St. Patrick’s Day Quinoa Crust (Perfect for Mini Pizzas!)

St. Patrick's Day is a week away! Today we've got some more green goodness for you, this time from our very own Irish gal, Kristin O'Connor. Your little ones are going to love the fun shamrock shape and you'll appreciate that they're festive, yet guilt-free.  

ST. PATRICK'S DAY QUINOA CRUST

Ingredients

1/4 cup ground flax meal

1/2 cup hot water

2 3/4 cups quinoa flakes

1/3 cup almond flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground matcha (optional)

2 whole eggs

1 cup hot water (divided use)

1 cup firmly packed baby kale

1 cup firmly packed baby spinach (you can sub all kale or all spinach if you want)

Optional

Mozzarella cheese

Basil Pesto

Sliced Avocado

Instructions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl, add flax meal and cover with hot water. Stir until combined and let sit for 10 minutes, or until the flax forms a very thick, gelatinous mixture.

3. Add quinoa flakes, almond flour, baking powder, sea salt, oregano and matcha to your food processor along with two eggs. Blend until the mixture forms a thick dough. Slowly add in about half a cup of hot water while this mixture is blending.

4. Next, add greens and reserved flax mixture, blending until the mix is smooth and adding the remaining half a cup of water.

5. Spoon half the quinoa pizza dough out onto each baking sheet and smooth with the back of a spoon or a spatula until the dough is about 1/4” thick.

6. Bake dough in your pre-heated 425 degree oven for 12 minutes. remove from the oven, let cool and press your shamrock cookie cutter into the dough to make festive shapes. Top with grated mozzarella cheese and an extra sprinkle of dried oregano if you want and broil for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Serve immediately.

Honest Tip: You don’t need to add matcha to make this recipe work — it’s a fun and nutritious add and will make the dough a little brighter green, but the spinach and/or kale will do the same thing so it’s up to you! You can also make this recipe using whole raw quinoa, but you will need to soak the quinoa overnight, then rinse it and follow the recipe above. The quinoa flakes are a simple short cut and can be found in the cereal aisle of most health food stores.

~Kristin O’Connor

Kristin is a published author and private chef focused on encouraging optimal wellness. The Kristin O’Connor brand of gluten-free, eco-friendly products is a true culmination of her passion for health and devotion to philanthropy, bearing a mantra as wholesome and pleasing as her food! For more inspiration, check out her website and Instagram.