Happy Monday and happy December, everyone! I’m making the mistake of writing this post while I’m hungry and just thinking about these Quinoa Pizza Bites is making my stomach rumble! I should get up to go eat something, but I’m going to use it as motivation to finish writing this post!

I’m interrupting my Christmas and holiday dessert posts to bring you this Quinoa Pizza Bite recipe. Don’t worry, there’s plenty more chocolate and desserts to come, but today we’re all about this easy, cheesy and healthy-ish appetizer.

I love using pizza flavors in appetizers because they tend to be universally loved and nothing tastes better than some gooey cheese when you’re hungry.

These little bites are made right in a mini muffin pan sprayed with nonstick spray so you can pop them right out and serve them hot. The base of the bite is some cooked quinoa. Mixed in with the quinoa is shredded mozzarella cheese, chopped roasted red peppers, grated Parmesan, an egg and some pizza seasonings. Don’t forget the marinara for dipping!

The outside gets really crispy and crunchy, while the inside stays fluffy from the quinoa. You can use whichever pizza topping you prefer for the inside; Matt and I love roasted red peppers on our pizza so that’s what I used. I was also trying to keep them healthier where I could, but if you weren’t concerned about keeping it healthy, cooked crumbled sausage or mini pepperonis would be really good in these as well.

It’s nice to have some crowd-pleasing go-to appetizers around the holidays whether you’re hosting, asked to bring an appetizer or have a holiday potluck to attend. Or, as I mentioned in the Leftover Turkey Pull-apart Sliders with a Maple Mayo and Cranberry Barbecue Sauce post, if you just want a Friday night snack. I have a few more tasty holiday appetizers to share with you this month, but in the meantime below are some of my favorites! Okay, now I’m off to go eat!

Best Slow Cooker Cocktail Meatballs

Cheesy Pesto Bread with Crispy Prosciutto

Sweet & Sticky Honey Baked Wings

Apple, Bacon and Brie Bread

Aunt Jen’s Chicken Ginger Dumplings

Honey Walnut Baked Brie

Caramelized Onion & Apple Dip

Cheesy Corn & Chorizo Dip

Southwest Turkey Baked Egg Rolls

Quinoa Pizza Bites

 

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Yield: About 20

Ingredients

• 1½ cup cooked quinoa, see note
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup chopped roasted red peppers, or other preferred topping
• ¼ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• Marinara, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray
2. Combine all the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cavities. You will fill about 20. Make sure you press down to compact the mixture in each cavity.
3. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan before eating. Gently use a spoon to help remove them from the pan if necessary.

Notes

If you don’t already have cooked quinoa, bring ½ cup uncooked quinoa to a boil with 1 cup water, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

Yes! The day is finally here! I made and photographed this life-changing Apple, Brie and Bacon Bread in August and I finally get to share it with you! Of course the reason I kept from posting it was my neurotic schedule I have planned months in advance, but now it will be fresh on your mind for the holiday season so it was worth the wait.

I don’t even think I need to describe the bread for you to grasp how crazy delicious it is; I’m sure the title alone does it all, but let me dive in anyways. Remember my Cheesy Pesto Bread with Crispy Prosciutto? This is the same idea, just with a different flavor profile – and one that could not be more perfect for fall.

The base of the bread is a quick homemade honey mustard sauce. It’s creamy, a little tangy and a little sweet. Next we have some crispy cooked bacon. Bacon makes everything better. Then we have some brie cheese that gets a little gooey. Gooey-ness is cheese perfection and brie melts really well. Brie is a creamy and more mild cheese that I love pairing with some sweet elements. Remember my Honey Walnut Baked Brie? Pure heaven. That’s why the brie goes so well with the honey mustard sauce and the apple.

I used a granny smith apple to bring in some tartness as well as sweetness and I love the texture it has in the bread. The apple is very thinly sliced so that it almost cooks through in the bread.

I’ve already been requested to make this Apple, Brie and Bacon Bread again and I’m sure I’ll be making it for plenty of gatherings for the next foreseeable future. I am totally, definitely on board with that. I love this bread because like the Cheesy Pesto Bread with Crispy Prosciutto you can make it ahead of time and reheat it to serve as an appetizer or snack. I have even more variations of this bread planned so get excited for more deliciousness!

Apple, Bacon and Brie Bread

 

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Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon honey
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 16 ounces pizza dough
• 4 slices bacon, cooked
• 4 ounces sliced brie cheese
• ½ granny smith apple, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 egg

Directions

1. Set the dough out to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil or spray with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, mayonnaise and mustard until combined to make the honey mustard.
3. Using flour so it doesn’t stick, roll out the dough on a clean surface until it is roughly the shape of an 11” x 14” rectangle. I usually hold it then let gravity stretch the dough to get it started. Leaving a 1” border, evenly spread the honey mustard on the dough. Next, evenly lay the cooked bacon. Top with the sliced brie and sliced apple.
4. Beat the egg in a small bowl. Lightly brush the egg on the border you left. Gently fold the short edges in then, working carefully, tightly roll the dough up lengthwise. You want to be rolling from long edge to the other long edge, being sure to tuck in the short edge sides as needed. When you’re done rolling, pinch the dough at the seam to seal it. I like to pinch it twice to make sure it’s really tight. Carefully place the bread roll seam side down on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly brush the egg on all exposed top and sides of the roll.
5. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Let cool slightly then cut into slices and serve.

