I received free samples of Breton Gluten Free Original with Flax and Breton Gluten Free Herb and Garlic from Dare Foods Incorporated mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Dare Foods Incorporated and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

This week the RecipeReduxers are posting gluten-free recipes using Breton’s Gluten Free crackers in honor of Celiac Disease awareness month…and of course as a part of a no-holds barred recipe death match that will crown a winner for best recipe at the end!  I have a couple up my sleeve…

As a gluten eater (and lover) myself, the cracker aisle has never been a problem to navigate.  But when you start looking for gluten-free options, there are only a few brands available.  I’ve personally never been a fan of the rice wafer, so if you eliminate those at least half the options are out!  These Breton crackers are – well, crackery.  Like wheat-based crackery, even a little Ritz-esque.

To me the great frustration for people who can’t have gluten must be recipes that are based on grains and starches they can eat, but then have one tiny element that contains wheat.  One example: potato or rice croquettes.  People with Celiac’s Disease can eat potatoes and rice, but the bread crumbs in croquette recipes are the problem!  So here I used quinoa (a nutritionally superior grain in terms of fiber/protein content) which is gluten-free and cooked like rice to make a croquette with a crunchy cracker coating (say that 4 times fast!).

I served them over a salad of fresh greens with another recipe I was testing for a tahini cooking demo – raw vegan tabbuleh!  That one will be posted in the future…until then, whip up some quinoa & goat cheese croquettes!  They’d make a perfect appetizer or hors d’oeuvres, or part of the entree as shown here.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz goat cheese
• 1 c frozen spinach, thawed
• 1.5 c cooked quinoa (I season mine with vegetable broth and some garlic powder!)
• 1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 3/4 c crushed Breton Gluten-Free Herb & Garlic crackers (I pulverized mine in a blender)
• Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling (about 3 Tbsp)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F. In a mixing bowl, combine the goat cheese and spinach by blending with a fork.  Chill in fridge while preparing the rest of the ingredients: cook quinoa, then fluff with a fork.  Add egg and parmesan; stir until blended thoroughly.  Put cracker crumbs into a bowl with a wide opening, or use a plate.  Remove goat cheese mixture from the fridge and shape into a ball the size of a truffle or large marble.  Gently shape quinoa mixture around it, patting it first onto one side and then the other.  Roll in bread crumbs and place on a cookie sheet.  Repeat until 12 balls are formed.  Drizzle with olive oil and then bake for 20-25 minutes, until slightly browned and crisp on the outside.  Serves 4.

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