Mini Quinoa Pizza Bites with Hummus + Crispy Chickpeas
These luscious little bites are perfect for your next holiday party or if yours is a family of football fans like mine, they're the best football finger food. Once of those things that people will gobble up without even thinking about what's inside. And because they taste like pizza, all those picky eaters in your life will assume they're eating something totally unhealthy.
Soak uncooked quinoa for 6-8 hours (or for 2 hours in hot water).
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with strips of parchment paper and drizzle 1/4 teaspoon of oil in the center. Spread around with your finger until evenly coated and set pan aside.
Thoroughly rinse quinoa, then add to a blender. Add remaining crust ingredients and blend on high until smooth and creamy. It should resemble a thick pancake batter.
Pour 1 tablespoon of batter into each prepared muffin tin and bake for 10 minutes. Remove pan, flip crusts onto a baking sheet and return to oven baking for another 10 minutes until browned and edges are crispy.
Remove baking sheet from oven and top each pizza round with 2 teaspoons of hummus, a sprinkle of basil and a few crispy chickpeas. Garnish with pepper flakes, salt and pepper (totally optional of course) and serve immediately! If you're taking these to a party, simply reheat for 10 minutes in the oven on 250ºF.
FOR THE CHICKPEAS: Place chickpeas on a baking sheet rub with coconut oil. Remove any skins that come off on the pan. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper and stir to combine . Bake the chickpeas at 375ºF for 30 - 45 minutes until crispy. Stir them around a few times so as not to burn. If you have the time, turn the oven off and allow chickpeas to sit for 1 - 2 hours until completely crispy. Store in an airtight container.