Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bites

My kiddo loves to eat. Loves it. He loves eating as much as he hates chicken. Hates it. I've pureed it, I've mixed it with delicious things, I've boiled it, shredded it, cubed it. I've hidden it in peanut butter (he actually licked the peanut butter off and threw the chicken over the side of his tray), I've even made it into a meatball. Nothing throws this kid off of the smell of chicken. That being said, I needed a alternative source of protein. He enjoys both the turkey and beef meatball, but I was getting bored of alternating them throughout the week, and I needed some lunch protein staples.
So I turned to Quinoa. High in protein, flavorless, and I had some laying around - all great things when it comes to needing to make a recipe.
I knew I couldn't just serve up some quinoa, it was too small for his pincers to grasp. But I bet I could bake it with some eggs and make some quinoa bites. So I gave it a try - and man was it a success! I hope your kiddo likes these as much as mine does!

Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bites 

What you need:

Blender 

Rice Cooker

Cheese Grater

Saute Pan 

Silicon Baking Cups

1/2 cup uncooked Quinoa 

1 cup water

1/2 cup ground up Broccoli 

Olive Oil

1/2 cup grated cheese (cheddar)

1 Egg

Spices 

Let's Bake: 

- Set oven to 350 

- In your rice cooker add your 1/2 cup of quinoa and 1 cup of water. Start your rice cooker and get everything else together

- In your blender place heads of broccoli and blend until really fine 

- Get broccoli into a sauté pan with a little olive oil, to prevent sticking, and cook on a medium heat. This just allows the broccoli to not be raw going into the oven. 

- While your broccoli is heating up grate your 1/2 cup of cheese

- When the broccoli is soft, add in your cheese and mix together 

- When your quinoa is done, add that to your broccoli and cheese mixture

- Once it is well incorporated, let it cool for a few minutes before adding in your egg. You don't want to scramble the egg! 

- Your mixture should come together pretty easily. If it is too loose you can add some more cheese! More cheese never hurt anyone! 

- Add in your spices. My kiddo likes pepper and garlic powder

- Pour mixture evenly into silicone cups

- Cook at 350 for about 25-30 minutes. I usually cook them until they pull away from the sides of the cups.

I hope you kiddo enjoys these! Packed with protein and veggies! They make a great lunch or snack. They hold up pretty well and freeze great! My kiddo likes to tear them apart limb from limb so be prepared for a lot of quinoa to get on your floor

Enjoy!