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Italian Quinoa Bites

April 18, 2013 by Cara

Oh Italian Quinoa Bites…

Italian Quinoa Bites - Fork & Beans

How I love thee…

Italian Quinoa Bites - Fork & Beans

What fun little appetizer bites these are! You might wanna make them for dinner, however. You won’t be able to get yourself to stop eating them. I know that everyone says that but this time it’s serious. Crunchy on the outside with a warm quinoa center that melts into your mouth. Dip them into marinara sauce and you are in your own little Italian heaven. A breadcrumb-covered, marinara-dipping heaven.

Italian Quinoa Bites - Fork & Beans

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Italian Quinoa Bites

  • Author: Fork & Beans
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 12 Quinoa Bites 1x
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

For the Quinoa Bites:

  • 1/2 c. dried quinoa, cooked with 1 c. water
  • 2 Tbsp. Cara’s All-Purpose Blend
  • 1 Tbsp. flaxseed meal + 2 Tb water, let sit for 5–7 min
  • 1 Tbsp. sundried tomatoes (in oil), diced
  • 1 Tbsp. nondairy cheese of choice (optional)
  • 4 fresh basil leaves, chopped finely
  • 1 tsp. nondairy milk

Bread Coating:

  • 1 c. Rice Chex (or other gluten free crunchy cereal)
  • 1/2 tsp. basil
  • 1/2 tsp. oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. thyme

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. In a shallow bowl, combine the bread coating ingredients together until well-mixed. In a medium bowl, mix together all of the quinoa bites ingredients. Form into balls with hands and coat with bread crumb mix.
  3. Place into skillet and cook on all sides until golden brown. Allow to drain on a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle salt to season immediately. Serve with your favorite marinara sauce.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @forkandbeans on Instagram and hashtag it #forkandbeans

 

namastasty

 

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Filed Under: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Kid-Friendly, Nut Free, Vegan Tagged With: appetizers, baking, dinner, entree, Food, gluten free, quinoa, recipes, vegan, vegetarian

About Cara

Based in Chicago with her husband and son, Cara is the creator behind the site Fork and Beans: A place where kids can have fun with their food.

Previous Post: « Cauliflower Spanish Rice
Next Post: Avocado Mango Fig Salsa »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Melanie H

    November 6, 2017 at 1:16 pm

    These look delicious! I’m going to modify it a little bit for my needs but I don’t doubt it will be amazing. I’m going to use eggs instead of the sub and instead of putting on a coating and frying (I don’t have the Chex on hand) I’m going to put them in balls and bake them at 350 until nice and golden. I love sun dried tomatoes and I know I am going to love these!

  2. DanielleB

    January 25, 2016 at 3:53 pm

    I’m not sure what I did wrong but they would not form into balls – they instantly fell apart in the pan. I’m disappointed because I was really excited about these – I ended up just toasting the entire mixture in a fry pan and ate it as a side dish. It had great flavours! If you have any ideas on what I may have done wrong please let me know!

  3. Roberta

    January 17, 2016 at 6:20 pm

    These sound great! I am going to share these on pinterest.

  4. Ebony

    April 16, 2015 at 8:55 pm

    These look delicious! I’m always trying to get my parents to include more vegan/vegetarian meals in their diet, and I think this one will definitely be in my next pitch!

  5. Jessica

    February 23, 2015 at 11:49 am

    okay, these are flipping amazing!! I made them over the weekend for a birthday dinner party I was hosting and they were beyond a hit. I have multiple people tell me they were the best appetizer they’d ever had! they’re crunchy and flavorful and you cannot believe they’re Quinoa! i used Trader Joes jarred Bruschetta for the dipping sauce (put it in the Magic Bullet to smooth it out) and it was the BEST accompaniment to these. I will be making these a lot! THANK YOU!

