A few weeks ago, my work had a cookie swap where we all made cookies and brought them in to trade with each other. It was pretty fun and I got to try a bunch of delicious home made cookies. Since we are all dieticians/nutritionists in my office, I wanted to make somewhat “healthy” cookies. I found a recipe for cranberry almond quinoa cookies and that’s what I made for my swap. This was my first time baking with quinoa and I found it gave the cookies a nice moist texture. Most people in the office enjoyed them, and one person even compared them to having a granola-like texture. They were definitely a success.
Since I still have some fresh cranberries lying around, I attempted to create a cranberry quinoa bread recipe. This recipe was inspired by a cookie recipe from Bon Appetit combined with a Martha Stewart Cranberry bread recipe.
Why this recipe is so awesome
It contains two incredibly nutritious ingredients:
1. Cranberries are full of antioxidants (in the form of vitamin c), fiber, and the essential mineral manganese. Cranberries are known as a “functional food” which means they provide some sort of benefit other than providing us with energy. (I had to whip out my old Functional Foods textbook to refresh my memory for this one.) Cranberries have benefits ranging from Urinary tract infection relief and prevention to reduced plaque growth on teeth. Cranberries are a superfruit!
2. Quinoa (pronounced like KEE-wah) is a grain-like crop which is grown and harvested for it’s edible seeds. Quinoa is a complete protein (meaning it contains all 8 essential amino acids) and it is high in fiber. It is also a good source of phosphorus, magnesium, iron, and calcium. Adding quinoa to a bread can up the nutrient composition of a recipe because quinoa is so much richer in nutrients when compared to whole wheat flour.
The quinoa gives this bread a nice nutty-flavor which goes well with the tart cranberries. Try this recipe for brunch. Just beware, it can be a little crumbly!
| Cranberry Quinoa Bread |
- 2 cups fresh cranberries- halved
- 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup cooked quinoa – cooled
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup 1% milk
- 1/2 stick of butter ( or 4 tbsp)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Mix together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl
- Combine egg, melted butter, milk, and honey in a medium bowl and whisk
- Add wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix together
- Fold in Quinoa and cranberries
- Pour batter into greased pan
- Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Let cool for 15 minutes before serving
