RECIPE:Cheesy Cauliflower Breakfast Muffins
If you follow health trends in the media, I’m sure you’ve heard the term cruciferous vegetables and you’ve probably been encouraged to eat more fresh produce from this particular part of the veggie family.
Cruciferous vegetables are basically veggies in the Cabbage family. More specifically they include all cabbage varieties, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and Brussel sprouts, as well as bok choy, collard greens, mustard greens, arugula, and even radishes, turnips, and rutabaga.
As you can see, this group includes a lot of different vegetables that lend themselves to being prepared in a variety of different ways from raw and salads, to roasting, boiling, and even grilling. That’s good news because you are sure to find some new favorites among this group of healthy produce and superfoods.
One of my favorite benefits of eating more cruciferous veggies is that they make great substitutes for starchier fare like potatoes, pasta, and even flour as in the recipe I am proposing today. Try mashing up cauliflower to replace mashed potatoes or rice. Make fritters from broccoli, egg, and a bit of ground flax seed, or use a cabbage leaf and use it instead of a bun for your sandwich or hamburger. Turnips and rutabaga, and even cauliflower ads a lot of body to soups and stews without all the added carbs. Play around with these vegetables and replace ingredients that harm your health with ones that help improve it.
Cheesy Cauliflower Breakfast Muffins
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20-25 minutes
Makes 12 muffins
Tip: Pre-riced fresh cauliflower is ideal for this recipe. Otherwise, fresh cauliflower can be riced on a box grater or in a food processor. Pat dry with a clean dish cloth or paper towel to remove any excess moisture before using.
Ingredients:
2 medium jalapeño peppers
2½ c. fresh riced cauliflower
6 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled, divided
1¼ c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
½ t. garlic powder
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
5 large eggs
1/3 c. water
Special equipment: 12-cup muffin tin
Directions:
Place top oven rack in center position and pre-heat oven to 375°F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Remove the stem and seeds from one of the jalapeño peppers and finely dice the rest. Slice the remaining pepper into 12 thin rings and set aside.
Add the diced jalapeño, riced cauliflower, 2/3 of the crumbled bacon, one cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, and the garlic powder to the bowl and season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
Whisk eggs and water together in a medium bowl and pour on top of the riced cauliflower mixture. Stir until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Note: If the mixture is too thick, add a couple tablespoons of water to the mixture to create a batter-like consistency.Divide the cauliflower batter among the openings in the prepared muffin tin. Top each muffin with some of the remaining bacon, shredded cheese, and one of the jalapeño rings.
Place in the pre-heated oven and bake 20-25 minutes or until the egg is set and the muffins are golden brown on top. Remove from oven and cool for several minutes before serving. Remaining muffins can be stored in the refrigerator for several days or frozen for later use.