with some brown rice as a side dish for this evening’s dinner, but I wanted to try something more exciting.

I ran into a couple of recipes that seem to be good candidates: both are quite similar to each other. One is Quinoa Pizza Bites and the other is a Mini Ham Cheese Quinoa Cups. Although I really wanted to make the pizza bites, I did not have all the herbs or mozzarella cheese. So, I decided to somewhat use components of both recipes. I did not have any ham either, so it had to be vegetarian.

This is also a good clean-the-refrigerator recipe; you don’t have to use the exact veggies in the recipe, just use what you have in your fridge that would be good for baking (much like Chopped).

This is a great protein-filled snack: quinoa, eggs, cheese, and veggies – you can’t beat that. Combined with a green salad, the veggie version is a great lunch for Meatless Mondays… or any day for that matter. 

You can double the recipe to make more. Also, for a meatier version, add 1/2 cup of diced ham to the mixture.

Cheesy Veggie Quinoa Bites
 Adapted from Fit for Success' Quinoa Pizza Bites & IowaGirlEats' Mini Ham and Cheese Quinoa Bites
Makes about 12 mini cups

Ingredients

·       1 cup cooked quinoa (about 1/3 cup uncooked)

·       2 eggs

·       1/2 cup red onions

·       1/2 cup peppers, shredded

·       1/2 cup broccoli, diced

·       1/2 cup shredded jack cheese

·       2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese

·       1/4 cup green onions

·       1 ½ tsp of Italian Seasoning

·       Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.     Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine.

3.     Liberally spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray and spoon mixture to the top of each cup.

4.     Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges of the cups are golden brown. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before removing from the mini muffin tin.

Peanut Butter + Chocolate + Bananas = Healthy Peanut Butter Brownies = Yum!

Time for another Brownie experiment! My husband has been enjoying peanut butter and chocolate candy bars, so I thought I would make him Healthy Peanut Butter Brownies. Bananas are great with peanut butter, so I decided to use one of my variations and use mashed bananas instead of butter.

As for the peanut butter topping, I decided to start my search in AllRecipes.com. since I’ve had good luck with their recipes. I found Michelle’s Peanut Butter Marbled Brownies. I used Adam’s Creamy Peanut Butter since it only contains peanuts and no additional oils, partially hydrogenated or not.

I also opted to use My Basic Brownie Recipe. Besides, I have already tried mine with mashed bananas, and I think it’s great.

Here's the recipe...

Mad Gourmet Peanut Butter Marbled Brownies
Based on Michele’s Peanut Butter Marbled Brownies from AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

For the Healthy Banana Brownies:

• 1/2 cup mashed bananas, preferably over-ripe
• 2 tablespoon melted butter 
• 2/3 cup brown sugar  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Peanut Butter Topping:

·       6 oz (light) cream cheese, softened

·       1/2 cup peanut butter

·       1/4 cup white sugar

·       1 egg

Note: The original recipe required milk, but I (accidentally) left it out of the recipe. The brownies came out well without it. However, if I do use milk, I may try unsweetened almond milk instead of regular milk.

Directions:

1.     Follow steps 1 & 2 of the Basic Brownie Recipe. Set aside about 1/3 cup of the batter, before spreading it evenly into the greased pan. Remember, ½ c melted butter is replaced by ½ c of mashed bananas and 2T of melted butter.

2.     In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, 1/4 cup white sugar, and 1 egg, until smooth. Set aside.

3.     Spread the peanut butter filling over the top. Drop the reserved chocolate batter by teaspoonful over the filling. Using a knife, gently swirl through the top layers for a marbled effect.

4.     Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out almost clean. Cool completely, then cut into bars.

Verdict:

These peanut butter brownies are delicious. My husband loves these and did not last that long.  An added bonus is that they make the kitchen smell awesome. After all who can resist peanut butter and chocolate.

That said, I do not think these have enough peanut butter. Next time (and there will be one) I may change the cream cheese and peanut butter ratio, maybe 4 oz cream cheese and ¾ cup of peanut butter. I may even use chunky peanut butter and add the almond milk for a nuttier combination.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.