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Lauren Uncategorized 4 Comments

How gorgeous is this Roasted Beet Hummus?! This was not achieved with food dye or a photo editing trick. The hummus actually comes out this beautiful bright fuchsia color from the inclusion of a roasted beet. Making food look pretty isn’t my strong suit, but I didn’t even have to try with this one!

This Roasted Beet Hummus is my third recipe for my self-proclaimed healthy snack week. Hummus with carrot sticks, sliced cucumbers or whatever cut veggies I have in my fridge is my go-to afternoon snack. Of course, it tastes even more addictive when eaten with pita chips, but lately I’ve been sticking with the crunchy vegetables. For some reason I always forget to make hummus and instead buy it at the store. I’m not quite sure why, I’ve made hummus before so I know it is literally one of the easiest things you could make. Five basic ingredients get pureed in a food processor – done. After buying a new hummus flavor at the store that I ended up not liking I decided I should try getting back into making my own hummus so I could be sure it would taste good.

A few years ago I made Pumpkin Hummus, which is full of yummy fall flavors. I wanted to try making a different flavor and immediately thought of roasted beets. As most of you know, I love beets. Also, beets are really good for you! Yay healthy ingredients! The beet flavor adds some rich earthiness to the zing of the lemon juice and zest. So far I’ve been eating it with my usual crunchy veggies, but I’ve also eaten some with a spoon. Oh, sorry, that probably wasn’t helpful. You were hoping I would say something like, I’ve also eaten some spread on a big roasted turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato and cucumber or on some avocado toast. Or whipped into the egg yolks for deviled eggs or smeared onto a crispy flatbread topped with goat cheese and caramelized shallots. All of which sound AMAZING and now I’m definitely tempted to step out of my crunchy vegetable and spoon bubble.

This makes quite a bit of hummus, but I just discovered with a bit of Googling that hummus freezes well. I’m going to try it with half of the Roasted Beet Hummus and I’ll report back with how I froze it and how it tasted after being frozen. From what I read, for optimal texture and taste it shouldn’t be frozen a long time, which is perfect since I’ll probably be defrosting it to use in a week or two when I go through what I have in the fridge. Do you make your own hummus?

If you are looking for more healthy snack inspiration check out my recipes for Fall Trail Mix with Pumpkin Spiced Pepitas, Baked Apple Chips and Crispy Baked Kale Chips!

Roasted Beet Hummus

 

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Yield: about 2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 beet, scrubbed clean and stem removed
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 clove garlic
• ⅓ cup tahini
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• Juice and zest from 1 lemon
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Take a piece of foil large enough to wrap and cover the beet. Peel the beet, but be careful - beet juices stain, including your fingers! If you would rather peel the beet after cooking, see the recipe not. Place the beet in the middle of the foil and very lightly drizzle with olive oil then lightly season with salt. Wrap the foil around the beet to create a little packet that is fully sealed. Place the beet on a baking sheet or pan (you might want to put foil on that, too) in case your packet falls over in the oven and beet juice leaks out. Roast the beet for 45 minutes, or until tender. You might need to roast for longer if the beet is very large. Let cool slightly - carefully cutting into the beet will help it cool.
2. If you haven’t already, cut the beet into quarters or large chunks. Put the cut beet, chickpeas, garlic, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt in a food processor. Blend or pulse until smooth. Taste and adjust salt if needed.

Notes

There is not a big flavor difference whether you roast the beet with the skin on or peeled. I prefer to peel mine ahead of time so I can use it as soon as it’s done instead of waiting for it to be cool enough to handle to peel. If you want to peel yours after roasting, when it’s cooked and cool enough to handle, peel the beet by rubbing it with your hands and fingers under running water.

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Lauren Uncategorized 4 Comments

I am so excited to share the recipe for these Chocolate Cherry Coconut Energy Balls with you! I just went and ate one from my freezer to get in the mindset of writing this post. They are really good, which makes it especially hard not to eat them all. These energy balls are sweet, tart and screaming of chocolate, cherry and coconut flavors.

I wanted to be able to really taste each flavor and after a little trial and error I think I got the ratio just right. The chocolate – and the dark coloring of the energy balls – comes from the cocoa powder. I love the combination of chocolate and cherries so we have dried cherries to bring in our cherry flavor. Finally, coconut comes through via the unsweetened coconut and the coconut extract. There’s also coconut oil, but that actually has a very mild coconut taste in its raw form.

