I'm afraid the word "muffins" is always going to seem kind of dirty to me, in a sniggering playground sort of way. It's very hard for me to bring myself to say something like "Let me tell you all about my delicious savory muffins!" even though I really do, in fact, want to tell you about my delicious savory muffins.

Then there's also the difficulty that I suspect that even if you don't have my (perhaps? probably?) somewhat idiosyncratic associations with the word, "vegetable muffins" sounds more improving than appetizing. Is there some other word I could use to describe these items that would be equally accurate? Help me, please.

In any case, these were an excellent addition to our lunch boxes this week. They have a pleasant, moist but unsticky texture, slightly reminiscent of popovers because of the high proportion of eggs. They're full of vegetables, which makes them pretty healthy, and are not sweet. The internet has many suggestions for ways to sneak vegetables into your picky children by way of baked goods and smoothies, and it seems like all of the veggie muffin recipes that result are sweet, not savory. I wanted something easy to pack in my lunch and eat out of hand, and veggie muffins (aggh, that word!) sounded like they might be a nice idea--but the apple-carrot or honey-zucchini-pumpkin route didn't really appeal.

I think this recipe should be pretty versatile, accommodating most any variety of vegetables, and you could mix it up quite a bit with your cheese/seasoning combinations. For example, broccoli, cheddar, and maybe a bit of mustard would go well together; or spinach, feta, and oregano or dill; or cauliflower, lemon zest, cumin, perhaps, and parmesan. Anyway, you get the idea. See what you think.

SAVORY LUNCHTIME MUFFINS
Makes 6

1 1/2 cups assorted vegetables, chopped very fine -- a food processor is nice here. In this batch I used carrots, peas, and green beans.
1 small onion, chopped fine
1/3 cup grated cheese of your choice; here I used parmesan
1 Tbsp. herbs and spices of your choice; I used Penzey's "Pasta Sprinkle," though preblended herbs are not usually my kind of thing, and it was good. Fresh herbs will be better yet, I'm sure! Some very very finely minced garlic would probably be good as well.
3 eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
Scant 3/4 cup whole wheat flour OR 1/2 cup wheat flour and 1/4 c spelt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
Fat pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Combine vegetables, onion, cheese, and herbs in a large bowl.

In another bowl, beat eggs and add oil. Mix in dry ingredients until fairly smooth, then stir in the vegetable mixture until just blended.

Spoon into greased muffin tin, or an ungreased silicone muffin tin. Place muffin tin on baking sheet, to catch any drips, and bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned on top.