Vegan Broccoli Muffins

Today marks day three of my vegan muffin roundup! On the cooling rack is a delicious surprise for all of you muffin traditionalists who think muffins only come in bran, blueberry and banana. Feast your eyes on Vegan Broccoli Muffins.

I, like other food writers, overuse (torture) the phrase “these are great with a bowl of soup or a green salad!” when speaking of savory quickbreads such as this. Sorry. But it’s true, these are. I’ve been known to crumble one of these warm lovelies right into a cup of minestrone (it’s a peasant soup kind of thing). Yet these are equally smashing as a savory start to your day. Kevin thinks broccoli for breakfast is whackadoodle, but I’ll win him over one of these days.

You can use frozen (thawed) or fresh  broccoli, so use what is most convenient for you. I have this crazy notion that quick breads should be quick, so the main thing is to keep it simple. That said, feel free to use almost any chopped fresh or frozen vegetables in place of the broccoli–think kale, Swiss chard, cauliflower, corn, eggplant, squash–that suits your fancy

I’ve thrown a handful of vegan cheese in here, too, but it is your call–the muffins are equally yummy without it. If you do opt for cheese, be sure to cut it into cubes instead of shredding. That way you get the bubbly bursting blobs of cheese that make any cheesy bread worthy of its name. By contrast, shredded cheese tends to disappear into the batter without delivering a noticeable, cheesy punch.