Mexican Quinoa Bites

Mexican Quinoa Bites are healthy, cheesy bite-sized mini mac and cheese muffins made with quinoa, tomatoes, black beans, and other southwestern flavors. {vegetarian, gluten free} Thank you to Hunt’s Tomatoes for sponsoring this post.

With the big game just around the corner, while I am not necessarily a football fan, I am definitely a football food fan! Since this is also a time of year when people are looking to eat a little healthier, I am even more inspired to create fun tasty recipes with a healthier twist.  Quinoa bites are always my most requested recipes for parties, such as these Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bites, Jalapeno Popper Quinoa Bites, Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bites and Pizza Quinoa Bites. Time to add Mexican Quinoa Bites to the list…they’re so good!  

Mexican Quinoa Bites are easy to make using simple, wholesome ingredients that can be kept on hand at all times. Start by cooking the quinoa according to package directions. I usually use vegetable broth to add more flavor to the bites, but water works fine too. Once the quinoa has cooled, add it to a large bowl and combine with the vegetables, cheese(s), spices and remaining ingredients. Divide the mixture into muffin cups and sprinkle a little extra cheese over the tops and bake. It’s that easy!

If you want the bites to be a little spicier, I recommend using pepper jack cheese or a combination or pepper jack and cheddar cheese. For the tomatoes, I use Hunt’s Organic Diced Tomatoes. We all know I am a big Hunt’s fan because they peel their tomatoes using a FlashSteam process, which means they use simply steam from hot water to peel the tomatoes (unlike other companies who peel with chemicals such as lye*). Hunt’s cans their tomatoes within hours of harvest, which results in delicious, fresh-tasting tomatoes!

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend consuming 2.5 to 3 cups of vegetables a day, a goal almost 9 out of 10 Americans are not meeting. New research presented at The Obesity Society’s annual meeting found adding tomatoes to your meals and snacks can be an easy way to include more vegetables in your diet and get closer to USDA’s MyPlate recommendations.

This recipe for Mexican Quinoa Bites makes about 40 bites, which is great for parties (or fun bite-sized dinners for the week) Leftovers reheat and freeze well,…that is if there are any leftovers! 🙂

Mexican Quinoa Bites

 

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Author: Alida Fischbach

Yields: ~ 40 bites

Ingredients

• ¾ cups quinoa, rinsed
• 1½ cups broth (or water)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) Hunt's Organic Diced Tomatoes, drained
• 1¾ cups shredded cheese, divided (cheddar or pepperjack)
• ¼ cup green onions, finely minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions

1. In a medium sauce pan, combine quinoa and water (or broth) and cook according to package directions. Let cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine cooled quinoa, eggs, black beans, tomatoes, 1½ cups cheese, green onions, garlic, chili powder and cumin.
3. Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray mini muffin tins with cooking spray.
4. Put a heaping tablespoonful of quinoa mixture into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle tops with remaining shredded cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until edges turn golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes and then gently remove from pan.

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Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hunt’s® tomatoes. *Lye peeling is generally recognized as safe by the FDA and has no adverse effects on the healthfulness of tomatoes.