Chicken, Goat Cheese, and Black Olive Muffins. Sounds good, right? What if I told you they were also wheat-free, gluten-free, and low carb? Would you still be interested?
You guys know that I’m not a low-carber but that doesn’t mean that I shy away from low-carb recipes. When it comes to food blogs, I don’t discriminate! One of my favorite food blogs is Kalyn’s Kitchen and the majority of her recipes are South Beach Diet friendly. I don’t follow the South Beach Diet but I love Kalyn’s recipes because they are both healthy and delicious with an emphasis on whole, unprocessed foods.
One of Kalyn’s recent posts was about Egg Muffins. No, not Egg McMuffins! These are much healthier and much tastier than anything off the McDonald’s breakfast menu.
Kalyn’s Egg Muffins are basically a portable omelet that can be eaten on the run. The recipe is simple: whip up some eggs with whatever veggies, cheese, meats, herbs and spices you have on hand, pour the batter into some muffin cups and bake. Kalyn has an actual recipe for you to follow but I found it was easy to improvise. I whipped up my own creation with chicken, goat cheese, black olives and fresh chopped parsley and they turned out perfectly on the first try.
When I made my egg muffins, I used silicone muffin cups that I had recently received as a gift. They worked really well! But Kalyn says you can also use a regular muffin tin if you line it with foil baking cups. The cool thing about these ‘muffins’ is that you can refrigerate or freeze them and pop a couple in the microwave on your way out the door.
Since I suffer from hypoglycemia, it is important for me to start the day with some protein. I’m not always very good at forcing myself to eat breakfast but it’s much easier when I have something like this on hand. In fact, one of these egg muffins along with one of my whole wheat muffins is a pretty good combination to get me through the morning.
To read more about Egg Muffins, see some photos, and get the recipe, visit Kalyn’s Kitchen.
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1:54 pm Jan 27th, 2008I’m so glad you liked them. Your muffins are just gorgeous. This recipe is so easy to improvise your own combination. I don’t know if I’ve had a bad batch yet.
I want some of those muffin cups like you have. You can use foil cups sprayed with non-stick spray, but not paper ones. I do think the silicone pans or cups are best for this though.
2:15 pm Jan 27th, 2008Kalyn: Thanks for clarifying that we should use foil cups instead of paper cups, I’ll edit the post to point that out
4:08 pm Jan 27th, 2008I just made a similar recipe today not knowing that they were south beach (though they may not be the way I made them - eggs, pears, gorgonzola). I also wouldnt have called them muffins though thats a clever term. I always just referred to them as crustless quiche.
I found little glass custard cups that came with plastic lads at Target. Now I just throw them in my bag and have breakfast when I get to campus. They are perfect!
6:52 pm Jan 27th, 2008What a beautiful picture! This is pretty cool to see. I started making these about a year ago, based on a frustration with my husband for leaving for work in such a rush he wouldn’t eat breakfast, and then spending too much money on food later because he was hungry (imagine that!). I never thought to blog about it. Great minds think alike, they say…or is it the case that necessity is the mother of invention? I really like them, though, because they hold up well after a day or two, so I can make a dozen or two without worrying, and they’re delicious and healthy. Thanks for sharing.
7:58 pm Jan 27th, 2008Really nice picture! With those ingredients I can imagine having it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
11:26 pm Jan 27th, 2008I like to make them for a light first course…they’re so easy. I really should start making extras for breakfast, though.
2:18 am Jan 28th, 2008Great photo!
What a great idea for breakfast on the go! My hubby just started the South Beach- he’s trying to lose some l.b.’s so he can make weight before heading out to a new training class! HA! These will be a huge score for me in the wife of the year dept. Thanks much for the idea. And it’s really really nice to have you back- really missed your posts this past month.
7:19 am Jan 28th, 2008These look fantastic Nicole! Especially for someone that is pregnant and on the verge of GD (form of diabetes). Thanks!
7:23 am Jan 28th, 2008What a great idea! I love your muffin tins as well. How long do you think they would last? They probably would not be as good the day after. Gorgeous picture as usual.
7:51 am Jan 28th, 2008My God, what have you done….
10:20 am Jan 28th, 2008Wow, what cute muffin “tins”, someone must really love you! =oP These look really yummy! I’ll have to make them, I think Jason would like them for a quick breakfast!
10:23 am Jan 28th, 2008This is perfect for an early protein breakfast when we have to be at the gym by 6:30 a.m. ! I am going to try it this week. thanks.
1:35 pm Jan 28th, 2008Although I don’t eat poultry, I think the goat cheese and olives sound like a fantastic combination. I can’t wait to give these a try!
2:00 pm Jan 28th, 2008These look great . . . leave it to Kalyn! I imagine you could swap in all kinds of fun ingredients too. It reminds me of a “crustless quiche” I had at a bed and breakfast once that I always vowed to try and replicate once I got home.
3:59 pm Jan 28th, 2008Sara C: Eggs, pears, and gorgonzola!! That sounds really really good!
Polliwoggy: I wish I would have thought to do something like this a long time ago! They really are a great breakfast solution for a rushed morning!
Lori: Yes, they make a nice lunch, too. Haven’t tried them for dinner but why not??
Katie: You’re right, these don’t have to be just for breakfast!
Tempered Woman: Great! Hope he enjoys them!
