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Well guys it has been a whole month since that last buffalo recipe…..and I think you’ll really like this Crispy Buffalo Quinoa Bites Salad!
This means I am due to share another.
I think all Mondays should have at least a little buffalo sauce. Well buffalo sauce or margarita chicken and guacamole quesadilla’s. Yeah, one or better yet both of these things should happen every Monday.
That would make for a good Monday don’t cha think?
You know what would also make for a good Monday?
SLEEP!
This is something I do not get enough of and with summer right around the corner the days are getting longer and longer. More light equals more working time and more working time equals less sleep. But you know what I am OK with this. I love the long day’s and I am jumping out of my skin excited for summer to hit around here.
Ah wait. I am getting way ahead of myself here! How am I talking about summer? How is it that Memorial Day is exactly TWO weeks from today? This is crazy.
Oh and since we are talking about Memorial Day I feel I should tell you to prepare yourselves for some good food in the coming weeks. Lots of grilling, lots of fruit, marshmallows and lots of ice cream.
Oh and of course some random stuff scattered throughout. Oh and did I mention ice cream?
It’s gonna be good.
Let’s talk salad today though.
So I am all about quinoa. I mean for one, it is healthy and that’s just awesome. But I really love it cause it is amazing with pretty much anything. It can also be made into cute little balls that are crunchy, moist and… the perfect solution for when you open the fridge only to find that the chicken you thought you had was actually stolen by an older brother the day before!
Yes, this can be a life saver (my older brother’s life that is).
So speaking of buffalo sauce, I think my dad is growing more and more insane as the days roll on.
Remember when I made these buffalo shrimp sandwiches and I told you guys how my dad wanted to start a buffalo restaurant? Yeah, well these quinoa bites sealed the deal for him. He actually said he likes them better than buffalo chicken.
He is dead serious about the buffalo restaurant. He REALLY wants to open one. It’s starting to scare me.
Anyway, the base of the balls is mostly quinoa and then a about a cup of white beans and an egg to help the balls stick together. Then just crisp them up in a skillet and douse them in buffalo sauce.
Oh my gosh the dressing!! It’s a combo of homemade buttermilk ranch and blue cheese dressing and the only reason it’s a combo is because I could not decide between the two (yeah you know me and decisions). I think I spent twenty minutes of my hike going back and forth on which dressing to use until I finally decided to just combine the two. My brain just will not give me a break, it’s always going back and forth.
Then obviously, you NEED to cover the whole thing with extra buffalo sauce and blue cheese, or cheddar cheese if you’re not into the blue. We love the moldy stuff around here though.
Crispy Buffalo Quinoa Bites Salad with Cheesy Ranch
Ingredients
Buffalo Sauce and Quinoa Bites
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup hot sauce, I use Franks
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 cup cannellini beans, mashed
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon peper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup butter milk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried chives
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 ounces blue cheese
Salad
- 1-2 cups leftover [baked french fries |https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/double-baked-fries-with-garlic-cheese-sauce-and-bacon/], optional
- 8 cups of butter lettuce, chopped
- 2 carrots, sliced or chopped
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 24 ounces gorgonzola or blue cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Make the dressing. Combine all ingredients except the blue cheese in a bowl and mix well. Stir in the blue cheese and place in the fridge while you make the salads.
- Make the buffalo sauce. Combine the melted butter, olive oil, hot sauce and seasoned salt in a medium size bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside
- In another bowl combine the quinoa, mashed cannellini beans, bread crumbs, egg, salt, pepper and 4 tablespoons of the buffalo sauce. Mix well to moisten the ingredients and then form into 30-35 equal size balls (about 1/2 tablespoon to 1 tablespoon of the quinoa mixture). Squeeze the balls together tightly with your hands, being careful.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Add half the balls to skillet and cook until golden and crisp on all sides, about five minutes. Gently (very gently) toss about 10 balls at a time with the buffalo sauce or you can dip each ball in the sauce as well if you are afraid the balls will crumble.
- To assemble the salads, combine lettuce and carrots in bowls or on plates. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then toss. Top with an equal amount of green onions and fries, then add the buffalo quinoa bites on top. Cover in blue cheese, then drizzle with the dressing and add any remaining buffalo sauce. Go to town!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Now, someone please tell my dad this restaurant trailer a bad idea.
Question … I am notoriously bad at trying to fry things, could these be baked instead?
Hey Rachel! Yes! Bake them at 425 for 25-30 minutes or until crisp and firm. Should work great! Let me know if you have questions. Thanks!!
Any need to turn half-way through?
Hey Rachel, Yes, that would probably be a good idea. Let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this! Thanks!
Thank you for this recipe, These are delicious!!!!! I have to say, my husband “HATES quinoa!”. I have tried to find recipes he will eat. This is one he actually approved of, and asked me to repeat it.
I think next time I would like to try baking them ?
wow!! So awesome!! Im sure baking them would be yummy too!! Thanks for making them Sherri!!
These look awesome! I’m very new to quinoa, so you cook the quinoa first and then form into a ball?
Hi Jacqueline! Yes, you cook the quinoa in water until it is fluffy and soft, then for the balls. Let me know if you have any other questions, happy to help! THANKS!
These look scrumptious! I love the idea of getting that buffalo kick without the meat! I was thinking of baking them instead. How long and what temp would you suggest?
I would do 350 for maybe 20-30 minutes. Hope you love them!
Just came across these on pinterest a few days ago and couldn’t wait to make…I finally did tonight and even my quinoa despising husband likes them!! I on the other hand LOVE them!!! SO good! I didn’t do the salad thing but I will certainly try that in the future. We love the Litehouse Greek yogurt blue cheese dressing. 🙂 Thank you!
Haha! That is awesome! THANK YOU!
I just had this for dinner and it was a-ma-zing! Instead of fries, I did onion rings, perfect match. Thanks for sharing. I have a YouTube channel in Spanish, can I prepare this and share it? Of course with the respective credit. Greetings from México
Thanks for creating and posting such an interesting twist on the essential wing idea! I would lose the olive oil in the Buffalo sauce as it is superfluous though. As one born and raised in Buffalo I can assure you the sauce would never have any oil added. This receipt looks absolutely delicious and I can’t wait to try it!
I’m one of those people that love to mess around & come out with this unexpected
yummy sounding creative tid-bit treat!!! Except,this time you did all the thinking for me,lol♡ I have not tried it yet,but i know it will be on my most delectable list for
ever! Thank you,i will never take it for my own,never♡
Hope you love this!! 🙂
You’re great, Tieghan! I can’t wait to try this. It is so intriguing! I’ll follow and try to do it at the weekend.
Thanks for your guide
This look delicious!! Do you know of something that I could use to replace the egg?
I would love to try these, but we are limiting our calories right now. Any idea on how many calories just the bites are??
Thanks!
I am so sorry, but I do not know.
Try these
Oh I forgot to mention: they taste a lot like those addictive Arby’s potato bites. haha. YUM!
I just have to say the buffalo quinoa bites are super good. Thank you for the recipe.
So happy you like them! THANKS!
I just discovered this adorable blog and this is the first recipe I tried. WOW. Tastes as good as the picture looks. Really really good. Will be making this again. And trying your other recipes. Thanks!
AWE! Thanks so much, Kate!! Hope you love everything else you try! 🙂