EGG MUFFINS

I first learned of these little babies several years back when I was putting together a college graduation brunch for my daughter.  They were such a hit, I've continued to turn to them for other occasions along the way and decided I should actually make and freeze them for my husband and me to enjoy.  They are loaded with protein and easy to pop into the microwave for a quick breakfast/snack.

You'll find all sorts of recipes for these little suckers online, and of course you can make up your own varieties, but I will share this recipe and tell you that one of the "secret ingredients" in this one is the cottage cheese.  Holy Cow!! It definitely keeps them really moist and between the eggs, jack cheese and cottage cheese the protein is out the roof!  For me, egg dishes can keep me satisfied for quite a few hours whereas with other breakfast items, I'm ready for a snack in just a couple of hours after I've eaten.

I just used the silicone bake cups with this most recent batch and what a time saver these are. Without these, the clean up of the muffin pan was the main drawback for this dish; even with a really good pan and cooking spray, the pan still needed a really good soaking and some scrubbing. Not with these; they're awesome!  I highly recommend them.



RECIPE:

1 lb. bacon (cooked, drained and crumbled)
10 eggs, beaten
1 (16 oz.) container cottage cheese
1 lb. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 (7 oz.) can diced green chile peppers (drained)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

In a large bowl combine eggs, cottage cheese, jack cheese, chile peppers and bacon.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  The next morning, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Remove cheese mixture from the fridge and stir in the flour, butter, baking powder and salt.  Spoon batter into silicone cups (sprayed with non-stick spray).  Bake in pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes.

Experiment with the recipe by adding additional ingredients if you'd like. This time I threw in some sundried tomatoes; nice addition if I do say so myself!  What I wouldn't take out however is the peppers, I'm not a hot and spicy kind of gal, but these add great flavor (I use the mild).  I might try broccoli and mushrooms next time and I suppose you could play around and lighten them up with more egg whites and fewer yolks.....anyway, have fun and enjoy!   The perfect serving size for me is two; so I put two in individual baggies and threw them in the freezer.  Be sure to use low power on the microwave for re-heating so you don't overcook them.