Trendy Thursday
Q is for Quinoa.
Quinoa pizza bites are all over the ’nets.
Google it. Figured I’d throw my hat into the ring, my colonial tricorn into the
Coraline other-world ring, that is.
The particular recipe I deconstructed and
rebuilt is from a blog called “The Way to His Heart Blog,” taking its title from
the phrase, “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
Whenever I think of that phrase, I think of
Akasha ripping a guy’s heart out in Queen
of the Damned. Vampires have kind of ruined me in some ways. Then again, my
birthday is Halloween…
Quinoa Pizza Muffins
Modified and scaled up from http://www.thewaytohisheartblog.com/quinoa-pizza-bites/
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
olive oil for the pans
1 onion, (drawn and) quartered
2 cloves garlic
1 16-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 16-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and
drained
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon GF tamari
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 16-ounce bag frozen spinach, defrosted and
drained (drink the cooking water!)
In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring the
quinoa and water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for
15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.
Once the quinoa is cooked, preheat the oven to
375 degrees Fahrenheit and grease two 12-well standard muffin tins with olive
oil. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl. If you have not already done so,
defrost the spinach in the same pot in which you cooked the quinoa.
In a food processor, process the onion, garlic,
2/3 of the beans, and the spices until the beans are broken down and the
mixture is hommos-like in texture. You may need to scrape down the sides a few
times to make sure the onion is sufficiently processed. Transfer this mixture
to the bowl with the quinoa and stir in the spinach. Mix well until the mixture
is fully combined. Transfer to the muffin wells and fill to capacity.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the tops are
firm. LET THOSE SUCKERS COOL before you remove them from the tins.
Unfortunately, I didn’t account for the fact
that I scaled up the recipe and added moist spinach; my muffins did not hold
together after 20 minutes at 350. However, from beanball experience, I know
that bean-grain cakes need high heat for a while. I have not tested this recipe
as it is written (sorry? it’s hot outside) and so your feedback is appreciated.
Parting shots:
I made raw apple pie last week and yeah, I agree
with the rumours, eating raw food produces a, for lack of a better word, high.
I’ve also been having “raw breakfast” because my
Instagram peeps post such beautiful pictures of their food. I made the raw apple pie and coconut cakes
from Ani Phyo’s Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen.
It’s a good energy boost before embarking on INSANITY ®. Now that exercise
program produces a high like a good run (in the cold…I like running in the
cold).
I amused myself the other day with a list of
reasons, in no particular order.
Why Q is undertaking Beachbody ® INSANITY ®:
- Because I can.
- The difference
between having a butt and having an ass: squats.
- Skinny girls
look good in clothes. Fit girls look good naked.
- Ad majorem dei gloriam
- “She got hot.”
- How far can I
push myself…and then some.
- Visceral
fat = Danger, danger, Will Robinson!
I was in a rut, exercise and diet-wise. The
interwebs and my IIN studies helped me find new modes to try. After all, as my
grandmother says, “You get out of it what you put into it.”
Corollary: if you
do the same thing, you get the same results.
What are you going to do differently today in
order to get different results?
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