Northern friends, if you’ve been wondering where the cold weather is, wonder not. It’s here in sunny California where we’ve been freezing our tushies off ~ (my sons say I’ve gone soft).
Warming things up over here however are these fragrant little bites.
Some of my favorite meal experiences have been built from appetizers. Sometimes it’s by design but more commonly, it happens when we visit an eatery and everything on the menu sounds so good that we literally can’t decide on that singular appetizer – and nor do we want to! Happen to you too?
Variety is a big attraction when it comes to grazing but so is flavor; small plate foods often pack an impressive amount of taste and that’s what really makes them sing.
I had flavor in mind when developing these humble bites. Oven baked, they have a somewhat crispy exterior and a more delicate soft interior with endless seasoning possibilities. My eldest likened them to falafel and I think he’s spot on.
For this particular recipe, I decided to work with some warming Indian spices and serve them with a cooling yogurt dip flavored with mint and cumin. A delicious seasonal choice with flavors that permeate well. We love the combination of sweet and savory in this dish – especially in the company of a tangy dip – but you can use this base and play with your own preferred seasoning and add-ins to suit your taste and needs.
For instance, these quinoa balls work well as vegetarian ‘meatballs’ but in that context I might be inclined to move towards the oregano, thyme, basil and rosemary spectrum on the seasoning side and serve them in a delicious tomato sauce.
Though light as a feather, these balls hold together quite well given their gluten-free ingredients – well enough to serve with a toothpick which is a fun way to present them.
The longer you bake them, the darker and more seared they become, so you can play with the look and texture and even the size – the balls on the plate with cranberries are a little smaller – many ways to create small variations.
I hope you enjoy adding this appetizer to your roster and please let me know if you give them a try!
- For the Quinoa Balls
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2-4 garlic cloves, smashed and salted
- 1 + ½ cups cooked quinoa
- 1 + ½ cups pecans, skillet toasted
- 2 Tbsp coconut flour
- ½ cup golden raisins
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground clove
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Pinch coarse pepper
- For the Yogurt Dip
- ¾ cup plain yogurt
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¾ tsp coconut sugar or brown sugar
- Salt to taste
- 3 Tbsp fresh mint, finely minced
- ½ tsp dried mint
- Preheat oven to 375 F
- Place raisins in a small bowl and cover with warm water to soften while you prepare remaining ingredients.
- Prepare dip by whisking together: yogurt, lemon, garlic, ground cumin, sugar and salt. Add dry and fresh mint, hand mixing to combine and set aside covered in fridge to allow flavors to permeate.
- In a small bowl, combine dry seasonings: cinnamon, clove, turmeric, salt and pepper and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a small dry skillet, sauté pecans on low heat just until they become fragrant and lightly toasted (about 2-4 minutes), being careful to watch so they don't burn. Set aside.
- In a separate large skillet set to low-medium heat, sauté onion and garlic in some olive oil until translucent (about 8 minutes). Sprinkle the onion-garlic mixture with dry seasonings (cinnamon, clove, turmeric, salt and pepper) as it is cooking, mixing well to combine. Remove from heat.
- When the onion-garlic mixture has cooled somewhat, add contents to a blender/food processor. Drain raisins, squeezing out excess liquid. Add drained raisins to onion mixture and process until the mixture is broken down and combined.
- Add quinoa, coconut flour and toasted pecans and process until broken down and mostly combined (there should still be some texture, bits and pieces).
- Carefully invert contents of blender into a large mixing bowl. Add egg and hand mix until well combined.
- The mixture will be moist and sticky. If it is too difficult to work with (to form into balls) place in the fridge for 20 minutes or so.
- Scoop mixture out by tablespoonful (or so) rolling into balls with the palm of your hands. Place balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 25-35 minutes until tops begin to brown and desired color is achieved - shaking the balls gently around the halfway mark. Be sure to keep an eye on these delicate balls to prevent burning.
- Carefully remove tray from oven, allowing the quinoa balls to cool slightly before serving with the yogurt dip.
- Store balls in fridge for up to 3 days.
Flour: flour does assist in adding some bulk, absorbing water and browning/crisping so it's worthwhile but I did do the experiment without the flour and the balls still worked (and tasted delicious) - chickpea flour would be a good sub here as well.
Make Ahead Appetizer Balls: these balls can be made in advanced and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Make Ahead Yogurt Dip: the yogurt dip can be made up to a day ahead but it's best to leave the fresh mint out until an hour or two before serving. There will be some moisture accumulation, simply drain and mix - be aware that garlic will intensify in flavor over time.
Ah, yes please!! These sound amazing and look so cute and fancy presented like that! I have to try these!
