Zucchini Cheddar Egg Muffins

Morning, friends! Welcome to the last Tuesday of August. Crazy right?!

Lately you've seen many ramblings and brags about my garden and finally we are seeing the produce that I've been very (im)patiently waiting for. Lettuce, green beans, cherry tomatoes and boatloads of zucchini are what's in season at my house right now. I've been able to share the lettuce, beans and tomatoes with family & co-workers, but the zucchini count is starting to get a wee bit out of control.

So far, I've made ~

- my favourite zucchini bread

- Courtney's light & tasty zucchini casserole and zucchini latkes

- my dad's goulash

I still have 2 1/2 zucchinis at home and several little baby ones growing away in the garden. Is anyone in need of zucchini?? I would be very happy to share! :-)

On Sunday, I did a little meal prepping for the week and one of the things that I cooked up was a batch of egg muffins. These are great because you can make them on the weekend and store them in the refrigerator for a week. I often pack them in my lunch or pop a couple in the microwave for breakfast on the go. I got the idea after I made Courtney's zucchini casserole. I mean really, can you go wrong when you mix zucchini and cheddar together?!  I think not.  

Zucchini Cheddar Egg Muffins
Recipe adapted from He & She Eat Clean

Makes 12 egg muffins

1 1/2 c shredded zucchini
1/2 c mushrooms, diced
1/2 c onions, diced
3/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
4 eggs
14 egg whites
1 tsp Italian seasoning
sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 375. Grease your muffin tin well.

Place zucchini, mushrooms & onion in a large bowl and mix well. Fold in 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Scoop the veggie mixture into the muffin tins. Fill each cup about 2/3 to 3/4 full.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs & egg whites. Stir in your spices.

Pour the egg mixture over the vegetable mixture filling each muffin cup. Leave a little room because the egg will puff up & expand as it bakes.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over the egg mixture in each muffin cup.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for approximately 10 minutes.

Slide a knife around the edges of each egg muffin and carefully remove each one and place it on a cooling rack.

Once the egg muffins are completely cooled, store in an airtight container in the fridge.

I know this muffin tin is old and ugly but that's because it's been well loved <3

One thing I would caution is that non-stick spray is not the most effective when trying to get these little muffins out of the tin. Even though I used a knife to cut around the edges and a fork to oh so gently lift the muffins up and out, several of them came out with a messy looking bottom. Lucky for me, the ugliness did not affect the taste - these are tasty little bites if I do say so myself! Next time I'm going to grease my pan with shortening and I hope that will make the whole muffin removal procedure a little easier and more successful.

Here are some other zucchini recipes on my radar to try over the next couple of weeks ~  

- Jessica's Whole Wheat Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins 

- Summer Squash & Ricotta Galette

- Jenna's Portobello & Zucchini Lasagna

- Angela's Zucchini Bread Oatmeal 

Do you have any great zucchini recipes that I should try? Please leave your link below.

Enjoy your day,

Andrea

xoxo

Creamy Corn Chowder

Well here we are at Wednesday and you may notice something's missing here on my lovely little site. I decided to skip a What I Ate Wednesday post this week because I've had lots of repeat meals lately and yesterday I had a poopy ol' day and my heart and my head just weren't in the mood for putting together a post. Do you ever have those days??? It was for no particular reason ~ just a funky day.

Today however things are lookin' up and I am feeling pretty much back to normal. I have a delicious corn chowder recipe to share and I am super excited because it's vegan and Derek LOVED it!!! He claims he doesn't like "that kind" of food, but he told me over and over how good it was. SCORE 1 for me :-D

This soup was really easy to make. I made it the night before and let it simmer all day long in the slow cooker. It was SOOOOO nice to come home to an already made supper!!! 

Creamy Corn Chowder in the Slow Cooker
Serves 4

This is a delicious soup that eats like a meal! It's full of lots of hearty veggies and there is virtually no fat. We served ours with cornbread muffins. It was delicious!

1 sweet onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled & chopped
4 small yellow potatoes, chopped
2 14 oz cans of cream corn
2 c frozen or fresh corn kernels
2 c vegetable broth
1 tbsp Spicy Mrs. Dash
salt & pepper to taste
2 c original unsweetened almond milk (regular milk would work)
2 tbsp cornstarch

I prepared the soup the night before, refrigerated overnight and then transferred to my slow cooker in the morning before work, but you can make it and slow cook it right away if that works better for your schedule.

Combine the first 8 ingredients. Stir to make sure everything is well combined.

When you are ready, place the soup into the crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours.

About 30 minutes before you are ready to eat, turn the crockpot to high heat. Add one cup of milk to the soup. Whisk the other cup together with the cornstarch and then add it to the soup too. Cook for approximately 20 minutes or or maybe even a little more. The soup should thicken slightly and become a creamier consistency.

Chop those veggies & add them to a bowl....

....add your corn 

...followed by your broth and spices 

At this point I covered and refrigerated overnight.

Before I went to work the next day, I transferred my soup mixture to the slow cooker.

Right before you're ready to eat, add your almond milk. 

The soup is ready to eat once it's reached  your desired consistency.

Turn on the fireplace, curl up on the couch and enjoy your soup!! (Can you tell we have no children --- we never, ever sit at a table to eat our meals! We like a more comfy cozy location in front of the fireplace and the TV)

What is your favourite type of chowder?
Do you have a slow cooker? How often do you use it and for what?

Have a great night!

Andrea