    • Cara

      February 23, 2015 at 5:19 pm

      Um, that is such great news, I love it Jessica! xo

  6. Veronica

    February 20, 2015 at 2:02 pm

    I AM SO EXCITED TO TRY THESE! any info on the calorie count of the bites and sauce? Thank you 🙂

  7. Vee w

    February 20, 2015 at 2:29 am

    Hi Cara, I love quinoa… I can wait to try these. Keep up the good work. Pay No attention to negative energy. Thank you for sharing.

    • Cara

      February 20, 2015 at 7:26 am

      Aww man, thank you SO MUCH for the super sweet love over here!! I try my best to let negativity to roll right off and see the best in others and then a comment like yours comes along solidifying that. Your kindness speaks MORE than any type of finger pointing. Much love, Vee!

  8. Jen

    March 1, 2014 at 3:13 pm

    Could these be prepared in advance and frozen? Or stored in fridge?

  9. Jill

    January 29, 2014 at 4:29 pm

    Do you think you could bake these? They look so good, but I can never get the pan-fry thing right.

    • Leslie

      January 29, 2014 at 6:18 pm

      You can bake quinoa bites. I make them all the time and they are great. Bake at 350 for approx 15 – 17 minutes. And instead of forming little balls, you can scoop them into mini-muffin cups to bake.

  10. petra

    December 25, 2013 at 3:26 am

    I’m not from the US but from Europe.. what does the amount Tb mean..? If I google it only comes up with digital/computer sizes..

    • petra

      December 25, 2013 at 3:28 am

      sure TB means Table Spooon..

      • Cara

        December 26, 2013 at 11:18 am

        Hi Petra! You are right, TB = tablespoon 🙂 So sorry for the confusion. xo

  11. KAlone

    November 3, 2013 at 9:25 pm

    All of the “fake” cheeses have casein in them. That is a milk protein that has been shown to increase the rate of ancer growth. Can anyone name me a brand without casein because I am seriously CRAVING cheese!

    • Anna

      November 7, 2013 at 4:12 pm

      There is a vegan cheese that doesn’t contain any Casein, just Google cheeses without Casein and the brand will come up. It sounds really good and it also melts good too. Good luck with that.

    • Cara

      November 7, 2013 at 5:00 pm

      All Daiya products are certified vegan 🙂

    • Holly

      April 19, 2017 at 1:41 pm

      Nutritional yeast

  12. Carrie

    September 10, 2013 at 11:59 pm

    I have a seed AND nut sensitivity. Recommendations as to what I could use in lieu of flaxseed?

    • Karen Harris

      October 4, 2013 at 3:08 am

      If you’re not sensitive to eggs, I think you could use an egg or egg white equivalent.

      • Cara

        October 6, 2013 at 8:54 am

        Absolutely!

  13. leaf

    September 1, 2013 at 3:40 am

    @ Ruth, i hope you read this!

    For cheese idk, but milk; make your own.
    Oatmilk is super easy & superfun & supercheap to make. You can vary with the sweetners, like vanilla, maple syrup etc.

    I use 80 grams of oats (the kind you use to make a healthy porridge in the morning) on 800 mililiter of water. You can keep it in the fridge overnight to give it a good soak & blend it in the morning or use it right after blending. Filter it or not, cheesecloth & coffeefilters are handy for that.
    Loads of ways to do it, search online for more recipes, it’s super easy & CHEAP!

  14. Brittany @WeHeartVegan

    August 9, 2013 at 10:46 pm

    Such a great way to get more quinoa into the diet!! Definitely trying these soon <3

  15. Ruth

    August 3, 2013 at 1:20 pm

    Hi, I’m new to the gluten, egg and dairy free world, but I have the nut free challenge on top of that! As well as assorted veggie and fruit allergies too. I mean, who’s allergic to bananas? MY KIDS! Ugh. Anyways, We cannot do soy, and corn causes mild reactions but can be rotated.
    Anywho, non-dairy cheese and non dairy milk, can I get that soy free and nut free?
    Blessings.

