Pumpkin Feta Muffins


pumpkin feta muffin jpeg vers 2.jpgIt's all things pumpkin 'round here at the moment.  These yummy muffins are savoury and just the right antidote to all those sugary treats that kids will be feasting on in a few days time.  Savoury muffins are all the rage in the US and I gather in Australia too.  This particular recipe adapted from www.101cookbooks.com caught my eye.  You may have to sell these in....as kids will be suspicious of anything looking like a muffin, but tasting decidely different from what they may be expecting. Tasty and nutritious I think these would be good in lunchboxes and as an after school treat.

Yield

16

Preparation time

Ingredients

1 tbs butter
2 tbs olive oil
330g pumpkin, roasted and cubed (see note below)
Salt and pepper
70g shredded carrot
2 tbs chopped parsley
3 tbs sunflower seeds
30g grated parmesan or pecorino
200g feta, cubed
2 tsp whole grain mustard
2 large eggs
110 ml milk
70 ml buttermilk*
100g gluten free flour (Doves Farm)
75g buckwheat flour
1 tbs baking powder
1 tsp sea salt

Directions

pumpkin feta muffin ingredients jpeg gf.jpgPreheat oven 200 C.  Grease 12-16 muffin tins generously with butter. 

In a large mixing bowl combine most of the pumpkin and most of the feta cheese (leave about 1/3 of each to place on top, to give extra colour and interest to the muffins), the grated carrot, parsley, sunflower seeds, parmesan, and mustard.  Fold gently to combine.

In another bowl, whisk the egg, milk and buttermilk to combine.  Add this to the pumpkin, feta mxture.

Combine the gluten free flour, buckwheat flour, baking powder and salt.  Add this to the pumpkin, egg mixture and fold gently to combine.  Fill each muffin tin with the mixture and top with a few cubes of pumpkin and feta.

Bake 15-20 minutes until golden.  These muffins are best at room temperature.  They will also keep for a day or two in the fridge.

Notes

To roast the pumpkin:  Cut the pumpkin into slices about 1 cm thick. You can leave the skin on, but remove all the fleshy bits and the seed.  Place the slices on a roasting tin and generously drizzle with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place in a hot oven (200 C) and roast for about 20-25 minutes until soft.  Keep an eye on the pumpkin and if it starts to colour too much, then turn the oven down a bit.  You want a few caramelised bits for flavour, but you also want to keep the vibrant colour.  Leave to cool a little before using in the recipe. You can roast the pumpkin ahead of time and place in the fridge until required.

You can also substitute any type of squash for the pumpkin, butternut squash will work well for example.

Since making these muffins, I have been dreaming about all the different combinations you could have.  Any roasted vegetables would work well, onion, carrot, parsnips, peppers etc. so I would encourage you to experiment with different flavours. 

* if you can't find buttermilk or haven't got any to hand, you can substitue yoghurt or creme fraiche