Since this is going to be a pretty busy week getting ready for Spring Break, I thought I would make up some of these Broccoli, Kale & Cheddar Quinoa cups to have on hand throughout the week.  They are a great to reheat as a grab-and-go breakfast or sometimes I even eat them as lunch or dinner paired up with some fruit or salad!

Healthy Plate Happy Family Broccoli, Kale & Cheddar Quinoa Cups

Becoming very popular recently, quinoa (pronounced “keen-wah”), is a grain-like superfood grown in the Andes since the time of the Incan Empire.  Although it is often confused with being a whole grain, it is actually a seed.  It is gluten free, easy to digest, and a great source of complete protein since it contains all of the amino acids.  It is readily available in most supermarkets and is usually sold near the rice.

While I love using quinoa to make these egg-based “muffins” and as the base of a mediterranean quinoa and veggie salad in the summer, I have tried to be cautious not to over-use quinoa.  Unfortunately demand has risen so much in recent years that the crop is no longer affordable for the native Andeans who have enjoyed it as a staple of their diet for thousands of years.  Furthermore, the rising demand for more and more of the crop is also destroying their land.  Therefore I enjoy it in moderation and try to vary the color and variety of quinoa that I buy.

To cook quinoa, rinse it thoroughly to remove the bitter tasting coating.  After that it cooks up much like rice, in a 2-to-1 ratio with 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa for approximately 15 minutes.  After it cooks for 15 minutes, I like to leave the lid on to steam a little longer until it is perfectly cooked and fluffy.

To make these quinoa cups, I cooked up 1 cup of quinoa and will have quite a bit leftover to have as our dinner later this week with some of the Slow Cooker Jamaican Jerk Pork and Caribbean Salsa that I froze a few weeks ago (we will reheat the frozen meat and will make fresh salsa).

In a large bowl, mix 1 cup of the cooked quinoa, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup chopped broccoli, 1 large handful finely chopped kale, 4 eggs, 1/2 tsp sea salt, and some freshly ground black pepper.

Eggs, Cheddar, Kale, Broccoli and Quinoa

Lightly oil a muffin pan.  I recently bought some really nice Organic Valley pastured (grass-fed) butter that is naturally high in healthy CLA’s (conjugated linoleic acid, a healthy fatty acid), so I melted a little of that and brushed the insides of the muffin pan.  Fill 8 of the muffin cups so that they are about 3/4 full.

Quinoa Egg Mixture in Muffin Pan

Bake at 350 degrees for 22-24 minutes until egg is set and edges are a light golden brown.

Broccoli, Kale and Cheddar Quinoa Cups

Enjoy 2-3 of these alongside some fresh fruit or salad for a filling meal packed with protein and high quality carbohydrates.

 

Broccoli, Kale & Cheddar Quinoa Cups

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

4 eggs

generous 1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli

generous handful of kale, finely chopped

1/2 tsp sea salt or kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

olive oil or butter for brushing muffin pan

 

Directions

Cook quinoa according to directions on package.  In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup cooked quinoa, chopped broccoli, finely chopped kale, shredded cheese, salt and pepper.  Lightly brush insides of muffin tin with oil or butter.  Divide mixture into 8 of the muffin wells filling each 3/4 full.  Bake for 22-24 minutes until eggs are set and edges are light golden brown.

For a serving size of 2 Broccoli, Kale & Cheddar Quinoa Cups, the nutritional information is as follows:

  • 250 calories
  • 14 grams of fat
  • 18 grams carbohydrates
  • 2 grams of fiber
  • 14 grams of protein
  • 66% of Vitamin A
  • 50% of Vitamin C
  • 15% of Calcium

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

5 Responses to Meatless Monday: Broccoli, Kale & Cheddar Quinoa Cups

  • Mandy says:

    These were delicious! The whole family has been eating them all week! I just need to figure out if I can make them in paper liners. I oiled the muffin tin with olive oil, but to no avail. The sucker took me 3 days to get clean…do you think melted butter would work better?

    • Tori says:

      I don’t know how paper liners would work. Now that you say this, I remember mine sticking pretty bad the first couple of times. They hardly stuck at all with the butter though! I used less than 1 Tbls. (melted) for all 8 of them. If you can get your hands on some Kerrygold butter, it’s also grassfed so it provides some extra nutrients. You can also make them in a mini muffin pan if they appeal to the kiddos any better that way (just decrease the cooking time to 18-20 minutes).

  • Sally says:

    I am still trying to scrub egg out of my muffin pans and I used butter. Next time I will use muffin papers!

    • Tori says:

      Oh no!!!! Sorry!! The last time I made them (and used butter) they came out really clean and I had hardly any clean up. Now I’m curious if the papers would work….