I go through phases when I crave spicy food. With little kids and a husband who don’t often choose heat, I don’t make fiery dishes every day — but sometimes I just need a kick. Case in point: I added a bit of sriracha to some homemade baked veggie spring rolls recently. I thought it was subtle, but my five-year-old disagreed loudly while my sometimes-picky three-year-old happily ate theirs. Kids, right?
These little bites are fun to make and perfect as appetizers, snacks, or a casual meal. I’m a sucker for anything buffalo-flavored, but instead of the usual chicken, I made a vegetarian twist using white beans and quinoa. They’re great served warm and bite-sized — especially if you like a touch of spice.
I dipped mine in a Greek yogurt ranch dressing (I’ll share that fresh herb version soon), but blue cheese-style dips would also pair well. If you’re making a vegan batch, choose a plant-based dip that complements buffalo sauce.
Baking quinoa gives the best crispy edges — they add texture and flavor. Even the white beans get a little crisp at the edges when baked, which is delightful.
Quick update: I took a short break from posting and I’m back to regular updates now. Let’s just move forward with more recipes and fewer apologies.
If you want to keep up with Food Doodles, here are a few subscription options: Feedly is a great RSS alternative, or you can subscribe by email to receive one message whenever a new post goes live. Bloglovin is another choice. You can also follow along on Facebook or Twitter, though social feeds may not always show every post. Thanks for reading and for supporting Food Doodles.
Buffalo White Bean Quinoa Bites
Ingredients
- 1 C cooked quinoa approx. 1/2 C quinoa cooked in 1 C water
- 1 C small white beans drained and rinsed
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 green onions finely chopped
- 1 stalk celery finely chopped
- 1 tbsp flour I used oat flour; use whole wheat, GF, or your preferred flour
- 1/3 C Buffalo sauce I used Frank’s
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 – 1/2 C mozzarella cheese or alternative if desired
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a mini muffin tin generously and set aside.
-
In a bowl, stir together the cooked quinoa, white beans, garlic, green onions, celery, flour, and buffalo sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
-
Spoon the mixture into each mini muffin cup and press down firmly to compact.
-
Bake 20–25 minutes. If using cheese, add it during the last 5 minutes and bake until bubbly. Remove from oven and cool 3–4 minutes before removing from the tin.
-
To release the bites easily, place a cooling rack over the mini muffin tin and flip them together; the bites should fall out. Flip them over and serve warm.