Cheesy Jalapeño Cauliflower Muffins
Happy Mardi Gras, everyone!! I hope that the past week has been full of revelry and sinfully delicious food!! Unfortunately, I have been battling pneumonia over here and haven’t enjoyed this week as much as I’d like! But, with Lent coming up, William and I will be trying out the Daniel Fast. It is a very restrictive diet, and we have been trying to ease ourselves into it slowly. Part of this adventure entails a focus on plant-based foods that are ALL natural. Exploring this ‘new’ world of foods has been an eye-opening journey to say the least.
The preservatives and chemicals we thoughtlessly consume on a daily basis are so omnipresent sticking to the Daniel Fast feels like an impossibility at times (and we haven’t even started). However, the main goal is to eat healthier and eat things that were meant to be food- REAL food. So… going through the ingredients in my fridge right now this means no high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, thiamin mononitrate, methylcellulose, or disodium guanylate. What? I have been consuming all of those things- and if you asked me something as simple as what color they are- I couldn’t tell you. I don’t even know what some of those words actually mean!
This post is not a leap- it’s a stepping stone. It serves as an example of the incredible things you can do with all natural ingredients. My new absolute favorite miracle veggie is cauliflower! See- these are not ordinary muffins. They are actually gluten and wheat free, low in carbs, and high in protein! They are made of cauliflower. It is one of the coolest things I have ever made, I know I’m going to be using cauliflower a TON on the Daniel Fast. It can replace breads either in muffin form, or as a pizza crust.
Cheesy Jalapeno Cauliflower Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower or 2 cups riced cauliflower
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon dried, minced onion
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup flour use coconut flour for gluten free muffins
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
Prepare the cauliflower (If you purchase cauliflower already riced, you can skip this step.)
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Rinse cauliflower and chop.
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Put cauliflower in a blender or food processor with a few cups of water.
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Run the blender until the cauliflower is riced completely.
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Place cheese cloth or a clean dish towel in a strainer and pour the cauliflower and all of the water into the towel. Let the cauliflower drain, using the dish towel to squeeze out any excess water and make the cauliflower as compact as possible. Set aside until needed.
Prepare the batter
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Destem and clean the pepper. Mince it finely. Mince the garlic as well and set them both aside.
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Melt the butter in a small microwave-safe dish.
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In a large bowl, measure out two cups of the cauliflower and mix together with the eggs, jalapeno, and garlic. Add in the butter and mix thoroughly.
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Measure out the cheeses, onion, salt, pepper, flour, and baking powder. Mix all together in a small bowl.
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Stir the cheese mixture into the cauliflower mixture until completely combined.
Bake
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Preheat the oven to 375F and grease two muffin tins generously. These muffins stick very easily, so this step is important.
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Fill each muffin cup to the very top with batter (they don’t rise much).
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Bake for 35 minutes, or until they are a dark, golden brown.
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Let them rest in the muffin tin for at least ten minutes to set and cool before removing them. Remove them gently with a butter knife.
Recipe Notes
You will likely have leftover riced cauliflower. You can save this in the refrigerator for later use.
