Quinoa Pizza Bites!

I’m baaaack!  Sorry for being MIA, February was a whirlwind.  I was out of town most of the month for work and then for vacation, but I’m back to blogging and I have a great recipe to get back into the swing of things:  cheesy quinoa pizza bites with turkey pepperoni!

These are a perfect appetizer for entertaining but I made these the other day as our lunch and Jon and I both scarfed down the plate.  Dipped in warm marinara sauce they are full of pizza flavor and are totally healthy!  These could be a great snack for kids too.  And whatever toppings you like on your pizza you can try in these bites!  We like pepperoni and cheese but olives, bell pepper, onions, etc could all be great!

Enjoy!

Quinoa Pizza Bites (Makes about 20-24 bites)

Adapted from Fit for Success

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella (use fat-free for lower calorie content if desired)
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbs dried basil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• handful of turkey pepperoni, cut up into little bits
• pinch of salt
• pizza sauce for dipping

Directions:

• Rinse quinoa and then cook it by boiling it with 2 cups of water and covering.  Once boiling, reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes (until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all of your ingredients (except the pizza sauce) in a mixing bowl until it is well mixed.
• Lightly spray the bottoms of two muffin tins with cooking spray. Fill each muffin slot about 1/2 way (or use mini-muffin tins and fill them up almost all the way)
• Bake them for 15-20 minutes and let cool.
• Serve with warm marinara for dipping!