Happy New Year Kelly, I hope you enjoyed the holidays and alllll the best to you and your family in 2016. Lots of love!! xoxoxo
These look delicious! I love the flavors you’ve chosen…
Do they hold up if frozen?
Good Morning Tabitha, I did find that freezing changed the texture of these balls somewhat (seemed to remove a little of their moisture) and I wasn’t as fond of them. Perhaps covering them in foil to seal the moisture as they reheat or a water bath/steaming might help with this. Thanks for stopping by.
One gets so easily used to luxury, such as high temperatures and sunny weather… I know what you feel since many years ago I moved from horribly cold Poland to western Swiss city which is almost like mediterranean to me! When it’s 0°C I feel it’s freezing cold and I’ve completely forgotten what it means to wait 10 minutes for a bus at -15°C or how one doesn’t mind the look but only the warmth of winter clothes. Anyway, I wish I lived in an even warmer region just like you, growing lemons in my garden… You make people dream!
And you also read my mind! I’ve been craving falafels for weeks and when I saw your beautiful balls I was sure they were falafels! They sound very unusual but at least equally delicious. Thank you so much for inspiration!
As for appetisers… It’s incredible but I also used to have this dilemma for years… I wanted to order all the appetisers and main courses sometimes didn’t sound very inspiring… Do you know what I do now? I order three (one as appetiser and two instead of the main course) or even four (the last one instead of the dessert). I even sometimes order the same appetiser also for the dessert if it was particularly good…
you’re so right about how easy it is to get used to the warmth and sunshine :) it has been rather chilly here (hovering around the zero mark in the morning/night) but only relative to what we normally enjoy/expect here. Meanwhile, back in Quebec… my family is sending pictures of themselves swimming in the lake!! (17 degrees Celsius on Christmas Day?! – unheard of warm for this time of year) how wild and wacky. I hope you’re enjoying a beautiful holiday week Sissi – full of delicious appetizers :)) x
Such an original idea for a little bite! I always like to bring a healthy option to festive gatherings, I will have to try this :)
thanks so much for stopping by Emma and all the best to you in 2016!
It was 37 degrees here last night – which is really, really cold for Los Angeles. I’m enjoying it though – makes walking the dog in the morning a bit more like a morning jog to stay warm. Love these quinoa pecan appetizer balls, Kelly. I agree with your son – I thought they were falafels when I first saw them – love the flavors and quinoa is always a welcome ingredient for it’s protein boost. Definitely want to try that yogurt dip – I’m sure I could find many uses for it.
it reminds me of something Ellen DeGeneres said on her show a while back… when the temperature in LA drops below my age, I don’t get out of bed – haha! love it (and of course the bar keeps shifting by that standard ;o). Thanks so much for dropping by Geraldine – so glad we connected this year. Wishing you all the best, x.
It finally just got cold here in the last couple of days – had to dig out my warmer coat! It’s been unusually warm, too much like Spring for the holidays!
I am so excited about this recipe! Love the pecans, raisins, and spices you’ve included. My sister is also gluten-free, so I will certainly be making them when she is in town over Christmas! xo.
Wishing you fun, laughter and lots of brilliant **WhItE** over the holidays Tessa! x
Finally someone agrees with me that it is cold here! I’ve been freezing the past few weeks, which only results in me getting teased for being a wimpy Chicagoan ;) This isn’t what I bargained for!
These little beauties are exactly what I need to warm me up. I love how you’ve added such a delicious blend of warming spices alongside a creamy yogurt dip. I can definitely see myself making these for a party, but I can also imagine gobbling up quite a few on my own! I hope you and your family are having a wonderful holiday season…stay warm!
and the good news is, we just have to wait 5 minutes, and the beautiful weather returns :)) – should be interesting to see what the el nino months bring… this is our third winter and we’ve yet to see any substantial (cumulative) rain during rain season but there’s lots of promise this year. Thank you for dropping by Julia ~ always love connecting with you and I wish you a beautiful holiday season; I hope you get a chance to experience some delicious food and fun in SF! x
Like you, I could easily make a meal out of appetizers and many do, especially at a restaurant. What great healthy snacks. I love the Indian spices with the yogurt and as they seem to have the texture of falafal, that sounds perfect! Beautiful holiday presentation!!!
I love the Indian spices in here too MJ… the combination is not for everyone but it floats my boat (it’s my bloggie and I’ll do what I want to… ;o) Happy Holidays MJ – I hope you enjoy a restful, fun and rejuvenating break, x.