    • Kay

      September 5, 2013 at 7:25 am

      Ruth, I’m also kind of new; my son has multiple allergies too. I know there’s a lot of non-dairy cheese but it has soy. I guess some might exist out there that isn’t soy or nut based, but I haven’t seen it. I just leave out the “cheese”.
      We use coconut milk – even though we have nut and peanut allergies, it’s fine for us. You might make sure it’s not an allergy for you; I’m not clear on if it’s a NUT or not! But it’s good for cereal, cooking, smoothies, everything we’ve tried so far has been good. There’s also rice milk but I personally don’t like it. Good luck!

  16. Nancy

    July 27, 2013 at 8:30 am

    I love quinoa, but I am not vegan so I made them with milk, cheese, flour, and the cereal. They were great, thanks!

  17. Sarah

    July 16, 2013 at 7:35 am

    Absolutely YUM! 🙂 Another home run, Cara. xo

  18. Bonnie

    July 13, 2013 at 12:02 pm

    Amazing. I made these last night and we loved them! Thank you, thank you.

  19. Kellie

    July 10, 2013 at 3:59 pm

    I used Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice cereal. It’s GF and non-GMO and organic. Worked very well.

    • Cara

      July 11, 2013 at 7:03 am

      Perfect! So helpful Kellie, thank you 🙂

      • Kellie

        July 11, 2013 at 9:46 am

        I was making these last night for the first time when I left my comment and wanted to follow-up with a couple modifications.

        I used an egg in lieu of the flaxseed meal. Lest anyone get their panties in a bunch, it came from Henrietta, my neighbor’s chicken, who is one of a beloved flock of pampered, happy, pet chickens living it up in the suburbs.

        My spice cabinet is something of a mess so I grabbed the first bottle that looked acceptable: Penzey’s Italian Dressing Base.

        The Bites were served with a Sneaky “Caesar” Salad and the meal was promptly devoured by everyone.

        Conclusion: these things are RIDICULOUSLY good. They almost taste like a fried mozzarella stick, but so much better. Make them and eat them now, they’re that good.

        Once again, Ms. Cara, I have to thank you. I’ve yet to use a single recipe from your site that hasn’t turned out well. Never ever leave the interwebs, okay?

  20. Nicole Davis

    June 23, 2013 at 4:56 pm

    I definitely need to make these. 🙂

  21. Kelly @ Vegan Iowan

    June 20, 2013 at 9:01 am

    These are so stunning! I used to live Arrancini balls in my “former” non-vegan life, and these look like the perfect way to satisfy that craving now! Adding the ingredients to my grocery list now…

  22. Amy

    May 30, 2013 at 8:27 am

    I made these for me and my carnivorous son, who LOVED them! I snuck in faux pepperoni slices (he has NOT complained) instead of the sundried tomatoes and added regular dairy (sorry!) smoked bacon cheddar cheese. We’re not completely on the other side, but your recipes have helped me feel better, eat healthier and lose weight. 😀 Thank you so much.

    • Amber

      June 13, 2013 at 4:44 pm

      Why would you use dairy when the recipe tastes great without it and is not cruel to animals in any way?

      WATCH: “Farm To Fridge” – only 11 minutes. Dairy causes cancer and many health risks. Please realize the meat and dairy industry is horrifically cruel. The gentle farm animals are tortured daily from the day they are born. Male chicks ground alive, as one example in the egg industry. Every animal feels fear and pain. We don’t eat dogs or cats in this country, so why do we eat farm animals or unhealthy bloody pussy mammary secretions like dairy? Watch! and witness the suffering caused with every purchase of animal flesh or dairy.

      http://www.meatvideo.com/

      • Cara

        June 13, 2013 at 9:30 pm

        I just played that video, Amber. I listened to it but refused to watch the majority of it–I just couldn’t. Thank you for the link!

        • Amber

          June 15, 2013 at 9:15 pm

          You’re welcome. Eye opening, heh? Every purchase of meat or dairy products pays for this torture to continue. It’s horrifying. Here’s one specifically for the Dairy industry. Barbaric. Switch to dairy-free plant based like Almond milk, Soy or Coconut milk and vegan cheeses. Search to learn how to make very simple and fast cashew nut based cheeses.

