Puffed Quinoa By I Heart Keenwah!

I Heart Keenwah — my very favorite quinoa brand — has a new product that's so versatile and delicious! Meet Quinoa Crisps! They sent me some to review, and I've been experimenting with using it in different ways.

This is puffed quinoa, and it can be used all kinds of ways — as a cereal, in desserts, even as a topping on savory foods (because it's unsweetened). The texture is crispy and light, and it adds a pop of texture and a little crunch to every bite. The Quinoa Crisps also happen to be the secret ingredient in I Heart Keenwah's Quinoa Clusters (which are like little sweet granola bites with nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate).

The new puffed quinoa comes in two colors — the one pictured above and this lighter color. They taste the same to me.

So far, I've tried it as a topping for smoothie bowls, like this one from yesterday. It has a base of banana and vanilla protein powder, topped with Quinoa Crisps, pistachio-mulberry granola, fresh Arkansas peaches, and tahini. Yum!! Loved the crispy texture this added. It's very similar to rice crispies.

Speaking of rice crispies, I used some Quinoa Crisps to make Vegan Quinoa Crispy Treats!

These have the crisps, plus a little uncooked quinoa for extra crunch and some of I Heart Keenwah's quinoa flakes (packaged as their Hot Cereal). Plus, Dandies vegan marshmallows, coconut oil, Earth Balance, and a topping of melted semi-sweet chocolate. These were like rice crispy treats but way better thanks to that crunchy quinoa. I took most of the batch to work and they were gone within an hour. The non-vegans loved them!

Here's that recipe for Vegan Quinoa Crispy Treats from the I Heart Keenwah website. Next up, I want to try these in their Avocado Chocolate Truffles!