My husband and I have recently decided to up our protein content significantly, so I called on a good friend who’s been eating a high-protein diet for over a year to get some tips. She had some fantastic ideas like making a morning coffee smoothie with almond butter and collagen peptides, prepping a three-bean salad on Sunday to have on hand as a snack all week long, and making this genius one-ingredient, high-protein quinoa bread.
Related: High protein snack attack: How to make roasted chickpeas 6 ways.
She got the recipe from her trainer and it’s pretty mind-blowing. You soak quinoa overnight, blend it, spice it up if you want (though, of course, that makes it more than one ingredient), and turn it into a snack bread that’s really quite satisfying. I find that it’s an absolutely perfect breakfast, light lunch, or afternoon snack topped with avocado, (more high-protein) Greek-style yogurt, a little sour cream or mustard and a few slices of lean ham.
The best part: my kids love this recipe, too, and I’m always looking for high-protein snacks for them. The recipe for this is below, but watching the video really helps you see how the quinoa should look at each stage, which is helpful since this is unlike anything you’ve probably done before.
Related: how to cook quinoa so that it’s fluffy, mild & delicious.
A few other quick notes before you begin: I make this using Everything Bagel Seasoning, but you can use whatever seasoning you like. I think savory will work better than sweet, but this is so easy to whip up, you should definitely experiment.
Also, I call this bread because that’s how you use it, but let’s be clear: You aren’t going to get pillowy slices of sandwich bread. It’s much more like dense health bread or that thick stack of pumpernickel that you might pick up for cocktail party bites. It’s hearty, dense, filling and, yes, tasty. I think that this is totally worth making to have on hand, especially if you’re looking to up your protein and have a healthier carb-like thing to top for a light meal.
High-Protein Quinoa Bread
1 cup quinoa (I normally use red quinoa, but white should work too)
1 cup water
Spices of choice (if you can find it, Everything Bagel Seasoning, which I grab at Trader Joe’s, is a great first place to start because it’s an easy way to add MEGA flavor)
1. Add the quinoa and water to a bowl and stir to make sure that the quinoa is well covered by the water. Allow it to soak overnight (to sprout; this will help you better digest the bread/nutrients).
2. The next day, preheat oven to 450 degrees. If there is a whole lot of excess water, strain the quinoa a bit, but there usually isn’t too much. Add the soaked quinoa (and any little bit of remaining water) to a food processor along with spices of choice and whizz for one minute. Pause, scrape down the sides, and whizz 30 more seconds, for a total of about 1 minute 30 seconds in all. (I strong suggest that you watch the video for a visual cue of what the mixture should look like at this point.)
3. Transfer quinoa to a parchment lined baking sheet that’s been lightly sprayed with oil and press down so that it’s about an even 1/8″ thick throughout. Top with additional spices if desired. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and flip (again, watch the video for a tip on how to do this most easily), then return to oven to bake for another 10 minutes. Allow to cool, cut, and enjoy! You can store in a sealed container on the counter for about 5 days.
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