Savory Muffins

When a muffin is sweet it's very reminiscent of eating a cupcake.  When a muffin is savory, however, it tastes like something that can actually pass as breakfast.

A few years ago I came across a perfect muffin recipe for the fall and winter that was not your typical batch of pumpkin muffins.  They were full of butternut squash, spinach, and feta: flavors that were ideal for chasing away the winter blues.

Now that Spring is here (kind of), there is a less of a need to chase away the winter blues and more of a need to give the sun a wide armed welcome instead.

This weeks version of Sunshine's whole wheat welcome banner comes with chunks of sun-dried tomatoes, minced kale, and sharp white cheddar backed by hints of sweet basil and spicy mustard seeds to seal the deal.

The cloudy side of this recipe is that if your heat is still on you really don't want to leave these out at room temperature for longer than 3-4 days because cheese, greens, and overly hot apartment - yuck!

The sunny side of this recipe is that if you let the muffins cool to room temperature completely then place them in a freezer safe tupperware, you can freeze them for up to a month and microwave them for a minute or two before enjoying!

Sun-dried Tomato, Cheddar, and Kale Muffins

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 c wheat flour
• 2 T sugar
• 1 T mustard seeds
• 1 T dried basil or oregano
• 1 T baking soda
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix Ins:

• 1 c of sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 2 c of kale or spinach, finely chopped
• 1/2 c sharp white cheddar, grated

Wet Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• 1 c milk
• 1/4 c olive oil

Combine

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a muffin tin with shortening or oil.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
3. Add in sun-dried tomatoes and stir well, making sure to break apart any pieces that clump together.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the eggs then whisk in the milk and oil.
5. Add the kale and cheddar to the wet ingredients, then combine the wet and dry mixtures.
6. The resulting batter should look a little more liquid than what is typical for a muffin but not quite as liquid as a cake batter.
7. Drop 1/4 cup measurements into each muffin cup.
8. Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the muffins are cooked through.
9. Tip each muffin on it's side and let it cool.
10. Enjoy!