'Quin' tessential snacks!

Quinoa chocolate

Ingredients

• Coconut oil, melted 50 ml
• Maple syrup 30 ml
• Unsweetened cocoa powder 100 gm
• Quinoa crispies 50 gm
• Sea salt to garnish

Method

• Line a 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper and spray the exposed sides with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine coconut oil and maple syrup.
• Stir in cocoa powder and stevia until the mixture starts to thicken.
• Add the quinoa crispies (minus the amount you set aside for garnishing), and mix until fulyl incorporated.
• Spoon the chocolate-quinoa mixture into the dish and spread with a spatula until it’s uniform and smooth on the top.
• Sprinkle with remaining quinoa crispies and sea salt.
• Place the baking dish in the freezer for at least two hours, until the chocolate bars have hardened.

Quinoa bar

Ingredients

• Gluten free rolled oats 200 gm
• Uncooked pre-rinsed quinoa 100gm w Chia seeds 50 gm
• Salt 3 gm
• Cinnamon 5 gm
• 2 ripe bananas
• Vanilla extract 3 gm
• Chopped almonds 50 g
• Chopped pecan 50 g
• Dried fruit (raisins or cranberries) 50 gm
• Natural creamy almond butter 50 gm
• Pure maple syrup 30 gm

Method

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper to prevent bars from sticking.
• In a large bowl, combine oats, uncooked quinoa, chia seeds, salt and cinnamon. Stir mashed banana and vanilla. Fold in almonds, pecans (or walnuts) and dried fruit.
• Place a small saucepan over low heat; add in almond butter and honey (or maple syrup) and stir until warm and almond butter is melted. Fold into granola bar mixture until well combined. Pour into prepared pan and press down firmly with hands or with a measuring cup to help bars stay intact. Bake for 25 minutes or until edges turn golden brown. Allow to cool completely before cutting into 10 bars. I cut mine into 8 originally and they were much too filling for a snack, so I reduced the serving size to 10.

Quinoa Ladoo

Quinoa Ladoo

Ingredients

• Quinoa seeds 200 gm
• Ghee 45 gm
• Almond meal or ground up almonds 100g
• Coconut sugar 100 gm
• Raw almonds, chopped 50 gm
• Alarge pinch of ground cardamom
• Whole milk 100 ml

Method

• Grind the quinoa seeds to a fine flour.
• Heat the ghee in a wide-based saucepan.
• Add the quinoa flour and almond meal.
• Sauté the mixture on a medium low heat, keep stirring continuously to prevent it from burning.
• The mixture will eventually and turn into a sandy brown colour. It gives off a nutty aroma. This may take up to 5 minutes.
• Remove the saucepan and reduce the heat a little more.
• Add the coconut sugar, chopped almonds and cardamom.
• Stir quickly until combined. It may stick a little to the bottom of the saucepan.
• Return the saucepan to the stove.
• Pour milk and gently stir to combine the milk evenly.
• Do not over mix or stir vigorously, as the ghee will separate from the mixture resulting in a dry ladoo.
• The ladoo mixture will look slightly glossy and much darker.
• Cool it for a couple of minutes or until you can handle the mixture with your hands.
• Scoop a little of the mixture into your hands and with your palms shape into little ping-pong sized ladoos.
• Quinoa ladoos taste great when warm or even at room temperature.

— Recipes courtesy Chef Rahul Kumar