quinoa spinach bites // gingered orange honey dipping sauce

game day snacks

i am pretty sure that has a different meaning to justin and i, than to everyone else

see- we are not huge sports fans <gasp!>

from new england and not drooling over tom brady every sunday, how can that be?

our game day consists of scrabble or battleship, card games (naughty minds anyone?) or PlayStation 3d move games - yes, we like to live outside the box, dare to be different

so, i thought i would share with you one of our game day snacks from this past sunday

quinoa spinach bites with a gingered orange honey dipping sauce

quinoa, spinach & garlic

a trio of healthy goodness

these simple ingredients are made into little poppable bitesperfect for game day snacking 

raw orange blossom honey, orange zest & segments along with ginger and a wee bit of sugar make a lovely dipping sauce

my honey surprised me with a few jars of beautiful honey from bee raw

- he knows the way straight to my heart

 

flax eggs are added to the quinoa mixture to get the binding action going

rounded packed tablespoons of the mix are rolled in chickpea flour 

i wanted to give you 2 different cooking options

fried - 'cause who doesn't love them some fried food

baked - because there are still some us of trying to squeeze into our skinny jeans

both methods work equally well

baking makes for an easier clean up and a cleaner stove top

fried or baked - you really can't go wrong either way

 the perfect game day snackpoppable & tasty

quinoa spinach  bites  - gingered orange honey dipping sauce

makes 12 bites

you will need:

for the quinoa bites:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 garlic clove
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 flax eggs: 2 tbsp flax meal & 6 tbsp warm water
• 3/4 cup chickpea flour
• 3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil for frying
• olive oil drizzle for baking

for the gingered orange honey dipping sauce:

• 2 tsp sugar
• juice & orange segments from 1/2 a large orange
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 2 tbsp raw honey
• 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

assembly:

• in a small sauce pan bring 1 cup of water to a boil
• salt & add quinoa
• turn heat down to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until water is absorb and the quinoa "rings" are visible
• place quinoa in a medium bowl, in the same pan over medium, heat oil
• add spinach, garlic & mustard - cook until spinach has wilted
• add quinoa back to the pan and stir until well combined - place mixture back into the medium bowl and refrigerate until cool (or place in freezer for a more rapid cooling)
• while the quinoa is cooling, make the sauce
• rinse out the pan you used for the quinoa, over medium heat add  all ingredients for the sauce - cook over medium heat frequently stirring. cook for approximately 6 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken - the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools- refrigerate until ready to use
• once the quinoa has fully cooled, make your flax egg by combining flax meal & warm water - whisk until frothy. add flax egg to quinoa mixture and mix well
• place your chickpea flour in a bowl - with a tablespoon or tablespoon scoop, scoop quinoa and pack well - drop in chickpea flour and roll until completely coated
• if frying set the coated bite on a plate - if baking line a baking sheet with parchment and set the bites until all the quinoa mixture is rolled and coated
• if baking pre-heat oven to 425* - drizzle bites with olive oil or vegetable oil. bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown
• if frying - heat oil in a deep frying pan and add oil- fry each side for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown on each side. remove from pan onto a paper towel lined plate
• serve immediately with dipping sauce - these also go well with marinara sauce in place of the gingered orange honey sauce
• if not serving immediately- keep warmed in a 200* oven until ready to serve

Enjoy!

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P.s. Don't forget about the Great Valentines Bake Off over at Fork & Beans!