Flavorful Friday: Egg Muffin Cup Recipe

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

If you're like a lot of people, morning can be a busy time.  Finding a way to provide a quick, easy, and nutritious breakfast that your whole family will enjoy can sometimes seem impossible.  Today I'm here to help with a tried and true make-ahead breakfast recipe that fits the bill!  This recipe for Egg Muffin Cups is so flexible, I encourage you to play with it and make it your own.  You can make it morning of, or make it ahead and refrigerate or freeze portions to be easily available when needed.  Simply reheat in the microwave, in the oven, or in a skillet and you're ready to go!  Gluten free and healthy, this recipe is sure to be a hit!  This is also great to take to buffet pot luck breakfasts or brunches!

I always welcome comments and feedback, as well as suggestions on how I can make this a great resource for you!  Leave a comment here or email me at bouncybrandi@gmail.com

Yours truly,

~ Country Mama Hippie Chic

AKA Brandi Schunk

Egg Muffin Cups Recipe

Ingredients:

5 Slices of Natural Uncured Bacon

2 Handfuls Fresh Spinach, well-chopped

½ Yellow Onion, finely diced

1 Handful Fresh Broccoli, minced

1 Tbsp Unrefined Coconut Oil

9 Eggs

Celtic Sea Salt to taste

Fresh Ground Pepper Medley to taste

24 cup mini-muffin pan

Butter for greasing pan

Instructions:

Cook Bacon in pre-heated skillet, flipping and moving it about the pan regularly to cook evenly.  Remove bacon to paper towels to cool and drain.  Pour most of bacon grease out of pan (pour into a coffee filter suspended in the top of a jar to filter and collect for later use in cooking.)  Add Yellow Onion to pan with bacon grease and sauté lightly on medium heat.  Add Spinach and Celtic Sea Salt when onions start to become translucent and continue to sauté until spinach is wilted (slightly limp.)  In a separate pan, sauté Broccoli with Coconut Oil and Celtic Sea Salt until broccoli is soft.

While veggies are sautéing, move bacon to cutting board and mince well.

In a large bowl beat Eggs together with Celtic Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper Medley.

Grease mini-muffin pan with butter. 

Add to each muffin cup the sautéed onions and spinach, the minced bacon, and the broccoli, building layers in that order.  Pour eggs slowly into each cup until about half full.  Once all cups have eggs, use the remaining eggs to completely fill each cup.  I find that doing this in two passes works well and gives the eggs an opportunity to fully incorporate into the veggies and bacon.  It also ensures that you have enough egg for each cup.

Carefully move muffin pan to middle oven rack and cook at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown on top and starting to brown around the edges.  Allow to cool on a rack for about 5 minutes.  Remove from pan and serve immediately, or transfer to the refrigerator or freezer for meals or snacks on a later day.  Note: Allow to cool completely in refrigerator before transferring to freezer to lessen occurrence of freezer burn.

Additional options:

·      Fresh spinach and broccoli can be replaced with frozen.

·      Could be made with only broccoli or only spinach

·      Top with shredded cheese before cooking.

·      Top with salsa and/or hot sauce when serving.

·      Serve with sour cream.

·      Add pre-cooked brown rice to the muffin cups first and press it down to make a “crust”.

·      Could be made with only broccoli or only spinach or practically any other veggies could be used in place of spinach and broccoli, carrots, asparagus, zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, etc.

·      You could also make these in larger muffin cups, or spread it all in a pie pan or casserole dish to make a quiche.

·      Sausage can be used in place of bacon, or the meat can be left off entirely.

·      You could also add cooked hash browns or chopped fried potatoes.

Gluten Free Fabulous Juicer Pulp Muffins

Gluten Free Fabulous Juicer Pulp Muffins

Dry Ingredients:
1 C organic buckwheat flour
1/4 C sorghum flour
1/2 C almond flour
1/2 C organic coconut flour
1 C gluten free rolled oats
4 tsp unmodified potato starch
2 tsp xantham gum
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/4 tsp ground mace
2 tsp organic cinnamon
1/4 C raw walnuts, chopped
1/4 C raw almonds, chopped
1/4 C roasted salted pepitas, chopped
1/4 C roasted salted sunflower seeds, chopped

Wet Ingredients:
1 large ripe banana, peeled and mashed
2 Cups juicer pulp (I use whatever I have, a combo of fruits and veggies)
1 Tbsp organic salted butter, softened
2-3 Tbsp chia seeds, soaked in filtered water to cover
4 Tbsp organic raw honey
2 Tbsp Blackstrap molasses
1 Tbsp organic grade B maple syrup
1/2 C organic whole milk plain yogurt
1/4 C organic whole milk plain kefir
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
3 organic eggs, room temperature

Unsalted butter to grease pans.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Remove eggs and butter from refrigerator and set them on the counter to warm.

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Optional step: Mix all wet ingredients except eggs in a high powered blender such as a Vitamix to puree the pulp.  You can skip this step, you'll just end up with stringy pulp in your muffins which is fine, really.

Use a hand-held mixer on low to medium speed to blend all wet ingredients, including eggs in a bowl.  Adding only one to two ingredients at a time works well.

Slowly add dry ingredients to wet mixture, blending periodically on low-medium speed to fully incorporate.  Note: do not over blend!  Gluten free dough and batter do not like to be over-handled and will yield a dense finished product.

Allow batter to "rest" for a few minutes while you butter your pans for baking.
With this recipe I use:
1 24-cup mini-muffin pan- buttered
1 6x4x2" mini-loaf pan- buttered
1 10x6" cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, spread batter to even depth, about 1/4" to make a "bar".

Cook mini muffins and "bar" for 25 minutes or until golden brown and mostly firm to touch.
Cook mini-loaf for 40 minutes or until golden brown and mostly firm to touch.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for no more than 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  Gluten free breads will get too spongy and soggy if left in the pan too long.
Cut the bar into squares or rectangles.  Allow to cool fully and then store wrapped in a towel, or in a tupperware with the lid sitting on top but not attached, or in a plastic storage bag not sealed.  These need to breathe or they will get too soggy.  You can also cool them in a freezer safe bag in the refrigerator and then transfer in the freezer.  Thaw on the counter a few hours or the night before eating.

Serving suggestions:
-All by themselves!
-With raw, spreadable honey
-With jelly, jam, or preserves
-With your favorite nut butter
-Loaf can be cut and then use butter to make skillet toast, top with nut/seed butter (sun butter is fantastic!) and serve with milk kefir, a fried egg, and a small side of fruit for a complete and yummy breakfast!