          9 min. new Mercy For Animals undercover video for largest NY Dairy farm.

          http://youtu.be/6RNFFRGz1Qs

          • Anna

            July 21, 2013 at 7:09 pm

            Oh my god! Absolutely disgusting!! It really bothers me the torture that they put these animals through, that are absolutely unnessary! Makes me want to become a Vegetarian instantly.I could only watch 15 seconds of the video. This will bother me for days.

          • Bea Elliott

            July 22, 2013 at 11:17 am

            Hi Amber – This certainly is a horrible video to look at. What’s even more disturbing though is that this the “cruelty” beyond the “standard practices” of dairy. Those make me sadder than anything because it’s what the industry (and consumers) chose to accept as part of “business”. I’m speaking of the de-horning, tail-docking, artificial insemination (rape)… And worst of all the stealing of the baby calves. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for these new mothers to have their babies taken from them. So sad… All so “unweaned” humans can have the milk instead.

            Colleen Patrick Goudreau has an excellent wrap up of the vile practices in the dairy industry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFApXhI6qa4

  23. Maddy

    May 22, 2013 at 5:43 pm

    These were amazing! Thank you!!

    • Cara

      May 22, 2013 at 9:02 pm

      So happy to hear that you like this recipe! xo

  24. Colleen

    May 17, 2013 at 3:56 pm

    Is there another option instead of Rice Chex since they are GMO?

    • Robin

      July 13, 2013 at 10:04 am

      I use Erewhon crispy brown rice cereal as my bread crumbs. =)

    • Erryn

      February 19, 2015 at 9:58 am

      Agreed, this recipe is free of many allergens but calls for a GMO cereal which is (arguably) the reason for allergies!!!! Name brand cereals are awful for you!

  25. Suzanne

    May 3, 2013 at 5:38 am

    do you think these could be baked instead of fried.

  26. Anna {Herbivore Triathlete}

    April 21, 2013 at 10:04 am

    I think I’d like to move in with you! These looks absolutely amazing.

  27. Kimberly

    April 19, 2013 at 3:03 pm

    These look awesome! Can’t wait to pick up some Rice Chex and make these.

  28. Somer

    April 19, 2013 at 10:16 am

    I could totally gobble the whole platter!

  29. Brooke (Crackers on the Couch)

    April 18, 2013 at 5:19 pm

    These look dingdang awesome!

  30. Beth @ Tasty Yummies

    April 18, 2013 at 3:43 pm

    These look so amazing Cara!!

  31. Heather @ Better With Veggies

    April 18, 2013 at 12:30 pm

    Perfect small snack – this sounds fantastic!

  32. Anne Heffernan

    April 18, 2013 at 11:06 am

    These look very tasty, but they call for flour. Can cornstarch be substituted?

    • cara

      April 18, 2013 at 2:36 pm

      It’s supposed to say gluten free flour, sorry about that!

      • Anne

        April 18, 2013 at 8:57 pm

        Oh–duh! I guess I should have figured that out. Mental note: Less coffee and more sleep!
        Thank you so much for what looks like a yummy recipe! I can’t wait to try it. 🙂

  33. Kristy

    April 18, 2013 at 7:25 am

    I’ll take ten, please. Thank you.

  34. Aubrey

    April 18, 2013 at 6:30 am

    Is there an alternative to Rice Chex? They are GMO and I’d like to try something different. What about puffed rice? That’s the only rice cereal that I can find that’s organic. Will I have the same consistency?

    • Ashley

      April 21, 2013 at 7:38 am

      This would probably work with gluten free breadcrumbs. 🙂

  35. Dawn

    April 18, 2013 at 5:50 am

    I think I love you. These are lovely!

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Welcome, I’m Cara! At Fork and Beans you will find creativity at every corner. From snack ideas, to holiday fun–even crafts and activities to do with your kids. If you are a parent (or just love fun food), you’ve come to the right spot! Come check out the latest idea I’ve made for my family and stay awhile, won’t you?

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