These cheddar quinoa bites are served with a spicy yogurt dipping sauce. They pack a healthy, protein punch and are a great side dish.

Things learned this weekend…

Top 40 music becomes much more fun after 3 vodka cranberries and 2 beers.

Coworkers become much more fun after 3 vodka cranberries and 2 beers. (I kid, I kid, they’re always great)

I’ve reached some emotional peak in my life where I now cry at father/daughter dances.

Duck fat fries at a wedding? Best idea ever.

Especially after 3 vodka cranberries and 2 beers.

Navigating a directionally challenged husband home at midnight after 3 vodka cranberries and 2 beers is amusing.

Cheddar quinoa bites

Cheesy quinoa bites make excellent hangover food the next day.

quinoa bites

Besides the fact that I pronounced it as “kin-o-wah” for the first year of our relationship, I’m pretty much in love with quinoa. It masks itself like a carby grain but you can eat it and not have to worry about what your added protein is going to be because it is one! I’m positive if I was a vegetarian I’d live off the stuff.

Add cheddar, Mexican spices, corn kernels that pop in your mouth from freshness and a spicy yogurt dipping sauce and our relationship goes from love to something slightly inappropriate.

Cheddar quinoa bites

Kind of like me on the dance floor Saturday night.

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Cheddar Quinoa Bites

Servings: 12 servings
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Cheddar quinoa bites
These cheddar quinoa bites are served with a spicy yogurt dipping sauce. They pack a healthy, protein punch and are a great side dish.

Ingredients 

Quinoa bites

  • 1/2 cup uncooked red quinoa
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup cheddar, grated
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 1/3 cup corn kernels, fresh or thawed from frozen
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • salt & pepper

Dipping sauce

  • 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha

Instructions 

Quinoa Bites

  • Rinse quinoa then combine with water in a small sauce pan.
  • Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer until water is absorbed (about 20 minutes).
  • While quinoa cooks, combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.
  • Add quinoa to the bowl when finished cooking and combine all ingredients with clean hands.
  • Form mixture into golf ball sized balls (this will be messy but they should come together enough to form balls. If not, add a bit more breadcrumbs) and place on baking sheet.
  • Bake for 20 minutes.
  • If any of the balls have cracked while cooking, reshape them while still hot then let cool to harden.

Dipping sauce

  • Combine yogurt and sriracha in small bowl and stir together.

Nutrition

Serving: 1SERVINGCalories: 69kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 3gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.3gTrans Fat: 0.002gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 93mgPotassium: 82mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 134IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 22mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Side Dishes
Cuisine: American
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Adapted from Tablespoon via Bev Cooks
Founder and Writer at Running to the Kitchen | About

Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.

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49 Comments

  1. So I’m in the middle of making these now for a party thats happening tomorrow evening…i they will be chilled then thrown in a cooler for the drive, into the oven and hopefully come out good enough to eat. Looking at this recipe, it seems like there will only be about 10-15 balls? The party will have 30+ people…I think that a second batch will be mandatory.

  2. Making these this week! I am making a Mexican Quinoa Salad tonight, and with the leftover, I am making this!

  3. I definitely could have used these after the wedding I was at on Saturday night too. Healthy hangover food is probably a must :)

  4. Yeah I would totes eat these. healthy, portable and delicious! Plus, cherry is my favorite fruit!

  5. Quinoa is my new favorite food this year! The first time I tried it, I just made it plain and didn’t really like it. But now I’ve made a couple different versions of cakes with it and I’m in love! I’m always looking for more variations, Thanks!

  6. I needed this recipe last Sunday….everyone gets more fun after a wine festival too :)

  7. These look so amazing, I love the color. I totally need to make a gluten-free, dairy-free version of these, they’d be great on top of all of the local greens we got this week in our CSA. Thanks for the great recipe and the idea, I will let you know if I am successful with a gf, v – version :)