Cook With Us #19: Savory Muffins for Breakfast on the Go! {Vegan, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free}

Happy Sunday everyone!  I'm leaving it just about down to the wire, but I finally made a breakfast recipe to join in on the latest @cookwithus challenge.  I do love my breakfast, so I wanted to make sure I got something to share with @chefsteve, @pandamama, @offoodandart and the rest of the team!  This was the perfect opportunity to give an idea a shot that I had been thinking about for a while now.

Those of you who have followed me for a while may recall my fascination with black bean flour a short time ago.  I made muffins and bread, even pizza with it!  It is a wonderful ingredient that is high in fiber and plant-based protein.  It is also naturally gluten-free, so pairing it with buckwheat flour is a great combination to keep it friendly for anyone with gluten allergies or sensitivities.  I tried some black bean flour brownies that were a bit of a fail, but otherwise really enjoy using it in savory recipes.  I'm always attempting to shove as many vegetables in my day as possible, so why not re-create my muffin recipe with some veggies thrown in?

I don't always get to eat breakfast at home or more commonly, I eat second breakfast away from home. ;)  Having recipes that are easy to grab and go are always great to have in your culinary repertoire.  This is especially helpful if you tend not to have time in the morning to make breakfast every day.  Or if you are like me and just enjoy doing your cooking (and dishes) all at once.

To make things even easier, I actually pulled the vegetables in this from another recipe I'm preparing for the week.  Talk about multi-tasking!  I got some adorable little spaghetti squash from the farmers market yesterday, so I was going to be making a sauce to go over it anyway.  Instead of cooking twice, I opted to just pull out a bit to mix into my muffin batter.  You could very well just cook the veggie mixture for these muffins on their own, but think about what you have cooking for the week and double it up if you want to save some time and energy.  Any type of vegetable mixture will do, just adjust your seasonings as you prefer based on what flavor profile you are looking for.  Whatever medley you choose, make sure it is cooked to the softness you like as the muffins will cook quickly enough that the vegetables really won't have time to cook much more in the oven.

When I started playing around with the black bean flour, I found some of the batches came out a little dry.  To counter that and just add some healthy fats I added blended avocado to this recipe to see how it turned out.  Between that and the cooked vegetables they stayed moist enough to not even need a spread to eat them with!  Though a smear of hummus would never go amiss. They may not look the prettiest, but they are full of flavor from the herbs and vegetables. Sometimes the most humble exteriors cover up a beautiful center. ;)

Savory Vegan Breakfast Muffins

Makes 10 regular-sized muffins

• 1 1/2 cups cooked chopped vegetables (I used onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, celery, tomato with garlic and Italian seasoning), cooled to room temperature
• 3/4 cup black bean flour
• 3/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 avocado, pitted & chopped
• enough water to blend with the avocado to make 1 1/2 cups total

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Lightly oil or line a regular muffin tin.

Cook your vegetables first, then set aside to cool down before mixing in with the rest of the batter.  In the meantime, whisk together the flours, seasoning, powder, soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Place your avocado in a small blender or food processor and blend with water until smooth.  I started with about a cup, then added a little bit more to reach 1 1/2 cups total.  Mix into the dry ingredients.

Your batter may look a bit like cement at this point, but trust the process and know the outcome may just surprise you.  Gently fold the vegetable mixture into the batter.

Scoop into the muffin tin and fill 3/4 of the way.  Place into the oven and cook for 20-22 minutes, or until cooked through.  Be careful not to overcook or they will dry out and then you will most certainly need that hummus on top. ;)

I'm going to bring a few of these with a small fruit smoothie for my (second) breakfast tomorrow morning!  This is another great idea for @woman-onthe-wing's #makeithealthy initiative.  Many people forget that breakfast is a great opportunity to start the day on the right note.  I have had many clients relate that they do much better the rest of the day when they have a healthy meal whenever they choose to break their fast.

(Banners by @woman-onthe-wing, @dksart and @bearone for @steemusa)