I am always looking for interesting breakfast options. There is something very special about food that can be picked up on the run when you have very little time. When you add to that a healthy alternative to heavy egg and cheese concoctions, I am delighted. I found this quinoa muffin recipe on Pinterest from Iowa Girl Eats. Kristin actually made her muffins in mini muffin cups and figured the calorie count to be 48 calories for each. I made mine in a standard size muffin pan. I was not so much interested in the calories as I was in the healthy ingredients.
The quinoa takes the place of flour in the muffins. There are only two eggs and two egg whites in the mix. The other ingredients are zucchini, cheese, ham (I used Canadian Bacon), green onions and parsley. But what is so special about the ingredients is that you can use anything that you would like. Leave out the ham and you would have a good vegetarian muffin, substitute spicy cooked sausage and you would have an added kick.
I plan to tuck these muffins away in the fridge and freezer for future quick breakfasts. We will be traveling back to Lake Lure at the end of the month. David usually likes to stop for a chicken biscuit at MacDonald’s. Even though he eats just the bottom half of the biscuit with his fried chicken patty, these muffins are a far better choice. The only down side that I see is that Daisy, our dog, won’t get her favorite top biscuit treat.
I am entering the recipe in Tasty Tuesday over at The Comforts of Home. I hope you will give these tasty muffins a try.
HAM, CHEESE AND QUINOA FRITTATA MUFFINS
2 cups cooked quinoa (about 3/4 cup uncooked)
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1 cup zucchini, shredded
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced ham
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese
2 green onions, sliced
salt & pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine. Liberally spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray and spoon mixture to the top of each cup. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges of the cups are golden brown. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before removing from the mini muffin tin.
- TO FREEZE: Place baked cups on a baking sheet then freeze until solid and transfer to a freezer bag. Microwave for 20-40 seconds depending on how many you’re reheating.
- FOR REGULAR-SIZED MUFFIN TINS: Bake for 25-30 minutes
These sound really good Penny! Thanks for linking with Tasty Tuesday! Looking forward to you coming back!
Hugs,
Penny
This sounds good plunked down on a nice green salad – sounds like gourmet lunch to me. 🙂
Madonna
MakeMineLemon
I love quinoa! And these look delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Penny,
I just love to have a muffin like this for the entertaining season here. Like you it is great to have them tucked away in the freezer for grab and goes or to feed the gang before they head out on the boat. It was great meeting you and thank you so much for stopping by, hope to see you again real soon!
Miz Helen
I love that your quiche muffins are gluten free, Penny! They look delicious! My youngest grandson and my Daughter-in-law must eat gluten free, so I am always looking for healthy recipes for them to enjoy!
Tasty indeed and I love that they are individual servings, rather than a generous slice. How handy that they can be frozen too.
Sam
I can’t wait to try these, Penny. I’m always looking for recipes, especially for breakfast, that I can make in individual portions and freeze. I think these would be a delicious addition to our Easter brunch.
I love the idea of adding quinoa to one of my favorite frittata recipes! I do love quinoa and would love to try making these.
These sound great, I am trying to like quinoa, but still not a fan, I bet I’d like these and I’m always wishing I had a healthy hot grab and go breakfast, Thanks!
Confession time: I just can’t get into quinoa. Have tried it in salads and rice dishes. Your little quiches look awfully good, Penny. Might just get me to give quinoa one more try!
These look delicious Penny! They would be a beautiful addition to an Easter brunch!
I made some similar to these but found the quinoa had some grit in it- have you experienced this at all?
Hi Kim. Thanks for commenting. I did rinse the quinoa several times before I cooked it. It was fine and almost not noticed in the muffins, so hopefully that will solve your problem Quinoa is still somewhat new to me, but I have enjoyed all of the recipes that included it.
These look divine. Perfect for Easter, I think. Very springy.
I’m with you about finding breakfast ideas. Love this one. Thanks for sharing Penny.
What a great idea!! Thanks for the recipe. I’m going to try them out.