Probably the title here is a bit misleading as the only relation with muffins these healthy bites have is the muffin tray I used to bake them in! Regardless of the name however,  they are the perfect lunch or dinner treat that doesn’t involve too much cooking but yet tastes a bit different.

I have recently discovered the zesty flavour of za’atar and I absolutely love it! I wanted to make something with it with a bit of Middle-Eastern sweet-savoury feel and to be honest I didn’t had much in the fridge. And this is how these fellows were born.

Ingredients: 

4-5 carrots

1 red onion

½ cup lentils (I used red but brown goes better)

2 eggs

1tsp. za’atar (Wholefoods have a really good one)

½ tsp. ground coriander

Handful or less of dried cranberries

Salt & pepper

Dip:

Strained yoghurt

Fresh coriander

Lemon juice  

Cook the lentils in a pan with boiling water according to the pack instructions. In the meantime grate the carrots and chop the onion and the garlic finely.  In a saucepan sauté the onion and the garlic with a little olive oil.  Add the carrots and stir. Add the dry spices and let it cook for few minutes. Drain the lentil once ready and add it to the saucepan with the carrots. Stir carefully for 2-3 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the mixture into a bowl. Add the cranberries.

In a small bowl whisk the eggs until well combined and slowly add them to the carrot mixture. Stir well. Using a spoon scoop the mixture onto muffin tray or silicon muffin cases.  Bake the muffins for 20-30 min in preheated to 160⁰C oven.

For the dip chop the fresh coriander and add to the yoghurt. Add a bit of lemon juice and sprinkle with za’atar.

Serve the muffins warm over a nice green leaves salad. So simple and yet so yum! Enjoy it!