Pepper and Onion Corn Muffins

Get What You Need by Jet
I love it when people write songs about vegetables.  I mean, this is what Nic Cester is singing about, right?  Getting what you need?  Or maybe I'm being influenced by my current concerns of getting those fruits and veggies in every day.  As well as the required water and fiber.  Ah.  Perhaps he isn't singing about food at all.  We all have things we need.  Here's to hoping everyone finds what that is - and gets it!

My family just started a Health and Wellness Challenge.

Yes - right at the beginning of the holiday season.

What better gift could we be giving ourselves - and each other - than

healthier and happier versions of ourself?

This challenge includes my husband and myself and all of our 

children and spouses.

That's nine total.

My daughter-in-law and daughter worked together

to come up with a really great point system.

We are rewarded points for healthy eating habits as

well as healthy emotional and physical and spiritual habits.

If someone doesn't have a physical problem to work on,

there are opportunities to work on other aspects of our life as well.

At the end of the challenge in February, the person

with the most points wins!

Yay!!

Each day we need to be sure to get our fruits and veggies eaten.

This has had me thinking of all sorts of ways to shove

those babies in things!

I, personally, find it easier to get fruits in most days.

Veggies can become problematic.

Luckily, I love most vegetables.

But when you're actually counting how much you're eating -

or in my case, NOT eating - then that's when you start looking

for ways to work them into EVERYTHING!

And that's how I came up with today's recipe!

I was going to serve my Clam Chowder for dinner last night.

And I was planning on making up some cornbread to go with it.

And then, the veggie dilemma hit me.

If I were to put veggies in cornbread,

which veggies would I choose?

Surprisingly, I came up with LOTS of options!

And very few sounded weird.

I actually had to force myself to restrain my brain!

And I settled on the sweetness of a yellow onion and red bell pepper

along with the smokiness of a roasted poblano pepper.

It was a happy union!

I like to make my cornbread into muffins.  That way, if there are
those who don't like "stuff" mixed into their muffins, I can
make half of the batch plain and then stir the goodies into the batter for the rest.

I kept these muffins heavier on the cornmeal
side of things to suit the savory side.
But there's still enough flour and a little more sugar
to keep things a tad sweet as well.
Sweet and savory!

Served warm with some butter - well, it's just lovely getting what you need sometimes.

Isn't that right?

Pepper and Onion Corn Muffins

makes 12 muffins

Printable Recipe Card

2 c. cornmeal (320 g)

1 c. flour (125 g)

1/2 c. sugar (100 g)

1 T. baking powder

1 t. kosher salt

2 eggs

1 1/2 c. milk

1/2 c.butter, melted

1 poblano pepper, roasted, peeled, and small diced

1 sweet onion, small diced

1 red bell pepper, small diced

Roast your poblano pepper and slough off the charred skin.  Remove the seeds and membranes from the inside and cut into a small dice.  Cut your red bell pepper and sweet onion into a small dice as well. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt.  Set aside.

In a separate bowl, break up the eggs with a fork and then beat together with the milk.  Stir in the melted butter.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients along with the diced peppers and onions.  Mix just until the ingredients come together and there aren't any dry clumps.

Scoop the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes - or until golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for about five minutes then remove.