I’m the type of person that eats the same thing for breakfast almost every day without batting an eyelash. Lately, I’ve been thinking about what that really means since breakfast for me typically consists of a 3 egg (2 white 1 whole) omelet with veggies. That’s a lot of eggs per week friends. I am well aware of the terrible things that go into getting eggs on my plate, and I am also aware of the potential cholesterol problem waiting to happen due to my genetic pre-disposition. I eat eggs every morning because I find that eating a protein rich breakfast keeps me fuller longer, and I am the type of person that is always hungry. I have chubby people DNA and all my cells want me to do is eat.

With the intent to reduce my overall egg intake, I challenged myself to create a savory, eggless, high protein breakfast that can be made in a big batch on Sunday and feed me for the remainder of the week. I love a grab and go breakfast because when given the choice between a few extra moments languishing in the comfort of my wonderful bed or getting up a few minutes early to make breakfast, I prefer the languishing in bed, especially on a work day.

One of these muffins has as much protein as two large whole eggs without any of the cholesterol, plus the added bonus of 3 times the iron, 5 times the calcium, and a quarter of your daily recommended fiber. Thanks to the chia seeds, flax and hemp, there is a great amount of Omega 3 and 6 in there as well. These are great for anyone trying to reduce their cholesterol intake, increase their Omega 3 intake or just want to try something new for breakfast. Best of all, no animals were harmed in the making of this muffin. The combination of slightly sweet and savory produces a gratifying umami flavor and keeps me satiated until lunch time. I couldn’t ask for more.

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients
1 C Quinoa cooked and prepared as described below (2 C water, 1/2 TB olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt)
2 TB chia seeds mixed with 1/2 C water
2 TB flax meal mixed with 1/4 C water

1 C Hemp seeds
3/4 C Corn Meal
1/2 C Almond meal four
1/2 C All Purpose Flour
2 TB Nutritional Yeast (Nooch)
1 ^1/2 TB double-acting baking powder
1 tsp Baking soda
3/4 tsp Kosher salt
2/3 C Unsweetened soy milk
1/3 C Extra light tasting olive oil
1 ^1/2 C lacinato kale (or green kale) shredded
2 Medium red bell peppers diced
1 3 oz Bag of Julienne cut sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 C Fresh chopped cilantro

Directions
Prep:
Rinse 1 C of quinoa (any color or combination of colors.) Bring 2 cups water to a boil, add ½ Tb extra light tasting olive oil and ½ tsp salt. Then add quinoa, reduce heat to medium and cook for approximately 30 minutes or until quinoa is done (fluffy and water has evaporated.) Stir chia seeds into tepid or warm water in a small bowl or measuring cup. Then stir flax meal and tepid or warm water in a separate bowl or measuring cup. Allow both to sit and form a gel for at least 30 minutes. If you start the quinoa and prepare the egg substitute at the same time, they should both be ready to be used for the recipe at approximately the same time.

Preheat oven to 400° and grease the muffin tin with olive oil or line the tin with muffin cups. I prefer to oil the tin so that I get a nice crunchy exterior, but it does make it much more tedious to extract the finished product from the muffin tin.

Combine hemp seeds, corn meal, almond meal, flour, nooch, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and whisk together. Add the cooked quinoa and whisk again. In a separate bowl combine soy milk and olive oil and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Then gently add the chia seed and flax meal mixtures, and stir carefully to prevent breaking up the chia and flax gel too much. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients then combine with a rubber spatula. Then add vegetables and combine. Spoon mixture into a greased (or cupped) muffin tin, filling each cup to the brim. Should yield 12+ muffins. Cook in oven for 30 minutes or until tops are a dark golden color. Remove from oven and push a toothpick through the center of the largest muffin, if it comes out clean and dry they should be done. If not, put them back in the oven for 5 more minutes until toothpick test is clean. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing from the muffin tin.

If you did not use muffin cups, you will need to run a thin knife around the edges of each muffin in order to un-stick them from the pan and use a spoon to scoop them out. If you do not, you may loose the bottom of the muffin (not a tragedy, but annoying.) These will store well in the refrigerator for over a week and can also be frozen and reheated for a later date. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts per serving (12 servings)
Calories: 322
Fat: 18 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Potassium: 399 mg
Carbs: 33 g
Fiber: 6 g
Sugars: 4 g
Protein: 12.5 g
Vitamin A: 53%
Vitamin C: 76%
Calcium: 24%
Iron: 24%