Foodie Monday: Sweet and Savory Quinoa Cakes

I recently went to a vegan cupcake brunch. Thankfully, someone else besides me had also thought to bring a savory cupcake in addition to a sweet one. She made quinoa cakes. They were divine! Instead of asking her for the recipe, I decided to experiment on my own to see what I could come up with. These aren’t replicas of the original quinoa cakes I loved; they are my own creation.

If you had asked me a couple of months ago what I thought of quinoa, I would’ve made a grossed out face. Now, I can’t seem to get enough of it! You can get extremely creative with what you put in your quinoa cakes. I made 3 cups of quinoa and used half for savory cakes and the other half for sweet ones. I had some leftover homemade vegan chocolate hazelnut spread (vegan Nutella) so I threw it in to make a batch of sweet quinoa cakes. They are quick and easy to prepare. Since you use cupcake liners, they are also great on the go for lunches, snacks, or even when you get the post hiking munchies.

Happy noshing!

SAVORY QUINOA CAKES
Prep Time: 5 min, 20 min if you need to cook your quinoa first
Bake Time: 20 min
Yields: 10-12 Muffin sized cakes

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 c Quinoa, cooked according to package instructions
1 c Uncooked Oatmeal
1 c Coconut Milk
1/2 c Daiya Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/4 c Dried Cranberries
1 tbsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Parsley
1/4 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place cupcake liners in a muffin tin
3. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients.
4. Fill the cupcake liners to the top with the quinoa mixture pressing the mixture down with the back of a spoon. They won’t rise so you won’t have to worry about expansion.
5. Bake for 20 minutes.
6. For easy release from the cupcake liners, remove from muffin pan and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing the wrapper.
7. Enjoy!

SWEET QUINOA CAKES
Prep Time: 5 min, 20 min if you need to cook your quinoa first
Bake Time: 20 min
Yields: 10-12 Muffin sized cakes

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 c Quinoa, cooked according to package instructions
1 c Uncooked Oatmeal
1 c Coconut Milk
1/2 c Vegan Chocolate Chips
1/2 c Shredded Coconut
1/4 c Dried Cranberries
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Allspice

1/2 c Vegan Nutella
OR
2 tbsp Coconut Sugar
1 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 tbsp Chopped Hazelnuts

INSTRUCTIONS (Same for Savory Quinoa Cakes above):
1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place cupcake liners in a muffin tin
3. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients.
4. Fill the cupcake liners to the top with the quinoa mixture pressing the mixture down with the back of a spoon. They won’t rise so you won’t have to worry about expansion.
5. Bake for 20 minutes.
6. For easy release from the cupcake liners, remove from muffin pan and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing the wrapper.
7. Enjoy!

Cupcakes from the Vegan Cupcake Brunch