Kristi Whitley

Healthy Living

Black Bean Quinoa Bites with Vegan Queso Dip

Ingredients

for the quinoa bites:

3 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
2 chiles in adobo
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup cooked quinoa
3 - 4 tablespoons chickpea flour
Salt & pepper to taste
3/4 cup raw cashews
1 cup water

for the queso dip:

3 chiles in adobo
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup cooked quinoa (optional, see note)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Add garlic, shallot, jalapeno, chiles and half the black beans into a food processor and pulse until mixture is coming together, 10 - 15 pulses. Transfer to a bowl.

3. Add remaining beans, quinoa, chickpea flour and spices and stir together to form a dough. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

4. Shape dough into golf ball-sized patties and place on baking sheet. Repeat until no dough remains.

5. Bake on center rack for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until bites are browned and crispy on the outside. Remove and let sit for 5 - 10 minutes.

6. While the bites are resting, prepare the queso. Add all the ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend on high until smooth.

7. Add blender contents to a sauce pan and heat on low until warm. Transfer to a serving bowl and dust with additional paprika.

8. Arrange the bites around the bowl of queso on a serving plate. Serve slightly warm.

Notes

If you're not using quinoa in your queso dip, you can substitute with 1 - 2 tablespoons of chia seeds. This will help the mixture stay thick.