Breakfast Egg Muffins

Inspired by a Recipe by Tara Joseph

My Aunt Tara inspired me to write this recipe. According to Tara, this healthy breakfast is suitable for her fast-paste mornings of getting the kids out of the house and to school, plus its delicious and versatile. She bakes her eggs in ramekins and layers salsa and cheese between the egg whites (egg white is low in saturated fat and cholesterol, more so its yolk companion, however, the yolk holds most of the nutritional value of the egg). I liked the recipe and decided to create variations of it.

-2 eggs (healthier choice: for those who watch their cholesterol, use only egg whites)

-A few slices of avocado, thinly sliced

-1 tablespoon salsa fresca

-Monterey jack cheese, shredded

Salt and pepper to taste

Hot sauce

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Use a ramekin or a cupcake pan. Grease the cups with a non-stick spray (healthier choice: use olive oil non-stick spray) to ensure the egg does not stick.

In a bowl whisk egg and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Line the bottom of the ramekin with slices of avocado. Feel free to do a few layers on the cupcake pan because the bottom is so small. Pour 1/2 the egg on top. Add salsa and desired amount of cheese on top. Then top that with the remaining egg. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the egg is solid.

Note: since the egg is not solid when you are stacking the ingredients, it may not appear as neat as desire. My picture is a perfect example of how it may come out, looking like a mess but tasting all the same.

Alternatives:

-Egg

-Black olives, sliced

-Tomatoes, chopped in small pieces 

-Feta

-Hummus

Follow the procedure above. Add half of the egg first, then layer olives, tomatoes, and feta, then finish with the second half of the egg. When it is finished baking, spread the hummus on top of the hot egg muffin, so that hummus is warm.

-Egg

-Slices of ham or turkey

-Spinach

-Cheddar cheese

Follow the procedure above.

Veggie Egg Muffins Served over Arugula Salad

Makes about 5

-2 eggs 

-Small handful of baby arugula

-1 small Roma tomato, chopped 

-1/2 small zucchini, thinly sliced

-Pinch of salt and pepper

-1 bag of baby arugula 

-2 tablespoons of olive oil

-Juice from 1/2 lemon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Use a ramekin or a cupcake pan. Now, technically we are not using oil for a week. If you really attest to the idea of scrubbing your baking dish, add the slightest pinch of olive oil and use a paper towel to spread it around cup and absorb extra oil.  

In a bowl whisk egg, arugula, tomato and add a pinch of salt and pepper.

Line the bottom of each cup with a few sliced of zucchini. Pour egg mixture on top. Bake for about 15 minutes. 

In a bowl, add arugula, olive oil, lemon salt and pepper. Toss. 

To serve, add arugula to plate and egg muffins on top.