I am always trying to create new recipes for healthy vegetarian appetizers that still keep the bold party flavors going strong. Buffalo wings are usually a crowd favorite. So when I recently came across Tieghan’s recipe for Buffalo Quinoa bites I was quite excited! But since it had butter, eggs, and oil in it, and I have some friends and family who are allergic to eggs, I wanted to see if I could modify the recipe to taste just as good without these ingredients. The results were amazing to say the least! These are perfect for a party, sports night, or a cozy evening 🙂 

Quinoa and Cauliflower Buffalo Bites are extremely easy to make. You can sauté them in a hot pan, an Aebleskiver pan, or an Appe pan with a tablespoon of any kind of oil for about 6-7 minutes until they turn slightly brown and crispy. You can bake them too, but they just won’t be as crispy, even though the taste will be the same.

These tiny mouthfuls are filled with such bold flavors that it’s hard to believe they are vegan! They are crispy from the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, and you can taste the tangy buffalo in every morsel. One bonus point is that they are amazingly versatile. You can add them to a salad to make a whole meal out of it, you can serve them as appetizers at a party, or you can even use them as vegan meatballs in pasta! If you are serving them alone, just make sure that you add the sauce right when you’re ready to eat, otherwise they might become soggy.

Hope you try these and enjoy!

 Ingredients: 

Cooked Quinoa – 1 cup

White beans – ½ cup

Steamed Cauliflower – 1 cup

Organic Oat Flour – 1/6 cup

Panko crumbs – 3 Tbs

Frank’s Original Buffalo Sauce – 2 Tbs for the mix and about ½ cup or more for coating later

Salt — pinch

Pepper — pinch

Directions:

• Cook the Quinoa and cool it or if you have any leftovers, you can use them.
• Steam the cauliflower in the microwave for 2-3 minutes and mince in food processor (should look small like rice and not clumped up together).

• Add the beans, quinoa, minced cauliflower, oat flour, panko crumbs, 2 Tbs buffalo sauce, salt and pepper to a bowl.

• Mash it together really well.

• Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon make about 1 inch balls of the mix. Press them so they don’t fall apart.
• You can sauté in a hot pan or in an Aebleskiver pan or Appe pan with a tablespoon of any oil for about 6-7 minutes till they turn slightly brown and crispy. You can bake also but they don’t turn out be very crispy, that all. Even though the taste is same.

 

• Take them out and add 4-5 at a time in a bowl with some buffalo sauce and gently coat them with the sauce. Keep adding buffalo sauce as needed to coat them.

• Only add sauce when you are ready to eat to maintain crispiness. In case they will be eaten later, do not coat with sauce. Reheat in a toaster oven and then coat with sauce.

• Enjoy them as it or with some ranch dressing! They are good in a salad or as an appetizer!

Nutritional Contents: 

Serving Size: 1 quinoa ball

Total Servings: 18 — 1 inch ball

Per Serving:  28 cal, Fat 3.7 gm, Carbs 5 gm, Fiber 0.8 gm, Sugar 0.1 gm, Protein 1.2 gm, Vitamin A 3.2%, Iron 2.2%