The reason I call these energy balls is because they have a combination of protein, carbohydrates and fats, perfect for giving you a little boost of energy during the day. The protein and some of the healthy fats are because of the walnuts, which also help give a subtle nutty flavor to the energy balls.

I’ll always think the best part of any recipe I post is the taste, so the second best part is how easy these little no-bake bites are to whip up in your food processor. Everything gets pulsed together then you roll them into balls while your hands become a sticky mess and you get ravenous breathing in all the chocolate, cherry and coconut scents.

I believe these Chocolate Cherry Coconut Energy Balls are paleo, but I’m definitely not a paleo expert so don’t quote me on it! If anyone is a follower of the paleo diet and knows whether all the ingredients are paleo or not please let me know in the comments. Either way, Matt and I love having these little bites in the freezer for whenever we need a little boost – I hope you all enjoy them as much as we do!

Chocolate Cherry Coconut Energy Balls

 

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Yield: 22 energy balls

Ingredients

• 10½ ounces of walnuts, about 2 cups
• 1¼ cups shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1¼ cups Medjool dates, pitted
• 1 cup dried cherries (sweetened sour cherries)
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a food processor, pulse the walnuts and shredded coconut until they resemble crumbs. Add the dates, dried cherries, cocoa powder, coconut oil, coconut extract and salt then pulse until a sticky batter has formed and no large chunks remain. Scoop the mixture into a bowl. You could form the balls right from the food processor, but I find it’s a lot easier and I have less waste if I form them from a bowl.
2. Line a baking sheet that will fit in your freezer with wax paper or parchment paper. Scoop up some of the mixture and use your hand to roll it into a ball. You will be making about 22 energy balls and your hands will get very sticky! As you form the balls, place them on the prepared baking sheet so they aren’t touching. Freeze them for at least one hour. You can store them in the fridge or the freezer in an airtight container. They should be okay in the fridge for 1 week and will stay longer in the freezer. I prefer to keep them in the freezer and then I let them sit for a minute before eating (or I eat them straight from the freezer if I don’t feel like waiting!).

Notes

The volume of walnuts changes depending on whether you are using whole, halved or pieces, so it’s better to go by weight. I used a mixture of whole and halved walnuts and it came out to 2 cups by volume and 10½ ounces by weight.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

If you’ve never had roasted chickpeas you are missing out! Did you know if you roast chickpeas in the oven they turn into the crunchiest, crispiest snack? Mind blown! I don’t remember where I first heard about these, but it must have been from a food blog or food magazine. I made them about seven years ago in a tiny toaster oven and was instantly obsessed. Now I see them in packages all over the grocery store!

Of course you could buy them, but they are much more inexpensive if you make them yourself and then you can completely customize the flavors and ingredients. I used a blend of salt, paprika and garlic powder to keep them relatively simple for everyday snacking, but with just the right amount of flavor.

Over the years I’ve made roasted chickpeas quite a few times and I’ve finally settled on the method below that, in my opinion, achieves the crunchiest texture. I’ve been all about the top tips lately so here are my top two tips for getting really crispy roasted chickpeas. First, peel the chickpeas. Now, as anyone who has ever peeled chickpeas knows, it takes a fair amount of time. I personally find it soothing to stand there and pop the little chickpeas out of their peels, but I think it’s worth it since the peel can trap a lot of moisture in the chickpeas while they’re baking and keep them from reaching peak crunchiness.

Second, bake the chickpeas for a while before putting on any oil or seasonings. Basically, we’re dry roasting the chickpeas before introducing liquid to ensure our chickpeas get… you guessed it – crispy and crunchy! After they’ve had a chance to dry roast for a bit I use just a light mist of cooking spray before sprinkling with the seasonings.

I love this healthy snack on its own or especially on salads. This week is going to be all about the healthy snacks so I’m excited to share two more of my favorites with you later this week!

Crispy Roasted Chickpeas

 

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Yield: About 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and peeled
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread the chickpeas out in a single layer on the baking sheet. You don’t want them dripping wet, but it’s okay if they aren’t completely dry. Bake for 20 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through cooking. While the chickpeas are baking, combine the salt, paprika and garlic powder in a small bowl.
3. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and lightly spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the chickpeas and lightly toss to make sure they are all well coated. Spread the chickpeas back into a single layer then continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until crispy. Let them cool slightly before eating. They can be eaten warm or at room temperature.

Notes

To peel the chickpeas, simply pop them out of their peels after a thorough rinsing. I find rinsing and scooping through them with my hands in the strainer tends to get off a lot of peels on their own. If you would prefer not to peel the chickpeas you could skip this step, but I find peeling the chickpeas helps in achieving the crunchiest texture.
Store in a bowl loosely covered with plastic wrap or a paper bag to help them keep their crispiness.

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Lauren Uncategorized 4 Comments