Muffins have always been a very Quick Fix snack for me , as all one needs to do is to decide whether its going to be a sweet or a savoury muffin. Once that hair plitting decision has been made, all that has to be done, is to quickly take a once over into the pantry to see the week`s leftover vegetables/ fruits. …and there the decision is made. In this case however, I wanted to incorporate spinach in my everyday menu, and hence the decision on the star ingredient. Everytime, spinach is paired best with some sort of cheese, t hat brings out the flavour of this leafy vegetable. I hd picked out a sharp cheddar cheese at Costco`s this weekend. I also has some of the medium spicy Monterey Jack Cheese left over from last time.  I wanted some more spice, and decided on adding some onions too…I love the smell of bread, pizza or anything baked with the goodness of onions…This was really a trial run, but I was very very happy with the results….and my daughter almost finished all the muffins, at our little  picnic by the lake. This post is specially for my good friend Priya…Here goes…

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour.

1/2 bunch spinach

1 onion

1 tsp salt

1 Tsp Dried Basil.

1 cup flour

1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese.

1/4 cup shredded Montery Jack Cheese.

Parmesan Cheese to Garnish over the Muffins.

1/2 cup margarine.

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

Dash of Pepper.

PREPARATION:

• Wash the half bunch of spinach clean and pat dry with a cleam kitchen towel. Chop roughly.
• In a mixer add the  roughly chopped onions first and then the roughly chopped spinach  and puree. Add minimal water only if needed.
• As always, we start our process of baking with the wet ingredients. Melt the margarine and pour in to the mixing bowl.
• Simultaneously power up your oven to “BAKE” at 375 F.
• Use butter/margarine/oil to grease the muffin pan.
• To the mixing bowl add the pureed spinach mixture and give it a whisk.
• Add salt, dried basil, pepper and whisk again. If at this point, you feel that the mixture is way too thick, add a little water, say about 1/8 – 1/4 cup depending on the consistency.
• In another container measure out the flour and add baking soda and baking powder. Mix it well.
• Slowly add the flour to the puree in the bowl little by little.  When completely done, incorporate all the ingredients with a whisk by slow movements. Brisk stirrng would rob the batter of all the air, which is important to impart a spongy consistency to the muffins, in the absence of eggs.
• Finally add the grated cheese. It could be simply cheddar, or a mixture of whatever cheeses you have on hand. The taste of the muffins, would be influenced by the taste of the type of cheese added.  let it be one with a medium sharp flavour like the Monterery, Sharp Cheddar, Provolone etc.
• The final consistency of the batter should be almost like idli batter which does not run, but is not too firm.

• Pour out equal amounts of batter on to the greased muffin plates, garnish a little parmesan cheese over each muffin  and pop in to the oven.
• Bake for 12-18 minutes depending on the strength of the oven and the amount of batter poured in to each cup.

• Enjoy the aroma of onions, herbs and cheese wafting in your entire kitchen.
• Delicious and simple Spinach & Cheese Savoury Muffins are ready.

HINTS:

1. Substitute the cheese with paneer for a vitamin and protien packed snack. Paneer has no inherent taste of its own, so you might miss out the original intented taste.
   
2. For a sharper flavour, you could use half of spinach and half of arugula. Arugula has a peppery taste, so tone down the type of cheese used. Use a cheese thats more milder like mozarella, parmesan, or light cheddar.
   
3. Leftover Muffins, could be cut in to circles crosswise and used as patties in sandwiches, panninis etc.