Saturday, March 02, 2013

Crispy Cheese and Dill Quinoa Balls with Spicy Mayo Dip


Holy SMOKES, guys, I'm in love with these things. This recipe for these quinoa balls was inspired by the ones I saw over at A Pretty Life. I was excited to find another way to prepare quinoa besides in a salad so I thought I'd try them, but I wanted to put my own spin on them. I thought that the version I planned in my head would be good, but I had no idea how delicious they would be.

The quinoa balls are tasty, but eating them with the spicy mayo is what takes them over the top. They are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and the dill pairs so nicely with the cheese. The spicy mayo adds a rich creaminess and some zip to them.

They are also really simple to put together, and you can tailor them to your own preferences. I really like dill with cheese, but if you're not crazy about it, you can cut the dill down, cut it out completely, or substitute another herb. I'm planning to try a version with some sundried tomato soon. Maybe I can add a little feta to those...yum!

These would be a great appetizer for a get together...or to eat all by yourself. (I would totally do it.) The only reason I haven't made a batch a day is because I used the last of my quinoa for this recipe. Sad day. As soon as I get more, you can bet I'll be making more of these little wonders. You have to try them, and don't skip the spicy mayo!


Ingredients for the quinoa balls (yields approximately 24):
  • 1 cup of quinoa
  • 2 cups of water
  • 1 teaspoon of dried Italian herb mix
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, grated
  • 1/2 cup of aged cheddar, grated
  • 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon of paprika
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of dried dill
  • 1 garlic clove, minced

Ingredients for the spicy mayo:
  • 1/2 cup of mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon of garlic chili sauce
  • 1 teaspoon of lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and drain. Bring the water to a boil in a medium pot to allow room for the quinoa to expand as it cooks. Add the Italian herb mix, salt and quinoa. Allow the quinoa to come to a boil again, then turn the heat to low. Simmer the quinoa, covered, for 15 minutes, then remove the pot from the burner and allow it to stand, covered, for another 5 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork, then set it aside and let it cool completely.

In a large bowl, beat the egg. Add the quinoa, cheeses, flour, paprika, dill and garlic and mix well.

Form tablespoonfuls of the quinoa mixture into balls by hand and place them on a greased baking sheet. You will want to give them a bit of a squeeze when forming them because otherwise they may fall apart in the oven. Bake them at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or until they are golden brown. 


To make the spicy mayo, mix the mayonnaise, garlic chili sauce and lemon juice together. You can adjust the amounts to taste.

Serve the quinoa balls straight out of the oven with a side of the spicy mayo for dipping. Enjoy!


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23 comments:

  1. Yummy!! I am pinning these right now!

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    1. They're pretty tasty! If you end up making them, let me know how you like them!

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  2. I am so excited to try these! I don't like quinoa very much, but this looks amazing!!

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    1. I hope you like them! I would eat many foods I'm not necessarily fond of if there was enough cheese involved. :)

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    2. I wish I could say I liked them. I ate two balls, they were okay but I couldn't get the past the quinoa taste. My husband loved them though!

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    3. Sorry to hear you didn't like them, though I applaud you for trying them even though you don't like quinoa. I'm glad that your husband liked them though! Hopefully I can post something soon that is more up your alley. Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate it! I hope you're having a great week!

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  3. These look delicious! Thanks so much for linking up this week. I'll be sharing this on my G+ page today :)

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    1. Thanks! And it's always fun to join in - thanks for hosting!

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  4. I made these and they didn't stick together very well at all. They were delicious but it did fall apart enough as I was trying to squeeze them into balls

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    1. Sorry to hear that! You do need to give them a squeeze to keep them together but I guess squeezing too hard isn't good either. I kind of cupped them between my palms and put some pressure on them that way. I lost three or four out of my batch of two dozen which I didn't think was too bad. I had fun eating the reject ones since they taste just as good. :)

      I'm not sure what went wrong, but If you make them again, maybe making them smaller would help? Failing that, maybe using a bit more egg than the original recipe calls for would bind them together better. While I wish they had turned out better for you, I do want to say thanks for the feedback and I hope they turn out if you try them again!

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  5. I have them in the oven right now! I'll let you know how they turn out :)

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  6. What an interesting combo of flavors! These sound amazing! I'd love for you to stop by and link them up at the party I'm co-hosting this week. We've also got a $50 Target Gift Card Giveaway to enter. Hope to see you soon. Have a great week.
    Blessings,
    Nici

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    1. Thanks for stopping by and for commenting! Hope you're having a great week!

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  7. Oh my I'm pinning this immediately!

    <3 Christina at I Gotta Create!
    Wildly Original linky party is open

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  8. I love quinoa anything, so these look delicious! I am going to pin this for future consumption! I would love for you to come by and link this or another project/recipe at my brand new link party!! Hope to see you! http://domesticsuperhero.com/2013/03/07/domestic-superhero-sharing-thursday-1

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  9. I love quinoa and I'm always looking for new recipes! These look delicious!

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    1. Thanks! I love quinoa too, so I was happy to come across a new way to make it. Thanks for visiting!

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  10. These look gooooood! I really need to get on the quinoa bandwagon. I literally tasted it for the first time two days ago. SO not with the times. (See now I am being stalkeresque :P)

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    1. Haha...at least I'm not alone! And yeah, I totally hopped on the bandwagon...the stuff is tasty. I also like how easy it is to prepare - it's harder to ruin that way.

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  11. Oh. my. god. THESE ARE AMAZING. I ran out of eggs so I used chia eggs. (1 tbsp of ground chia seeds and 3 tables spoons of water & mix). They came out the perfect consistency and are protein packed! Thanks for the awesome recipe!

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