Aw, so cute!

Baby Pizzas! 

Muffin tin madness!  

Yes, here's ANOTHER recipe using the muffin tin. I am hooked on all the ideas out there; what comes out of them is the perfect size for work lunches, a quick snack, or to have with a salad for dinner. *Use the mini-size for this recipe.* 

 So last week, during a wild thunder/lightning/sideways rain storm, Mum and I were on a cooking spree. We had quinoa and curiosity at hand, so these little treats were our next item on the agenda. 

Here's what you need:

1 cup uncooked quinoa 

2 large eggs 

1 cup chopped green onions 

1 cup shredded cheese 

2 teaspoons minced garlic 

 2 tablespoons dried basil 

1 full-size pepperoni stick, cut into approx 1/2" pieces 

1 teaspoon paprika 

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

Prepare your quinoa: 2 cups of water to the one cup of grains, in a covered pot, brought to a boil. Then simmer for 20 minutes or until quinoa is ready. Preheat your oven to 350. 

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Once well combined, evenly distribute your gooey goodness into a greased *use lots to prevent sticking* tin. Fill each cup right to the top (it's pretty close to the amount of one heaping tablespoon in each.)

Press down gently to compact. 

Bake for 15-18 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. 

Two minutes after we pulled these from the oven we lost power in our neighborhood for almost 2 and a half hours. Thanks for the good timing, Mother Nature! Our "pizzas" were not ruined. 

Serve hot with a side of pizza sauce for dippin'. 

Now, would I make these again? Um....I'd give it a solid...Maybe? I enjoyed them, but I didn't love them. I kinda force myself to eat quinoa anyhow, so that could be the problem. If this was normal, gorgeous, gluten-filled pizza dough? That would be another story. (An I-gained-50-pounds story...) Ha! 

Get cooking, 

Stace. 

Source: http://www.fitsugar.com/Gluten-Free-Quinoa-Pizza-Bites-21988461

Oh, sweet crunchiness.

When I need a snack, my brain automatically goes to the salty goodness of popcorn. But sometimes you need a quick shot of protein and maybe some sweetness, so I made a batch of these tonight:

What is that, you ask? Answer: Oven roasted seasoned chickpeas. Yup. 

I know I say "this is so easy" on EVERY recipe, but it really is! I write this blog because I want to help non-cookers/bakers get in the kitchen. So here's a snack you can eat while in your car doing your bajillion errands. Or at your desk. Or even when you *gasp!* take some time for yourself in the evening in front of the telly. 

 All you need is:

~ 1 can of chickpeas (mine are currently drained, rinsed, and sitting on a paper towel to dry when I took this shot. Make sure you do the same!) 

~ 1/2 Tbspn olive oil 

~ 1 Tbspn honey 

~ 1/2 Tspn cinnamon 

~ 1/8 Tspn nutmeg 

~ 1/8 Tspn sea salt*

Set your oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Wish I had the latter, but since I have not yet picked one up, the parchment works pefectly well.

Spread out the 'peas on the pan and throw it in the oven for about 40 minutes.

Test one and if it's still a bit soft, give it about another 5 or 10 minutes. 

Next, pour them into your mixing bowl while still hot, and add your remaining ingredients. Give them a good stir-about, then pop them back in the oven for 10 more minutes to crisp up the coating.

I know you smiled when you saw Lil' Red. My cooking buddy. He keeps me on my toes. (Ie: That's my timer.)

*As mentioned earlier, my tooth is more savory than sweet, so I sprinkled a little extra salt on them. Let them cool then store in an air tight container. I'm a big fan of "why buy that when I've already got this?", so a jar that used to hold Mott's applesauce now works perfectly for my little edible friends.

High five to effortless, good-for-you recipes! 

Get cooking, 

Stace.

Source: http://www.fitsugar.com/Roasted-Honey-Cinnamon-Chickpeas-27908653

EggsEasyEggsEasy. Eggs.

Twelve hour work days are FUN. Yes! Woo! Alas, amongst the good times one must still find time to eat healthy and happily. 

Thus, the easy-peasy egg cups. 

I made these late last night after another long shift, and brought 2 into work this morning to zap and eat on my coffeebreak. Three colleagues saw them and said...."ohhh....that looks good!" So obviously, that was sign enough that I had to share it on here for them and the rest of y'all. Good thing I took pics. Heh.

Ok! Eggs! Veggies! Oven to 450! So simple! 

 Throw a sampling of bits in each cup of a muffin tin (spray well with Pam or what-have-you first).I diced up green onions, green pepper, black forest ham, a wee bit of irish cheese and some S&P.  

 Scramble your eggs in a separate bowl (aka add some milk, then whip-whip with a fork),

 and pour over each cup until 99% full. Bake for about 22 minutes, pull out of the oven, let cool in the pan, then remove and EAT. 

 Something this simple should be criminal. Get cookin/baking, Stace.