Banana Chocolate Chunk Quinoa Cookies

Last night I was trying to explain the health benefits of quinoa to the seven year old... while he was marginally okay with eating quinoa in a main course, I'm not going to lie - it took a lot of soy sauce to get him there!  So I told him that I also had to ease into liking quinoa, and how bout I bake it into something for him instead - like in something like a breakfast cookie...  Cookies for breakfast??  Yep, that got his attention!! 

So I combined a couple of recipes that I've already busted out (Healthy Craisin Quinoa Cookies and Banana Chip Breakfast Cookies) and came up something new!  These suckers are not only packed with quinoa, but they have super moist and sweet bananas, whole wheat flour, bran, tons of oats and I decided to chuck a bunch of chocolate in there too!  These turned out really moist and almost cake-like in texture.  Super nom.

Banana Chocolate Chunk Quinoa Cookies
Ingredients:
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup quinoa

1 cup butter
1 cup golden yellow sugar
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat bran
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Method:
Get the quinoa going: in a small saucepan, combine the water and quinoa and bring to a boil over high heat.  Lower heat, put a lid on it and simmer for 10 minutes.  Keep the lid on, and keep that pot on the burner for another 6 minutes, then remove from heat, take off the lid and fluff with a fork.  Set aside to cool and be ready for the cookies!

Preheat the oven to 350degrees.  Line cookies sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  In a medium sized bowl, cream the butter and the sugar.  Using an electric mixer, beat in the eggs and vanilla, then mix in the bananas.

In a large bowl, combine all of the dried ingredients.  Slowly add the wet ingredients and blend well with a wooden spoon.  Add the quinoa and continue mixing.

Add the chocolate chips and you're ready to start making your cookies! Using two teaspoons, drop the batter onto the parchment - you can flatten slightly, but you don't really need to b/c these cookies fluff up and rise, but still spread out a bit.

Bake one sheet at a time in the centre of the oven, for about 13 minutes.  Keep a watch on that first sheet because all of the sugar in the bananas could mean quick burnt cookies if you're not careful!

Banana Nut Pancakes

It's Friday!  And I'm off work today because Nick's hockey tournament is this weekend and I am one of the volunteer parents on the organizing committee!  Yeeha!  It's been a fun road, but I can't say I'm sad to see this journey end on Sunday - lots o' work for the mommas and the daddies!!

Since I don't have to rush to get to work, I thought I would whip up a variation of a pancake recipe that was published in the January Self Magazine and have them ready in the freezer for easy quick breakfasts on the go!  These are really hearty and dense, so you only need a couple to power you up for a morning at the rink!!  Enjoy and have a good weekend!

Banana Nut Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup crushed pecans
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 medium bananas
1 cup almond milk
1 egg
1 tsp almond extract
cooking spray

Method:
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl.

In another bowl, mash one of the bananas and combine with the almond milk, egg and almond extract. 

Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until smooth.  Slice the remaining banana and fold into the batter.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and coat with cooking spray.  Measure 1/4 cup of the batter and spoon into the skillet - flatten it out a bit b/c this batter is pretty thick so doesn't really ooze out like normal batter would.  Cook your pancakes for about 3 minutes per side, until nice and golden.  I flattened them out more when I flipped them too.

Makes about 9, so enjoy a couple now, then freeze for later!!   They are really nutty and sweet, the almond extract gives them almost a cookie taste - so delish!