I saw this recipe on Thrive Market's blog and I knew I had to try it. It's no secret I'm a huge fan of quinoa and I may be one of the few adults that will actually still eat a Crunch bar so this combo made my wildest dreams come true. It's 'healthy' because it's packed full of antioxidant rich dark chocolate and the amazing superfood quinoa.
Quinoa is one of the most protein rich foods we can eat. It is a complete protein, meaning it contains all 9 essential amino acids. It also has twice as much fiber as most grains. As if that wasn't reason enough to love quinoa, it contains iron, lysine, magnesium, riboflavin, and a high content of manganese. Quinoa is basically the bada#s of all the grains. I put it in everything: salads, burgers, meatloaf, and now desserts. YES!!
First things first for this delicious dessert, I had to pop the quinoa. This was a totally new experience for me so of course I just You Tubed it. Duh. I'll save you an internet search and give you the down low below.
POPPING QUINOA
I rinsed the quinoa several times under cold water and drained it on a paper towel lined strainer. After the quinoa was thoroughly dried, I spread it out over a baking sheet. Then I baked the quinoa for 1 hour at 100 degrees F, until it was completely dry.
After the quinoa was done in the oven, I set it aside to cool and got ready to pop it like it's hot. See what I did there?
I heated a heavy pot over medium-high heat. I put 3 tablespoons of quinoa into the pot and covered it with a lid. No oil, no nothing, just my hot pot and my quinoa. It took a me a few attempts to get the hang of it but basically if the pan is hot enough, the quinoa will pop right away, sort of like popping popcorn on the stove. After the popping died down, I removed the popped quinoa and poured it into another bowl. I repeated this for several rounds, 3 tablespoons at a time, until all the quinoa was popped.
Aside from using popped quinoa for this kicka#s dessert, you can eat toasted quinoa as a snack, like popcorn. The protein and fiber in quinoa will keep you fuller longer than popcorn. Another added bonus is it stores for several days in an airtight container.
Popped Quinoa
After all my quinoa was popped, I melted the dark chocolate in a double boiler over the stove. This double boiler was my grandmother's. It's an oldie, but a goodie. They just don't make them like this anymore, I swear. Plus it makes me happy when I use it. It reminds me of a story my grandmother still tells about a time she was visiting when I was little. She, my mom and I were all cooking together in the kitchen. My Grandma was trying to help me wash a dish in the sink. I clearly didn't want her help and I turned to my mother and said, "Mom, she thinks this is HER kitchen." I guess I always was a bossy B.
After the dark chocolate was melted, I mixed in the popped quinoa and then poured it on to a parchment paper lined glass pan.
I went back to the stove and melted the white chocolate in the double boiler. The original recipe only called for 4 oz white chocolate, but the first time I drizzled in the white chocolate it just dumped right to the bottom. DAMN. I was determined to make this as pretty as the original picture so I melted 4 more oz of white chocolate and tried again. Nailed it! After I drizzled in the white chocolate, I used two toothpicks to swirl the chocolates together in a pretty marble pattern. Take that Pinterest!
I refrigerated the entire pan until the chocolate was solid and then cut into chunks. We were headed over to our friends house for a group dinner that night so I figured I'd take them for a taste test. My girlfriends might pretend like they like it just to be polite and but their husbands will tell it like it is. I'm known for my decadent desserts and these big boys will call me on my diet sh#t if it's not good.
So did this recipe pass the husband taste test? Well, let's just say Max wasn't the only guy sneaking an extra bite of chocolate crunch.....
So make like Max, and Treat Yo' Self to this guilt free dessert!
Quinoa Crunch Bars
Makes: 1 8x11 pan
Prep Time: 1 hour 15 min
Active Time: 15 min
INGREDIENTS:
24 ounces 70% dark chocolate (or higher)
1 3/4 cups popped quinoa
8 ounces white chocolate
Line an 8x11-inch baking pan with parchment paper
Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler over a water bath. Remove from heat and stir in popped quinoa. Pour into prepared pan.
Melt white chocolate in a double boiler over hot water bat. Pour over dark chocolate. Use a toothpick to swirl the two chocolates to create a marbled pattern.
Refrigerate until set. Cut into desired chocolate bar sizes.
***If you are following 21 day fix, I would count this as 1 yellow but use it as one of your treats for the week.