Egg Muffins: Variations on a Theme

I am one who will eat the same thing for lunch, Monday through Friday.  I look at breakfast the same way.  Every morning, I eat two or three eggs.  If my palette was the only one in the house to please, I’d probably eat Bacon Wrapped Eggs every morning.  But now and then, my wife or I will want a slight change in the menu. Not a sharp turn off the Primal path toward standard American breakfasts of cereal/oatmeal/donuts/bagels/toaster pastries/waffles/etc… just a different spin on eggs.  While I make Egg Muffins about every other week or so, I don’t always use the exact recipe I posted earlier.

Listed below are a few different ways to change up your Egg Muffins, using the same recipe format. 

Pepperoni Pizza Egg Muffins
Who says you can’t enjoy cold pizza for breakfast since you’ve gone Primal/paleo?  This variation is my wife’s favorite.  Make sure to chop up the pepperoni into ¼ in pieces and break them up to ensure even distribution throughout your mix.  I use:

4 oz. package of Applegate Farms Uncured Pepperoni

Some of the same fresh veggies (or pico de gallo)

Occasionally, a bit of mozzarella cheese on top of each muffin 

Chorizo Egg Muffins

There is always something amazing going on behind the Whole Foods meat counter.  One of their mainstays (at our local store, at least) is their fresh ground chorizo.  This is not to be confused with the packaged, greasy, dark red product you may see at other stores.  I have no idea what makes most chorizo such a terrifying color or how it is able to retain so much of its thin grease… but DO NOT use the common, over-processed stuff in this recipe.  The Whole Foods chorizo is made of pork and seasonings.  They were out one time I went up there, I asked, and they made more for me… right before my eyes.  It was almost miraculous.  Anyways, I use:

8 oz. chorizo

Fresh veg/pico

The occasional touch of cheddar/jack cheese

Spinach and Lamb Egg Muffins

Move a little further down the glass case at the meat counter and maybe grab some ground lamb instead.  Don’t be afraid of the little ruminants.  They’re good eating.  As for the spinach, I use half of one of the 10 oz. bricks in the freezer section.  Make sure to thaw and drain what you are going to use before mixing with your meat and eggs.  I use:

8 oz. ground lamb

4-6 oz. chopped spinach

A sprinkling of crumbled feta cheese on top of each egg muffin (before cooking).  Every time.

Smoked Salmon Egg Muffins

If it works in an omelet, it can work in an egg muffin.  Now, I have very strong opinions about salmon.  Probably couldn’t even condense them into a single post on the topic.  For the moment, I’ll just say use salmon that is wild caught from the Pacific.  I don’t care how responsibly farmed your fishmonger swears his product is… It is a significantly lesser product.  When I make these, I use:

4 oz. smoked salmon, flaked apart

Fresh green onions, chopped

¼ - ½ cup cottage cheese, incorporated into the egg/salmon/onion mixture

I’m always looking for new ideas and inspirations.  Let me know what your favorites are or if you’ve tried something else that I need to add to my rotation.