Quinoa Coconut Shorties

This recipe will make about 3 dozen.  They’re safe for diabetics, and gluten free.  The recipe is a variation of an old "Big Batch Oatmeal Cookie" recipe that I had for a long time and I make every year (and will probably post around the holidays).  I wanted to create a gluten free version and I am pretty pleased with the way these cookies turned out. Will definitely make them again. 

1 cup quinoa flour

1 cup brown rice flour

1 ½ cups organic rolled oats (not the instant kind)

¾ cup ground almonds

1 ½ cups dried, shredded, unsweetened coconut

3 tbsp raw agave nectar

½ cup toasted milled flax seeds

1 cup dried black currants

1 C white chocolate chips (optional)

1 cup finely chopped dried apricots

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup soft butter

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. 

In a bowl, mix together the butter, agave, and ground flax seeds.  With your fingers, rub in the quinoa flour, rice flour and ground almonds.  The mixture should be crumbly.  Add the eggs. The mixture should come together; do not over-mix. Add the coconut, currants, dried apricots and chocolate chips.

Scoop tablespoons onto the parchment paper and flatten them with your fingers.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are golden.

Handle the cookies gently, as they crumble easily. Let cool on a cookie rack and store in an airtight container.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

This is another quinoa recipe that I make quite often. It goes well with any red meat, or on its own. I like the saltiness of the feta cheese, my favourite in this salad is a sheep and goat feta, but any feta cheese that holds its shape will do. Enjoy!  

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked quinoa 

1 lb button mushrooms, sliced

½ cup feta cheese, cubed

1 sweet onion, finely chopped

½ cup kalamata olives, chopped

4 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1Tbsp olive oil

Dressing

Mix 2 Tbsp olive oil, the juice of 1 small lemon and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Directions

Wash quinoa and boil in 2 cups of water for 15 minutes. Cover and let quinoa sit until it absorbs all the water, about 10 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a fork and let it cool slightly.

While waiting for the quinoa to cook, sauté the onion and mushrooms in 2 Tbsp of olive oil until all the liquid from the mushrooms is gone. Set aside in a bowl to cool slightly.

Add the cheese and olives to the mushroom mixture and combine.

Add the cooled quinoa to the mushroom mixture and mix gently.

Pour the dressing over the salad, add the parsley and toss. Serve warm.