THese sound delicious Kelly and I love your presentation. I might even throw on a bit of sumac! XO
happy holidays Emilie! I hope you have a fabulous (wild, crazy and utterly fun) time with your boys! x
it’s warm here – and all i want is snow! lol. oh, and a white christmas. these quinoa bites are so creative! and i love the different spices you used. they look festive too with the cute decorations! i’m always in need of new appetizer ideas, so these will be in my plans. xo
so I ran the dog this morning just after daybreak in a little sweater and I don’t know what I was thinking… 20 minutes in and I couldn’t feel my hands ;o) there was frost everywhere and people in parkas! it actually made me feel quite at home and festive though next time i’ll grab a pair of little wool mitts x
Poor thing… I feel your pain. Last Saturday I went running with no gloves because I am a well-balanced mixture of stubborn with silly, and thought my fingers were never going to return to their natural color. I paid for some of my sins
Love this post, the last photo is a complete winner!
Happy Holidays! Stay warm, and get those gloves on!
heeheeh, I think I teeter towards the stubborn side of the balance ;o) actually though, I’ve got it in my head that it doesn’t get cold here so it always comes as a surprise when it does! (i’ll get over it one of these days). Happy Holidays to you Sally – wishing you a fun and full break with lots of adventure in 2016. See you on the flip side my friend, x.
I’d be right there beside you softening like butter too! Haha, who can blame you…is your youngest still wearing a t-shirt to school? :) Kelly, I relate in every way to the appetizer dilemma — too many delicious choices to call and beautiful flavors. I love what you’ve done with this recipe – so clever and delicious looking. We love falafel so I’m certain these would be a hit over here. I’m excited to give these a go. Your Indian spicing… I would have never thought of it but it’s perfect especially the raisin – what a nice touch. Love your work.
LOL – in fact he was proudly wearing his hockey t-shirt just the other day to school (I think he does it on purpose at this stage; teenage act of defiance, you know? ;o) Elizabeth, thank you so much for your support this year, your encouraging words and comments make this space so much more fun. I greatly appreciate your presence. Happy Holidays!
LOL – your sons say you’ve softened! So funny. No doubt you’re used to having snow on the ground by now, right? I’m so glad the cold has arrived. A few weeks ago, the snow was melting high in the mountains. Not a good thing for us. But we’re back with very cold air and I’m hoping it sticks around for the long haul. No doubt, looking at a menu can be mesmerizing. Lately, I’ve been ordering in full off the appetizer menu because really, I just want a bite or two of each thing… like at Tartine! hehe! These little bites are pure deliciousness. Love the spices and raisins you’ve included in these, Kelly and the yogurt dip (fresh lemon !!) is a perfect sauce to balance the savory. Thank you for this my dear! xo
I know, that’s the thing… you want to experience a taste of everything and appetizer grazing is where it’s at :) this is what we loved about Toulouse Petit Traci, the happy hour menu is all about small plates (tapas style eats) it’s deciding among the plates that will break your heart – heeheeh – you’ve got to do it! x thank you for all the sunshine in 2015 – thinking of you this holiday season; grateful for your beautiful energy.
hi,any substitution for coconut flour if not found?
Hello, thank you for dropping by. A couple of notes about the flour; while you don’t need it to succeed with these balls (I did make them successfully without) the flour does add some texture, crispiness as well as moisture absorption. If you would like to stay on the gluten free side, the best alternate would be chickpea flour after that light buckwheat flour and failing those, a gluten free flour mix. If gluten is not a factor, you can use any flour you wish including all purpose. I hope that gives you some options and ideas. Have a nice day.
hi again,i found coconut powder is this the flour you mentioned? thanks
Good morning, coconut powder is used to describe different things – sometimes it refers to flour but sometimes it refers to desiccated coconut flakes; you would have to read the label to know more. You can certainly try the experiment – if the coconut powder you purchased is in larger flaked format maybe try grinding it up a little into a finer powder/flour. If you prefer not to take the risk, you can look into some of the other options I laid out in my previous note.
These are so great! I love the idea and the combination of flavors (what could be better than cinnamon and clove for the holidays) and it looks like they hold together well too. Beautiful recipe and presentation ideas; thank you.
thank you so much Ellie – I’m glad these appeal to you. Yes, the balls have good integrity considering what they are made from; they are not quite as solid as a meatball of course but surprisingly intact. Wishing you a great holiday!
Oh I just love these! Can’t wait to make them!
yay! so happy to hear that Donna – thank you for your enthusiasm and I hope you enjoy these bites if you give them a try. Wishing you a beautiful holiday season.
Je suis bien heureuse d’être dans tes contacts parce que tu as de bonnes idées Kelly! J’espère que tout va bien et je vous souhaite de belles fêtes.
grosses bises ma douce tante, x
Sounds delicious. Can’t wait to make these.
Janet, thank you for stopping by – your comment allowed me to discover you and your beautiful piece on the value of a moment. My heart ached at every turn, x.