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.
Buffalo Sauce and Quinoa Bites
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumb
- 1 cup cannellini bean, mashed
- 2 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
- 1/4 cup hot sauce (I use Frank's)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
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.
Dressing
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 oz blue cheese
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp seasoned salt
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 2 tsp dried chive
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
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.
Salad
- 24 oz gorgonzola or blue cheese, crumbled
- 4 green onion, sliced
- 2 carrot, sliced or chopped
- 8 cup butter lettuce, chopped
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!
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