These homemade vegetable bites make a great snack or meal for kids and adults alike. The bite-sized treats are packed with nutrients, so you won’t feel guilty about eating them or giving them to your kids! This recipe makes a lot, but they can easily be frozen and saved for another day.

Vegetable Quinoa Bites with Basil Essential Oil

Servings: About 5–8; makes 60 mini muffins | Time: 45–60 minutes | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, grated
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1 medium zucchini, grated
• 1 medium red potato, grated
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup coconut flour (or 3/4 cup all-purpose flour)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1–2 drops basil essential oil

Instructions:

1. Cook quinoa (see notes below). Meanwhile grate vegetables and cheese.
2. Mix together the grated vegetables in a large bowl. Place handfuls of the mixture in a clean kitchen cloth or paper towel, and squeeze out the extra liquid. Mix in cooked quinoa and cheese with the vegetables.
3. Place all other ingredients (starting with the eggs) in a separate bowl, and whisk until smooth.
4. Combine the egg mixture into the vegetable mixture. Stir to combine.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a mini muffin tin. (Note: If you don’t have a tin, you can shape them into balls or patties instead.)
6. Use a tablespoon measuring spoon to scoop the mixture into the muffin tins, and press down until firmly packed in.
7. Bake for 15–20 minutes or until brown at the edges.
8. Enjoy these bites alone or with ketchup, avocado, sour cream, or your favorite topping or sauce.

Note: To cook quinoa on the stove, add 3/4 cup quinoa and 3/4 cup water to a small pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, change the temperature to medium-low heat, and let simmer until most if not all of the water is gone. This will take about 15–20 minutes.
To cook quinoa in the pressure cooker, add 3/4 cup quinoa and 1 1/2 cups water to the pressure cooker. Cook for 7 minutes on high pressure.