Quinoa nuggets

The idea for this recipe came to me when I was buying ready-made quinoa patties in an organic food store recently. They tasted ok after reheating them and my daughter liked them too but after looking onto the ingredient list they seemed quite simple to make, so I decided I wanted to try and make them on my own. By now we like the homemade version a lot better than the store-bought ones and they just taste great with the dip. You can enjoy them just as a snack or serve them with some veggies for a proper meal.

This recipe is not a quick one and the ingredient list can seem a little overwhelming at first but believe me they’re all worth it. 🙂 These nuggets are also packed with nutrients, healthy fats and iron.

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Quinoa nuggets

Servings 4 -6

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 medium-sized carrots, sliced
• 1 medium-sized zucchini, cubed
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tbsp tamari
• 1 tsp paprika powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 cup sunflower seeds, ground
• 1 cup sesame seeds, ground
• salt and black pepper

For the crust

• 1 cup flax seeds, ground
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp paprika powder

For the dip

• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 tbsp tamari
• 7-8 sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 generous tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 1/2 tsp paprika powder
• 1 tbsp apple-cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• half bunch of wild chives

Instructions

1. Boil quinoa with 3 cups of salted water until tender. Mix chia seeds with 8 tbsp of water and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F and line 2 cookie sheets with baking parchment.
3. For the nuggets process onions, carrots, zucchini and garlic in a food processor until reduced to very fine pieces. Add tamari, paprika powder, turmeric, salt, pepper and maple syrup and process. Add the quinoa and process again. Fill into a mixing bowl and stir in ground sunflower seeds and sesame seeds.
4. For the crust mix ground flax seeds, salt and paprika powder.
5. With your hands form nuggets from the quinoa mixture and roll in the flaxseed mixture to coat from both sides. Place onto the cookie sheets. (The quinoa mixture will be quite soft and a little sticky. The nuggets will firm up while baking.)
6. Bake the nuggets for 1 hour. Flip after 30 minutes and rotate sheets.
7. For the dip blend all ingredients in a blender.
8. Serve the quinoa nuggets along with the dip and enjoy!