quinoa cups

Have you jumped on the quinoa bandwagon?  I love the stuff - I find it so versatile.  It's also a good source of protein, fiber, iron & vitamin B12 (and some other good stuff).  You can adapt it for any meal time too - I've had it as a substitute for oatmeal, it's good as a salad for lunch, we use quinoa instead of rice with stirfry and you can even use it in a dessert.
I found this recipe last week, and knew it would be one I would be making again & again.  Really, you could make so many different combinations...ham & cheese, sundried tomato & olive, anything you have on hand really.  I'd say to aim for roughly one cup of meat/veggies, 1/4 cup fresh herbs, 1/4 cup of some type of onion and 3/4 - 1 cup cheese of some sort.  Oh, one more thing: you can make these in a regular-sized muffin tin or in a mini-muffin tin (for a bite-sized treat).  The bite-sized ones would be perfect to bring along to a summer bbq or potluck.  If you try this recipe out, let me know what flavour combo you tried - I'd love to hear how it worked out!

Quinoa Cups
2 cups cooked quinoa (about 3/4 cup uncooked)
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1 cup packed spinach leaves, chopped
2 green onions, finely sliced
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/3 cup fresh-grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
salt & pepper, to taste

Cooking Quinoa: Ok, this is what works for me, but I know there are probably multiple other methods.  My water to quinoa ratio is 2:1.  Start by rinsing the quinoa in cold water then put it in a saucepan.  Add the correct amount of cold water.  Bring everything to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low, cover the pot and allow to simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat.  That's it!

Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare a muffin tin by spraying with cooking spray (if it's not non-stick).  Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, season with a bit of salt & pepper.  Spoon the mixture into the muffin tin.  Bake for about 25 minutes.  Allow the quinoa cups to cool in the muffin pan for a few minutes before removing them.

Recipe adapted from Iowa Girl Eats