Muffin Frittatas (Recipe)

These tasty vegetable muffins are are great for packed lunches and on- the-go breakfasts. The Italian word "frittata" derives from fritto, to fry, and most frittata recipes call for you to fry the vegetables first.

The beauty of this recipe is that we skip the frying (anything to save time) to create much fresher-tasting frittatas, made up of at least 50 percent lightly cooked, vitamin-packed vegetables.

Use the coarse teeth on a grater or a mandolin to save on chopping time and avoid using tomatoes as they are often too watery. Please don’t make an egg white frittata! The saturated fat in egg yolks is incredibly nutritious and good fat in every meal is important to absorb all the nutrients that are present in food.

WHAT YOU NEED

• 8 eggs
• 2 large pinches of sea salt
• a large pinch of black pepper
• 3 carrots or 3 zucchinis, roughly grated (or a mix of both)
• a handful of veg – try chopped red pepper, fennel, or peas
• 1 onion or leek, or some scallions or fresh chives (dice, chop, or snip them finely as you won’t be frying them)
• 1 large garlic clove, finely diced
• any spices or herbs, fresh or dried (we like 1 tsp dried oregano and a small handful of fresh parsley)
• a large handful of grated hard cheese, such as cheddar, gruyère or parmesan

What to do

1. Preheat the oven to fan 375°F. Grease a muffin tray well with a little butter/ghee or use paper cases or parchment paper.
2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the salt and pepper, all the grated and chopped vegetables or peas, finely chopped onion or leek, garlic, and any spices or herbs.You are looking for a ratio of around 50 percent egg to 50 percent raw veg.
3. Pour the mixture into the prepared muffin tray.
4. Bake for 12minutes,then crumble the cheese on top and turn on the broiler. Broil for about a minute until the tops are golden brown. Alternatively, you could stir the cheese into the egg mix, not bother with the broiler, and just cook in the oven for 14 minutes.
5. To check if they are done, give the muffin tray a wobble – the frittatas should be just set in the middle. You can always put them back in the oven for another 1–2 minutes if you think they need cooking any longer.
6. Remove the frittatas from the tray and leave to cool on a wire rack. Wrap them up in baking or greaseproof paper or pop them in your lunch box for a great snack on the go.

TRY USING FETA instead of a hard cheese. If you do, remember to use less salt as feta is naturally very salty.

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