Zucchini Egg Muffin Breakfasts

August 2013

SmartCooks here.  

It's the end of August here in Ottawa, with an abundance of zucchini and tomatoes in the garden. All is well (look at the lovely flowers at right given to me by one of our next door neighbours!).  

But I'm soooo busy work-wise.  I've been on my own this month with a new Minister and Minister's Office.  They made the obligatory trek to Charlottetown HQ, so I was the ring master of policy briefings, videoconference addresses to 1,000 staff, demos of new technologies to speed up decisions for veterans and follow-ups galore.

The Clerk also visited Charlottetown HQ doing consultations on the future shape of the public service so another videoconference hook up across the country.  I'm not complaining but it a myth that summer months are quiet -- in all my years of public service I've never found that.  August in particular is just plain nuts.

All to say that I'm keeping up with the Ottawa garden bounty, but just barely.  I tell myself that I chose to do this knowing what life would likely throw at me but I am still determined to try and achieve some minimal balance between work and not-work. The garden, cooking, researching, and blogging helps me keep a grip on life as I hope to know it someday post public service. 

This week it's zucchini cornucopia in my house.  Seriously who would thought a small 1m x 2m piece of land could give 30 plus massive zucchinis and still some are flowering.  Thanks to the recipe ideas I received from FB friends, I've experimented with zucchini muffins galore (do NOT use cake and pastry flour... it did NOT work on one batch), cute zucchini loafs made with this little loaf pan I found at Home Hardware (see left), zucchini fritters (the same recipe I used from Smitten Kitchen two years ago watching Jack Layton's funeral ... see blog entry), zucchini pasta and on and on and on...


My favourite breakfast fare right now is zucchini and egg white muffins.

I had trouble finding the exact recipe as I wanted the perfect combo of zucchini, vegeys and egg whites. 

The closest recipe I found was from Oxygen magazine, and it was picked up and copied on many food blogs such as Eat Yourself Skinny. 

The Oxygen version includes carrot, and I didn't have any on hand, so I used more zucchini and threw in some leftover asparagus spears (not pictured). It was all good, basically you need a mix of vegeys to fill the muffin tins 3/4s full.  So experiment with your favourites.   

Anyway, here's my version.  At 50-60 calories each, it's a delicious, healthy breakfast.  I made many, all now nicely frozen in my freezer.  I take out two at night to defrost in the frig or, yes, zap 'em on reheat in the a.m. and they're ready to go.  

Enjoy! 

Breakfast Zucchini Egg Muffins 

Ingredients:

14 egg whites 
4 whole eggs
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper, minced
1 cup zucchini, shredded
Other veyegs, like asparagus, spinach or carrot (optional) 
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
Sea salt and pepper 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Coat muffin loaf pan or tin with spray.  

Combine veggies in a large bowl and fill each muffin tin about 2/3 full.  

Whisk eggs and seasonings and then use a measuring cup or large spoon to fill each muffin loaf or tin to the top.

Bake muffins for 30 minutes until they've risen and are slightly browned (this depends on type of muffin pan being used so watch closely).