When you think of muffins, do you picture a sweet morning treat that is barely more virtuous than a frosted cupcake? Sadly, that’s often what they are at stores and coffee shops, oversized cupcakes without frosting. I’m guilty of baking my fair share of decadent muffins too only I make them in more sensible sizes. Every time I walk by the bakery aisle of my favourite warehouse grocery chain, I’m still amazed that anyone would buy those ginormous jumbo muffins packed with half-a-day’s worth of calories for an average adult. I remember many years ago when my family first got our warehouse club membership, we purchased a dozen for the sake of novelty. My mom split a muffin to quarters and would eat one piece everyday. Needless to say, we never did finish the dozen before it went stale. That was the first and last time jumbo muffins landed in my home.
What about savoury muffins? Instead of fruits and nuts and chocolate and caramel, muffins that are studded with cheese and vegetable and perhaps even some bacon or sausage? I have no doubt that these are not any healthier than their sugary counterpart but at least they are more balanced on the nutritional front. I’m quite smitten by savoury muffins myself. Because of its inherent flavour profile, I can easily remove the sugar from the recipe without missing the taste. Savoury muffins also lend themselves better to be made with alternative flour because my taste buds are not expecting a bite of tender cake. Not everyone is keen on a hit of sugar first thing in the morning. Savoury muffins offer an on-the-go alternative to the traditional eggs and meat breakfast fare.
I’ve been eyeing this recipe from 101 Cookbooks for a while. These muffins are packed with butternut squash, kale, parsley, sunflower seeds, feta cheese, and parmigiano reggiano. I love the golden crust from the cheese and the mix of vegetable in this recipe is a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals. The recipe invites variations. By simply mixing and matching the add-ins, you can have lots of different results. Let me show you how I mentally breakdown the components:
- roasted root vegetable: pumpkin, winter squash, sweet potato, parsnip, rutabaga
- greens: spinach, chard, kale, mustard greens, collard greens
- herbs: parsley, cilantro, thyme, tarragon
- nuts: sunflower seed, pumpkin seed, walnut, pecan, almond
- cheese: feta, chevre (young goat cheese), gruyere, Comté, cheddar, fontina
- spices: chipotle, cayenne, nutmeg, curry powder, paprika
- meat: bacon, sausage, ham, kielbasa
Just pick and choose from each group and the combination is endless. This is also a great way to use up those odds and ends in the fridge. Did I mention the aroma is absolutely wonderful? A co-worker ate one and exclaimed “This is delicious! There’s squash in this? And kale too?!”. I’m slowly mastering the art of making guys eat vegetable. I think as tempting as it is to hide or disguise the vegetable in familiar dishes, it is even better to showcase how vegetable can be delicious in all its glory. It paves the way for them to appreciate the taste. After all, what are the chances a meat-lover will say “I really like how you pureed broccoli in the sauce for that lasagna you made! Can you do it again?”
Don’t hide it, flaunt it.
A sneak peak: I’m working on a recipe for buckwheat muffin with black mission figs, chevre, orange zest, and walnuts. My first choice is actually a mild blue cheese instead of chevre but it can be a little strong for most of my tasters. I think the spicy flavour of blue cheese would shine much better in a baked good. Hopefully I’ll be able to share the recipe with you next week.
