Breakfast To Go!

Every morning when I am at work in a large office, I see more than a few people show up with their breakfast in a McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts or Tim Horton's bag. I know these places have come up with a few decent options that won't kill ya but generally speaking I cringe a little. I'm not saying that sometimes on a road trip we don't grab a breakfast sandwich at one of these places to get the show on the road. We do. Maybe...two, three times a year? It's the everyday or multiple times a week that makes the cringe happen. My friend Jenny bought me a new cookbook for my birthday this year called Simple, Fresh & Healthy, which was written by Linda Hafner, a woman who's family owns a huge farmer's market here in Syracuse.

I've made a few things out of the book so far, one happened to be the perfect solution to a quick and healthy and not boring breakfast.  Cauliflower Frittata Muffins take a little bit of time to bake so you will probably want to make them on the weekend or in the evening and reheat them for breakfast.

You will need 5 cups of chopped cauliflower.  That worked out to be about a half of a head (it was pretty big though).  If your not a fan of cauliflower, I say give this a try anyway.  By the time you cook it with all the other ingredients, it's not all that noticeable and it is a very nutrient rich veggie believe it or not.

This gets sauteed with a cup of red bell pepper and some garlic and a lot of onions.

While that's working, mince some fresh basil.  Man that stuff smells good.

Once your veggies are soft you'll remove them from the heat and add some unseasoned breadcrumbs.

Add the basil too and mix it up really well and set aside.  Amazing how the breadcrumbs smell like buttery toast.

Whisk up 10 large eggs until smooth.

You'll need a cup of crumbled feta or goat cheese.  I used feta because I just cannot get on board with goat cheese no matter how hard I try.

You will also need some fresh parsley.  Curly or flat, take your pick.

 Add the cheese and parsley to the eggs.

Add the veggie breadcrumb mixture to the eggs and stir it all up.

Divide evenly among 12 muffin tins...

Bake until firm in a 350 oven....

and enjoy!  Each one has 145 calories, not a bad replacement for my everyday bowl of oatmeal, just to mix things up a little.

Cauliflower Frittata Muffins (Linda Hafner)

2 TBS olive oil
2 cups minced sweet onion
1 TBS minced garlic
5 cups cauliflower chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup chopped bell pepper, red, yellow or orange
1/4 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
3 TBS minced fresh basil
10 large eggs
3 TBS minced fresh parsley
1 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.  Use cooking spray to grease bottom and sides of 12 muffin tins.  Heat oil over medium heat, add onion and saute until soft, about 4 min.  Add the garlic, cauliflower, and peppers.  Cover and cook until tender, about 6 min.  Remove from heat.  Add the breadcrumbs and basil and stir to combine.

Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk until smooth.  Stir in parsley and cheese and add to the cauliflower mixture.  Divide evenly among 12 tins and bake until firm about 30 min.