Quinoa Fritters with Coconut Honey Butter

This post is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Bob’s Red Mill.

We are strictly gluten-free at our house because of my son’s FPIES, (which is a fancy acronym for Allergic to Practically Everything).  Luckily, E can handle quinoa like a champ. I’m always looking for food all of our friends and family can enjoy so our kid grows up eating the same food as everyone else at our table. Traditional breakfast foods are the most challenging dishes to make to please a crowd.

Enter my BFF, Quinoa.

Quinoa is one of those universal foods that, when prepared correctly, is unbelievably satisfying. These fritters (I would call them pancakes except these are much more flavorful and delightfully crispy) are total crowd pleasers.  Even though I plan food as much as possible around E’s dietary restrictions, I also love to challenge myself and find new ways to make really tasty food that doesn’t feel restrictive in any way.  The quinoa fritters totally fit that bill.

I also have a hard time getting enough fat into my toddler’s diet, so I look for unique ways to incorporate fats into my dishes.  This coconut honey butter is totally edible as a stand-alone, if that’s what you’re into.

Ingredients for Fritters:

• 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill organic quinoa flour
• 1/2 cup milk (plant or animal)
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 2 Tbsp melted coconut oil or butter
• 2 Tbsp raw honey or other equivalent sweetener (optional)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• tiny pinch of salt

Directions For Fritters:

1. Whisk baking soda, cinnamon and quinoa flour together in a bowl.
2. Add wet ingredients and combine thoroughly.
3. Heat a tablespoon of coconut oil or butter in a skillet on medium heat.
4. When skillet is hot, spoon batter into skillet and spread out with the back of the spoon into a thin round shape. Flip when the edges begin to cook and the center begins to bubble ever so slightly. It should only take a minute or two to finish cooking.
5. Press the pancake with the spatula to see if it is finished cooking.  If it is mushy in the middle, it needs more time.  If it is firm, it’s ready to eat.

Ingredients for Coconut Honey Butter:

• 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (I prefer Kerrygold)
• 1-2 Tbsp raw honey

Directions for Coconut Honey Butter:

1. Remove butter from refrigerator and bring to room temp. (Butter should be very soft.)
2. In a small sauce pan, melt coconut oil but do not make it hot.  Heat it just enough to liquify it. Remove from heat.
3. Whisk honey into coconut oil, and then whisk together with room temperature butter. (I prefer to use an electric hand mixer, but a hand mixer would work fine.)
4. Spread over a saran wrapped plate or small cookie sheet, and freeze until firm, (or spread immediately).
5. Cut into small squares and melt over piping hot fritters.

You can add anything you want into this batter.  I think pieces of cooked, thick cut bacon would be fabulous in this recipe.  Blueberries, and even zucchini or pieces of banana would be super tasty.  Or, better yet, add bananas and bacon and you’ll have a scrumptious breakfast feast.  But whatever you do, you can make it your own.

Quinoa’s Biggest Fan,
Carrie