Toddler Friendly Apple and Quinoa Protein Slice – Vegan

This vegan, toddler-friendly Apple and Quinoa Protein Slice is great for those days when you just can’t get your little ones to eat anything.

I have some days where I just can’t seem to get my two year old to eat anything – they generally happen around teething time. This slice is great, because it is soft, and easy on sore gums. It has just enough sweetness to appeal to kids (and parents, to be honest!) but is simple enough for young palates.

This recipe has a combination of protein sources – from the quinoa, almond meal and oats. All up, it provides nearly 6g of protein per serve. I don’t generally worry about protein, but on super fussy days, it can be a worry when they aren’t eating anything. The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend 14g of protein per day for kids aged 1 – 3, so it’s good to know that just one serve of this slice will provide nearly half of their daily requirements.

I used a processor for this recipe. I find this gives the slice a smoother texture – more like a muffin or a cake – which my two year old finds easier to eat (especially when teething). If you want something with more texture, you can skip the processor and just mix everything in a bowl (which saves on washing up!).

Apple Quinoa Protein Slice Substitutions:

Nut Free: If your little one can’t eat nuts, or you want this recipe for a nut free school or daycare snack, then simply increase the flour, oats and quinoa amounts to 1 1/3 cups each.

Gluten Free: Replace the plain wholemeal flour with a plain gluten free baking flour mix.

Quinoa Flakes: I can generally find quinoa flakes in the health food or baking section of the supermarket. I really like them for baking, because they add a complete protein source, and are high in iron. Unfortunately, they can be a bit expensive, so if you would like to reduce costs, they can be replaced with another cup of rolled oats.

Apple and Quinoa Protein Slice

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 12

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup Plain Wholemeal Flour
• 1 cup Rolled Oats
• 1 cup Almond Meal
• 1 cup Quinoa Flakes
• 3 tubs Apple Puree 360g
• 1/2 cup Maple Syrup or other sweetener
• 1/2 tspn Cinnamon
• 1 tspn Vanilla Extract

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Line a 20 x 30cm baking dish with baking paper.
• Process the flour, oats, almond meal and quinoa flakes in a processor for approximately 10 seconds until it resembles flour.
• Add the apple puree, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Process until combined.
  
• Pour the mixture into the baking tray and smooth with a spoon so that it is even.
• Bake for 25 mins, until browned on top. 

Notes

The large baking dish means that the slice is quite thin, and cooks through. If you have a smaller dish, use a lower cooking temperature and bake for longer to ensure that it cooks the whole way through.

Keyword Toddler