{Recipe Files}: Buffalo Quinoa Bites

I'd seen buffalo quinoa bites on Pinterest, and finally got around to making them close to the end of the school year and then I forgot to share them with you!

These are a great, healthier option for those of you who love buffalo sauce! This recipe was easy to follow, and tasty!
(*The original recipe includes a homemade blue cheese dressing which I skipped, and just used my tried and true store bought--it was still delicious!)

What You Need:

-2 Tbsp butter, melted

-2 Tbsp olive oil

-1/4 Cup buffalo sauce (I used Franks)

-1/2 tsp seasoned salt

-2 Cups cooked quinoa (1/2 C dry)

-1 Cup cannelini beans, mashed (I put mine in a food processor)

-1/2 C Panko bread crumbs

-1 egg, beaten lightly

-1/2 tsp salt

-1 tsp pepper

-3 Tbsp olive oil

What You Do:

1. Cook the quinoa according to package instructions if you don't already have it cooked. Set aside to cool.

2. To make the buffalo sauce, mix together the melted butter, olive oil, buffalo sauce and seasoned salt. Use a whisk to get it evenly mixed. Set aside.

3. In a larger bowl, mix the quinoa, mashed cannellini beans, Panko bread crumbs, egg, salt and pepper and 4 Tbsp of the buffalo sauce you just made.

4. Form into about 1" balls. Try and squeeze the balls together to pack them in tightly.

This should form about 30-35 balls.

5. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with olive oil. Once heated, add in half the balls and cook, moving around, until golden brown.

If the pan isn't hot enough, the first batch is likely to fall apart in some places. Just keep going if this happens.

6. Remove from skillet and toss in the remaining buffalo sauce mixture, coating it on all sides.

7. Cook the last half of the batch the same way.

You can serve these up individually or over a salad. We had ours over a salad with some blue cheese dressing and it was delicious! They were even better the next day!

Check out some of my other recipes on my Recipes Page