I’m about to enter my busiest time of year with work, so I don’t always have time to eat a proper breakfast. The closer we get to the holidays, it feels like the busier I get! I’m trying my best to stay energized and on top of my work out routine, so a good, filling, healthy breakfast is key. We whipped up a batch of morning muffins that are not only gluten free, but full of veggies and topped with an adorable (and delicious) quail egg!
Quail’s Nest Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 small bell pepper washed, cleaned, and diced
- 1 ear of corn shucked and kernels cut off
- 1 small zucchini washed and shredded with the largest hole on the grater
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 cup corn flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons salt
- black pepper
- 1/4 cup butter cut into 4 equal slices
- 12 quail eggs
- 1 tablespoon chives minced
Instructions
- Grease muffin tin with one of the slices of butter and preheat the oven to 350F. Combine vegetables, eggs, olive oil, and buttermilk in a large bowl. Mix well and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Then add dry ingredients to the veggie-buttermilk mixture and stir just enough to combine. Do not over mix it or the muffins will be tough! Pour the batter into muffin tins, filling each cup with about 1/4 cup of the batter. Place in the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes.
- While muffins are baking, cut up each of the remaining 3 slices of butter into 4 equal squares (you will have 12 of them) and place them in freezer until the timer for the muffins rings.
- Take the muffins out of the oven and make sure that that the top of each muffin has formed but is still soft in the middle. Press in the soft middle just slightly to create a spot for the egg, place one cube of butter into the little nest on each muffin, and crack a quail egg on top. Sprinkle with chives and a crackling of pepper and a sprinkle of salt, to your own taste. Place the muffin tin back into oven and cook for another 10-15 minutes until the muffins are done.
- Let the muffins cool for about 5-7 minutes, then remove them from tin and set them on a cooking rack until they’re completely cool. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Nutrition
These gluten free muffins make a great mid-day snack. Or try one for breakfast with a piece of fruit for a filling and healthful way to start the day!
GreenPan Healthy Ceramic Nonstick Muffin Pan c/o Sur la Table.
Photography and styling by Jojotastic, assisted by Gwen McKenzie. Recipe developed by Claire McAleese for Jojotastic.
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