
This sweet take on quinoa is perfect for breakfast or a midmorning snack. It's even better with a dollop of nut butter and a cup of tea!
Learn how to make this protein-packed treat after the break!
(these comments are from FitSugar)
(these comments are from FitSugar)

CINNAMON QUINOA BAKE
Recipe from my blog, Gabby's Gluten-Free
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups quinoa, cooked and cooled (1 1/4 cups dry quinoa prior to cooking in 2 1/2 cups of water - bring water to boil, add dry quinoa, stir, return to boil, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes until water is absorbed, then cool )
4 eggs, beaten (I used 1 cup egg whites)
1/3 cup vanilla soy milk (I used the light kind)
1/3 cup maple syrup (optional) (I used 1/3 cup brown sugar instead)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon (I used 2 tsp - a Tbsp seemed like a lot, but I wish I would have added more. Definitely put in the full Tbsp!)
4 eggs, beaten (I used 1 cup egg whites)
1/3 cup vanilla soy milk (I used the light kind)
1/3 cup maple syrup (optional) (I used 1/3 cup brown sugar instead)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon (I used 2 tsp - a Tbsp seemed like a lot, but I wish I would have added more. Definitely put in the full Tbsp!)
Directions
Yields nine to 12 bars
1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF and place the quinoa in a large mixing bowl. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with lightly greased parchment.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, soy milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon until thoroughly combined. Add maple syrup (if using) and whisk.
3. Add egg mixture to cooked and cooled quinoa. Stir with a large spoon to combine. Pour into the parchment-lined baking dish and spread it around to ensure that it’s even.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until set and golden.
5. Using parchment, remove bake from pan as soon as possible so that it doesn’t steam.
6. Cool completely and cut into squares. Serve with a dollop of nut butter.
What I thought:
From some of the comments on Pinterest, I thought these would be more like granola bars but they are definitely more like oatmeal cake bars. If you're like me, you may find yourself wishing they were oatmeal cake bars. They feel and taste very much like baked quinoa (what a surprise, right?) - not necessarily a bad thing, but you know, they have that moist grainy quinoa feel. I definitely regretted not using the full amount of cinnamon called for. Mine had a cinnamon flavor but more would have been better. And maybe some mashed banana... The only sweetener in the original recipe (maple syrup) says "optional" in parenthesis. Not optional. Take my word for it. I used 1/3 cup of brown sugar and they were lightly sweet. Fine for breakfast. You will not mistake these as dessert. I can't really imagine them without some type of sweetener. The original recipe also says you can spread them with nut butter so I tried that too -- that at least added some flavor to what otherwise is pretty bland.
Wrap up:
Nutrition info for my version: Cut into 12 bars, 1 bar is about 95 calories, 4.5 g protein, 17 g carbs, 1.1 g fat