Spicy Baked Egg Muffins

Another weekend, another delicious breakfast idea from Mollie Katzen's gorgeous and original breakfast cookbook, the Sunlight Café. These baked egg and ricotta cheese muffins are loaded with good proteins and other nutrients to get you started on the day, and, with the addition of cayenne and jalapeño peppers, they pack the spicy flavour that I like for kicking off just about anything. Once they cool down a little, they also make portable little snacks. Make sure you use whole milk ricotta.

This also turned out to be a perfect creation to submit to The Spice Who Loved Me, who will be hosting the next Weekend Breakfast Blogging event. I'm really looking forward to this, as the theme is spice!

Spicy Baked Egg Muffins

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Café Published on June 3, 2007 Delicious, colorful and spicy baked egg muffins — great for breakfast or as a snack Print this recipe Ingredients: cornmeal 8 large eggs 1 cup ricotta cheese 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 2 green onions, white and green parts, sliced 1/4 cup coarsely chopped grape or cherry tomatoes 1 large jalapeño, minced fresh ground black pepper fresh grated Monterey Jack cheese Instructions: Preheat an oven to 350°. Grease 8 cups of a standard (2 1/2-inch diameter) muffin tray with butter. Put the tray in the preheated oven for a minute to melt the butter. Remove, and spoon a little cornmeal into each greased cup, just enough to cover the bottom. Pour the eggs, ricotta cheese, cayenne and salt into a blender and beat until smooth. Stir in the green onions, tomatoes, jalapeño and plenty of fresh ground black pepper. Pour the egg mixture into each muffin cup, filling them right to the rim. Bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes, then remove and sprinkle on a little of the grated Monterey Jack cheese on each muffin. Return to the oven and bake for about 12 more minutes, or until the puffed-up tops are just starting to turn golden and are slightly firm to the touch. Remove the tray from the oven and let cool for five minutes. Run a knife around the edges to loosen, and lift or invert each muffin onto a plate. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature by themselves, or with hot pepper sauce, salsa, yogurt or sour cream. Makes 8 egg muffins