Recipe: Plate Method Breakfast Muffins
When we think about adding veggies to breakfast, eggs and avocado toast are often the first ideas to come to mind. But sometimes, we need a break from the savory breakfast and want something a bit sweet. The question becomes, how do we add in veggies with a sweet twist?
Enter these Plate Method Breakfast Muffins. They have sweetness from bananas and maple syrup, plus an extra nutrient infusion from veggies with shredded zucchini and carrots. The extra hidden secret? Protein coming from blended cottage cheese! These moist yet fluffy, lightly sweet muffins are a wonderful make-ahead option for grab-and-go morning breakfast options.
It’s been our experience that even toddlers and kids love these muffins. This recipe is a great way to sneak in vegetables if we have kids who aren’t fans of them!
Plate Method Breakfast Muffins
Makes 18 muffins
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 large carrot, peeled
- 1 C 2% cottage cheese
- 1/3 C maple syrup
- 2 overripe bananas, mashed
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 C whole wheat flour
- 1 C All-purpose flour
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Using the small shred option on a box grater, grate the zucchini and carrot directly onto a kitchen towel. Allow them to sit and drain as you prep other ingredients.
- In a blender or food processor, add the cottage cheese and blend on high until fairly smooth. Add the maple syrup and continue to blend until the mixture is completely smooth.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cottage cheese mixture, the bananas, eggs, vanilla extract, ground ginger, and cinnamon. Mix well.
- Return to the zucchini and carrots. Gather the towel up in your hands and twist out as much of the liquid as you can, into a sink. Add the drained zucchini and carrots to the batter and mix them in well.
- Using a sieve, sift the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flours into the batter. Mix until everything is wet and no more areas of dry ingredients are noticeable. Batter will be thick, but should not be dry. If it does look dry, add in 1 Tbsp of milk of choice at a time until the batter is no longer dry.
- Spray a muffin tin well with a non-stick spray of choice.
- Add 1/4 C of the batter to each muffin well.
- Bake the muffins at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-24 minutes, or until muffins are lightly browning and a toothpick can be inserted and withdrawn in a clean state.
Swaps
- For the zucchini: add a second large carrot
- For the carrot: add in a second medium zucchini
- For the cottage cheese, swap for Greek yogurt, a plant-based yogurt, or silken tofu.
- For the whole wheat flour: use All Purpose for both cups, or swap to gluten-free flours for both
Tip: Muffins will stay good in a zip-lock bag or air-tight container for up to 4 days. You can also freeze them in a zip-lock bag or container for up to three months and microwave them to warm them back up.