Wasn’t the first part of Passover fun? After all that preparation, we finally got to eat all the delicious healthy food and taste the matzo.

In my household, we got so busy cooking and preparing on Friday that we forgot to make desserts! So last night, after all that preparation, Yom Tov ended, I got a bit messy in the kitchen and whipped up some crunchy chocolate quinoa.

It was quite the experience: I’d never “popped” quinoa before! It pops just like popcorn. The quinoa kernels popped all over the place and made a minor mess. And it was so much fun hearing them snap, crackle and pop!

All you need to do to make this delightfully crunchy finger food is to rinse and soak raw quinoa in water for a few minutes, dry it in the oven at the lowest setting for about a half hour, then “pop” them in a dry skillet (with no oil!) at a medium heat setting.

Once your now-puffed and popped quinoa cools, mix it into a bowl of coconut oil, unsweetened cacao powder (or cocoa powder) and honey.

Pour it onto a baking sheet or baking pan with some parchment paper and let it congeal in the freezer for a half hour or so.

That’s it! A crunchy, tasty and nutritious treat for breakfast or dessert.

How healthy is this “dessert”? Well, the cacao powder is very high in magnesium and antioxidants, the quinoa is a source of protein and the coconut oil provides some fat. 

The Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coconut oil

• 1/4 cup raw honey

• 1/4 cup cacao powder

• 1 cup puffed quinoa

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional; I did not use it this time)

The Instructions

Popping the Quinoa

1. Preheat the oven to the lowest setting. Ours starts at 170°F.

2. Rinse and soak about a cup of quinoa in a bowl. Drain the water.

3. Pour the wet quinoa into a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Make sure it is as dispersed as possible (so it will dry faster). Let dry in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until it feels dry.

4. Heat a skillet (with no oil) on medium heat for a couple of minutes.

5. Transfer about a tablespoon of quinoa to the skillet and spread around. It will begin to pop.

6. When the popping slows down, remove the popped quinoa and add another spoonful. Repeat until all the quinoa is popped.

Note: Quinoa is very delicate: If you try to pop too much at once, or if the skillet is not hot enough, it will burn.

Making the Chocolate

1. Combine coconut oil, raw honey, cacao powder and vanilla (optional) into a mixing bowl. Slowly mix in the popped quinoa until it is all added.

2. Pour the mixture onto a baking sheet or baking pan with some parchment paper and let it congeal in the freezer for a half hour or so.

That’s it!