Savory Crayon Muffins

"Crayon Muffins"? Really?

Yes. Really. Let me explain.

While cooling on the wire rack, my boyfriend stopped to take a look. His reaction? "It looks like you melted crayons in your muffins." HA! Priceless. I love you honey.

Now that the ever-so-enticing name is given a reason, let's move on to this wonderful recipe that worked out (for the most part) on the very first try. (p.s. I love it when this happens!)

The inspiration for these muffins came from my Basic Buckwheat Bake all spruced up! Well, no. I can't take the credit. The credit should be given to The Healthful Pursuit and The Edible Perspective - both of which inspired the buckwheat bake. You see, after having the bake a few times for breakfast and absolutely loving how satisfied and full it left me (not to mention how people in my class were gawking at the rest of this delicious breakfast that I took to my 9:30am class), I was inspired to create a savory version that I could take along for lunch.

I found some gluten free, nitrate free chopped prosciutto at King Soopers and thought it would be a perfect addition to my not-yet-created savory muffins, complete with protein and flavor. Great - 1 addition purchased.

A few days later I was at Sunflower Market and while strolling through the aisles I found the on-sale baby food. Yes. Baby food. What a great way to substitute the banana from the buckwheat bake... pureed veggies that are already pureed! Also on this shopping trip I bought a large jar of on-sale roasted red peppers (yum!). Score - 2 more additions.

After several days of thinking and conjuring up how I would make these muffins work... and also after carefully trying to [somewhat] replicate the buckwheat bake recipe in order to avoid a complete failure, I came up with these bad boys...Savory Crayon Muffins.

Dry Ingredients
1/4 c amaranth flour
1/4 c sorghum flour
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp pine nuts
2 tbsp sunflower seeds

Wet Ingredients
Egg Replacer*
1/4 c carrot baby food**
2 tbsp water

Add-Ins
2 tbsp roasted red peppers (diced)
1.5 oz chopped prosciutto

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Make egg replacer, whisking until frothy and add to dry ingredients. Add baby food and water, mix until combined. Add in prosciutto and roasted red pepper, stir again until combined - the batter will be thick. Spray (or grease) 3 ramekins, making sure to coat the bottom and sides. Divide batter among the ramekins and use the back of a wet spoon to smooth out the tops. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes.***


Notes
*I used Ener-G Egg Replacer. You can also use 1 egg - this will probably cause the muffins to rise more. You can also use a flax or chia egg.

**I used carrot baby food, it gave a beautiful orange-golden color to my muffins but feel free to use any vegetable flavor combo you like!

***I continually opened the oven to check these which is probably why my muffins came out to be a little mushy in the middle. I suggest keeping your oven closed the full 30 minutes and then checking with a toothpick. The tops will be cracked and have a crusty feel but if the toothpick isn't clean, continue cooking for a few more minutes.


Although I have only sampled a few bites, I am instantly a fan and will be sure to create many versions of these muffins, using different add-ins and flavor combinations. I am thinking these will be better warm than cold. My suggestion for lunch - heat your muffin in the microwave for 30 seconds (or pop into a toaster oven) and enjoy with a crunchy apple, a small salad or perhaps... soup?

Lastly, let me share with you the nutrition facts because, well, I am just that considerate ;-)

Per 1 Savory Crayon Muffin

178 calories

21g carbohydrates

3g fiber

5g protein

PLEASE leave any comments or feedback for flavor suggestions [and] when you make these yourself be sure to come back and let me know how they turned out!