Sun-Dried Tomato and Cottage Cheese Muffins (Vegetarian)

From *Vegetarian Supercook* by Rose Elliot ("an accomplished UK-based cookbook author who focuses on vegetarian recipes") comes this unique & tempting muffin recipe. The intro contained a wealth of info: "Not only does their cottage cheese & grd almond base make them a smarter way to start the day, but the combo of tomatoes, cheese & basil baking in a hot oven makes your kitchen smell like a pizzeria. The texture here isn't attempting to emulate traditional flour-based muffins. These are much moister, less bready & more quiche-like." *Enjoy* !

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 9
• Yields: 9 Muffins

Ingredients

• 1  cup cottage cheese (low-fat is fine)
• 3⁄4 cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated, divided per prep)
• 1⁄4 cup flour
• 1  cup  almonds (very finely ground)
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄4 cup sun-dried tomato (oil-packed, but well-drained & finely chopped)
• 1⁄4 cup basil (finely chopped)
• 1⁄4 cup water
• 4  eggs (lightly beaten)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F Line a muffin pan w/9 med-sized paper baking cups.
2. Mix cottage cheese in a bowl w/all but 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese + the remaining ingredients. Season w/salt as desired.
3. Spoon mixture into muffing cups (3/4 full), scatter w/remaining Parmesan & bake for 30-35 min or till set, risen & golden brown. Serve hot or at room temperature.
4. VERSATILITY BONUS: The recipe intro also shared the following: "In place of the sun-dried tomatoes, there are countless other ways to flavor the cheese & nut base batter including: 1) Chopped olives w/lemon zest & chopped herbs, 2) Sauteed chopped mushrooms & fresh thyme, 3) Chopped chipotles & adobo sauce, 4) Roasted garlic, pesto & toasted pine nuts and 5) Sauteed chopped potatoes & rosemary. :-).