JANUARY'S Muffin of the Month
From the Kitchen of Amy Rothenberg ND
I was thinking about how much I like a frittata, which I usually make in a cast iron skillet. I have these skillets in ascending sizes & when not in use, they usually sit nested in one another on my stove top. Over the years, I have picked up this sturdy, dependable heavy in the hand pans at tag sales & refurbished with a scrub pad, some elbow grease & a generous lathering of olive oil. They house a frittata and you can size it depending on the number of guests! I made a very small one a few weeks back just for me and then I had the idea: make some real mini-frittatas in muffin tins! With this recipe you can be very creative and use what you have on hand. One part has to do with eggs & cheese and the other with little minced up veggies and/or meats.
Ingredients for 12 mini-fritattas:
- veggies or meats as described below
- 6 eggs + a cup of egg whites
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup cheddar cheese for the top
For this batch I used onions chopped into small bits, kale shredded into green little tendrils, and thinly sliced tomato. You might use mushrooms pieces with spinach leaves or quarter sized cuts of sausage with garlic and salsa. Shredded carrot with capers would be nice or even red cabbage snips alongside cubed turkey breast. The options are pretty much endless.
For the egg part, take 6 large eggs plus 1 cup of egg whites. Use ½ cup of parmesan cheese, grated. Whisk well.
Turn your oven to 350 degrees and oil your muffin tins. These actually work better without muffin papers. I like to use spray-on olive or coconut oil but use your preference.
Put about 2 tablespoons of your chopped veggies/meat in the bottom of the muffin unit. Then take the egg/cheese mixture and fill to about 2/3 full. Sprinkle a tad of cheddar cheese on top. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown & a toothpick comes out clean.
These are beautiful to serve for brunch or you can have your friends over & let them create their own little frittata from chopped veggies and meats you have prepared ahead of time. They also freeze well. Once cooled, put in a sealed tight container. Take out as desired and if you use a microwave, one minute will warm it right up. If you don't, take out the night before to defrost & reheat for 15 minutes. Great on the go, for a high protein, quick bite or served over a long morning brunch as just one of your courses!