Ruby: Uh oh! Well, I plan on featuring more low glycemic recipes since I’m trying to keep my hypoglycemia somewhat under control.
Anticiplate: Actually, I put mine in the fridge and they were pretty good heated up the next day in the microwave. Kalyn says they freeze well, too!
Jason: Um…put eggs in the muffin cups you guys got for me…?
Corinne: Yes, I must say I do have a wonderful cousin
Kathy: Yes, I was thinking the same thing…now I just have to get on a ‘gym schedule.’
Christiane: I think they would be great with any kind of cheese and fresh herbs…or even just the herbs. That’s what I love about the recipe…anything goes!
Lia: Yes, they really are like a light crustless quiche and they can be as basic or as fancy as you want them to be!
4:11 pm Jan 28th, 2008Those look good and sound tasty! I tried and enjoyed a variation of that recipe as well.
5:42 pm Jan 28th, 2008Gorgeous looking muffins! What a coincidence! My last post too was on egg muffins.:-)
6:55 pm Jan 28th, 2008Wow those look great and would be an easy way to get me and my husband to eat breakfast!
8:15 pm Jan 28th, 2008i have never met an egg i didn’t like, and these look downright delicious! i don’t use silicon in my baking/cooking, but i’m definitely going to try them out in the foil cups.
8:57 pm Jan 28th, 2008We’re first time reader and eater of your blog and it’s all so delicious. We’re really not low-carber’s either, but with muffins this good, we can eat more! The olives and fresh parsley addition is fantastic! Our parsley plant is exploding now, so this will be next on our menu. Thank You.
12:15 am Jan 29th, 2008Kevin: They definitely seem to be popular!
TBC: Like Polliwoggy said earlier, great minds think alike!
Mary: Yes, that’s one thing that attracted me to the recipe. I am never hungry in the morning and I really have to force myself to eat. Things like this make it much easier!
Shana: I don’t use much silicone in the kitchen but these little muffin cups are cute and they work great. I’m sure the egg muffins will be just as good in a standard muffin tin…let us know how they turn out!
White on Rice Couple: Welcome and thanks for the comment! I need to plant some fresh herbs, this is the first time in a few years that I haven’t had my own parsley growing!
9:56 am Jan 29th, 2008Yes, plant some parsley! We’re fanatical about growing herbs and interested in growing as many as possible (except for Cannibus and a few others). If you were close to us, we’d love to share some of ours with ya!
10:23 pm Jan 29th, 2008I also made these recently using Stilton, leeks and loads of black pepper. They were so moreish they were gone in a day! I didn’t have any muffin cups (foil or paper) so I just spritzed the muffin tray with an oil spray and it worked perfectly. Helen.
4:43 am Jan 31st, 2008White on Rice Couple: Yes, I definitely need to get my herbs going. How many herbs are you guys growing right now? In Sicily, I just had some basics: rosemary, basil, parsley, marjoram, thyme, chives, and mint.
Helen: That sounds wonderful! Thanks for letting us know that it worked fine without the muffin cups!
6:01 am Jan 31st, 2008this recipe is sweeping the food blogs! probably because they’re so good — i made some with spinach, onion and parmesan, they were delicious!
8:46 am Feb 1st, 2008These are veh veh cute - and they look super-tasty, too! What a fab combination of flavours…
5:05 am Feb 6th, 2008Ooo, I’m going to try and veganize this idea! Yay for yummy quick breakfasts!
4:20 pm Feb 6th, 2008Katy: I know, everyone seems to be making them! I think it’s great!
Spaghetti: Thanks, I think they turned out pretty cute, too
Vanessa: I really hope you’ll let us know when you figure out a good vegan version of these. I’d love to try a different version!
11:27 am Feb 7th, 2008Ooooh I am SO happy I found this beautiful blog. These muffins are perfect for me! Lots of protein, low carbs…I had gastric bypass surgery, and I’ve been meaning to make something like this (also called crustless min-quiches), but your flavor combo sounds delicious and inspiring.
11:06 am Feb 9th, 2008great lookin muffin ! i could have it anytime
12:21 pm Feb 15th, 2008Love this flavor combination - especially because of the black olives. How genius!
3:42 pm Feb 15th, 2008A healthy use for my cupcake tins - now there’s a concept. These sound great!!
7:57 pm Feb 15th, 2008Hey I am just starting the Body for Life for Women and these will be a great addition to my gig-
I was just reading about mushrooms and thought they would be good too!
Mushrooms are an underappreciated, low-calorie food rich in nutrients. Mushrooms surpass all other items in the produce category in selenium, which was shown in one study to decrease prostate cancer by 60 percent. Also, mushrooms are an excellent source of three essential B-vitamins: riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid.
Additionally, mushrooms are an under-recognized source of potassium, which has been shown to help regulate blood pressure, keep the right balance of water in fat and muscle tissues, and ensure the proper functioning of cells. One 3-ounce portabella mushroom cap provides more potassium than an orange or even a banana.
8:53 pm Feb 15th, 2008This looks fantastic! I try to keep the carbs low most of the time (although I’ve been very, very bad the past two weeks.) This could be just the thing to get me back in line! Thanks to you (and Kalyn). They really look lovely!
11:44 am Feb 16th, 2008could they be microwaved in the silicon cups instead? (quicker, less energy use)
6:57 pm Apr 28th, 2008