My kids love quinoa, so thought I would attempt a recipe sneaking some greens in, as now my youngest is older, she has become a little picky as to what vegetables she will eat, which was disappointing as she was eating pretty much everything to begin with. These bites are super yummy and adults will love them just as much as the kids.
Zucchini and Parmesan Quinoa Balls
makes approx 12 quinoa bites
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa
- 1 zucchini (courgette), grated
- 60g of parmesan
- black pepper
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 egg white
- 240ml of no added salt chicken or vegetable stock
- olive oil in a spray bottle
Directions
Thoroughly rinse the quinoa under cold water and then add to the chicken/vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer on a low heat until stock is absorbed. Turn off heat, but leave lid on to continue to steam for approx 5-10 mins. Then using a fork, fluff up the quinoa. Each grain should have what looks like a little hair when cooked.
Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.
Preheat oven to 180c or 350f (gas mark 4)
Grease a mini muffin pan with some olive oil
Squeeze excess moisture from the zucchini (courgette) and add this into the quinoa along with the parmesan.
Season with some black pepper.
Add the beaten egg and egg white and thoroughly mix ingredients together.
Spoon the mixture into the holes in the muffin pan and gently push down with the back of a spoon. Spray over the top with a little olive oil.
Place in the oven and bake for approx 20-25 mins until lightly golden.
Allow to cool slightly in the pan and then gently ease out each quinoa bite with a small spoon.
If you prefer, you can scoop the mixture onto a greased baking tray and make the mixture into thin patties, by flattening down with a fork and baking until crisp and golden. Gently flip half way through cooking time.
These are delicious!!! I just made a double batch, my kids are sleeping and will try them tomorrow, but I’m a fan! I think some chives would be yummy in there as well. Thanks for another great, and healthy kid recipe!
Hi there! I love all your finger food recipes. Can’t wait to start trying them. Just a quick question… my bub is 7 months old. I’ve not introduced him to any egg yet. Do you think this recipe would be ok or could I / should I perhaps make it with just egg yolks?
There is no reason to hold back on introducing egg unless there is a history of allergies in your family. I know some like to hold off on introducing them as an allergy can be quite severe, for that reason, If you are concerned speak to your family doctor first. Hope that helps 🙂
My 8 1/2 month old had a severe egg reaction when introduced a month ago. No family history so it took us by surprised. We were told to reintroduce after he is 1 year old. Until then, what do you recommend as an egg substitute?
I actually found a substitute! Mix 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed, 3 tablespoon warm water. Let sit for 3-5 minutes. Equals one egg in any recipe. Works great!!!!
Thanks a lot for sharing!!!!
that is great, thanks for sharing.
Mmm, I love quinoa anything, and this looks like a recipe that my picky toddler might actually try! I would love if you would come share them, or another recipe/project at my link party today! http://domesticsuperhero.com/2013/03/14/sharing-with-domestic-superhero-thursday-link-party-2/
I was wondering if you can substitute parmesan with anything else? Unfortunately, all types of cheeses are full of salt!
Cheese does have salt, but the small amount of cheese in the recipe when portioned out, is not very much as they would prob only eat a few of them maximum. The recommended advice is no more than 1g of salt a day, the less the better obviously . You could try adding some flour or more egg in place of the cheese to help them hold together. I can’t comment on the flavour without the cheese though. Hope that helps.
How do you make the top not dry and still make sure the egg is cook? Thanks for sharing the recipe. It smells great, still baking
The top will be slightly golden and firm, but shouldn’t be ovelry dry. It really won’t take much cooking time for the egg to be cooked. Hope that helps 🙂
I made these last night for my 10month old and she loved them! I was nervous about introducing the whole egg yet so I just used two egg yolks and it came out fine. After tasting them, I was eating them too! This was my first recipe from this site….looking forward to making more of them!
Do you know if these freeze well?
I am not sure. I haven’t tried freezing them myself personally, because of the texture I would think freezing might not work. Let me know if you try.