Frittata Muffins

As a general theme, I don't eat muffins because they make me feel like I've instantly gained 10 lbs. My house isn't 'gluten free' or adverse to grains, but by in large we eat them in moderation at most. Most baked goods I create are made gluten free, and my go to flours are nut and bean based. That said, last weekend I woke up with a craving for muffins and coffee for breakfast. So I embarked on an experiment, actually two, and they were a hit! 

Since I believe in starting the day with decent protein, the first set of muffins were "Frittata Muffins". For those of you who don't know, frittata is a sort of crustless quiche (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frittata). My mom happens to make the best frittata I've ever had, but it wouldn't be able to hold up in muffin form, so I started with her recipe and modified from there. The end result? A light fluffy egg muffin with ham and veggies inside. My husband ate 3. 

For the second variety I wanted something sweet to counter the savory Frittata Muffin. Still wanting to be healthy for breakfast (I know, so boring), and having an endless supply of peaches from our farm stand, I tried out a peach and pecan muffin. They still need some tweaking: the peach is so juicy that it made the muffin more moist than normal, and the coconut oil I used left them stuck to the muffin papers I (so glad I used paper liners!!!). But the flavor was awesome. So if you want that recipe… well, you'll just have to wait until I try it again. 

But if you'd like to try Frittata muffins, here you go! They're especially great to have during the week, when all you have to do is grab a couple muffins and you're set for the morning. 

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Frittata Muffins:
Preheat oven to 350.

Ingredients: 
6 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1.5 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped ham
1 cup grated parmesan, cheddar, and/or romano cheese, plus more to sprinkle on top

Directions:

• Whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl.
• Mix veggies, cheese and meat in a separate bowl.  
• Generously grease muffin tins (or use silicon muffin cups - my personal choice).
  
• Dollop veggie mixture into muffin tin, filling 3/4 of the way. Pour egg mixture over until just covering the veggies (you can use a small fork to gently stir and make sure there aren't any hidden air bubbles).
  
• Sprinkle top with remaining parmesan and bake for 30 mins or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes before turning muffins out. Enjoy with a nice hot cup of coffee. 

Muffins will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week, or you can freeze and reheat in the oven (or toaster oven). If you're planning to freeze, I recommend leaving out the milk. The muffins won't be as fluffy, but they will reheat much better. 

*Note: You can really use any cheese, veggie or meat you like, or just cheese & veggie (about 3 to 3.5 cups total). I've used spinach, kale, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, green onions, and carrots. Anything I can chop very finely or grate so that the pieces are small enough to cook in the muffin. Otherwise, if you want big chunks, you'll need to cook the veggies first.

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