Breakfast

by : Reiko Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Vegan, Vegetarian

Sunshine Cinnamon Rolls
サンシャインシナモンロール

I was in the mood for cinnamon rolls.

But I wanted them to be sweet but also taste fresh at the same time.

So here I present my carrot orange cinnamon rolls with orange glaze (and mint).

Dried cranberries were added as well.

I found this sheet pan at Sur La Table as you can see.

I was originally planning to buy another brand’s pans, but when I saw it I instantly fell in love with this.

This pan is heavy and sturdy and I love the professional quality of it.

I purchased two of these, but I may go back to get some more, as I’m thinking of using them as a tray or a placemat as well.

This is a “before” picture.

Here is an “after” picture, right out of the oven.

Whenever I make glaze like this, I’m sort of horrified by the amount of sugar that goes into it.

But sometimes you just have to do what you have to do, right?

So happy with the result.

This was great with coffee.

Any cinnamon rolls should be served with a cup of black coffee in my opinion.

Here is a close-up picture.

Can you tell how soft and moist the inside is?

And there are no eggs or butter in these rolls.

After I enjoyed my first roll, I decided to do something I was originally thinking of doing (but then I changed my mind later): sprinkling mint leaves.

I love the combination of carrot, orange, cinnamon, and mint.

So I was dying to try it, but then I got scared, because you never see anything green on top of cinnamon rolls.

Well, I’m glad I did.

They looked even more fabulous with the green color!

The mint was so refreshing and made the rolls taste even better.

This turned out of be absolutely perfect for breakfast!

Sunshine Cinnamon Rolls (makes 12 rolls)

Rolls:
3/4 cup carrot pureed lukewarm water: pureed 2 small carrot combined with lukewarm water
1 tablespoon granulated yeast
1/2 tablespoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal plus 4 tablespoons water
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup canola oil
zest from 1 orange
3 cup all-purpose flour

Filling:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4~1/3 cup dried cranberries

Icing:
3/4 to 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons oat milk
zest from 1 orange
splash of fresh lemon juice

fresh mint leaves, chopped

1. Make dough for rolls. Combine all the ingredients in a tall container. Mix well with a wooden spoon and wet hands. Cover with a lid (not airtight) and let it rise for about 2 hours, or until it is double in size. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Make filling. Combine sugar and cinnamon.
3. Roll out the dough to make a 1/8-inch thick rectangule.
4. Spread the cinnamon sugar and dry cranberries. Roll tightly.
5. Cut into 12 pieces. Place them in a greased quarter sheet pan.
6. Loosely cover with a plastic wrap and allow them rise for about 40 to 50 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 350F.
8. Take the plastic wrap off. Bake for about 30 minutes, or they are lightly browned.
9. Let them cool.
10. Make icing. Combine well all the ingredients. Drizzle it over the rolls. Sprinkle mint leaves.

2 Comments

March 3, 2018

by : Reiko Breakfast, Vegan, Vegetarian

Valentine’s Savory Waffles
バレンタインワッフルプレート

Celebrating Valentine’s Day a bit early this weekend.

I wanted everything red and pink, and the shocking pink color from beets was added to the waffle batter.

When they were cooked, however, the color somewhat faded, and I ended up with this light pink.

They were still pretty though.

I could have easily go with sweet waffle plate, with fruits and chocolate, but I wanted our breakfast savory.

So the pink waffles were served with beautiful veggies.

Then, it was served with mustard-balsamic glaze drizzle and paprika butter.

Super delicious!!

How are you going to celebrate Valentine’s Day?

February 11, 2018

by : Reiko Breakfast, Tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian

Breakfast Crepes
朝食クレープ

I don’t make crepes often, but when I do, I really enjoy it.

So I though why not having crepes for breakfast?

I knew I wanted to make savory version for breakfast.

So I started with sauteing garlic, onions, Maitake mushrooms, and peas.

I stuffed my crepes with the vegetable filling and then served with soft scrambled tofu.

My husband and I both resisted our urge to drizzle things like ketchup or hot sauce.

Sometimes we do it as a habit even before having the first bite.

We were glad that we didn’t, because these crepes were just delicious as they were.

Have an awesome Saturday everyone!

4 Comments

January 27, 2018

by : Reiko Breakfast, Vegan, Vegetarian

French Toast with Paprika Butter and Rosemary Orange Syrup
フレンチトースト、パプリカバター＆ローズマリーオレンジシロップ添え

I haven’t had decent french toast for a long time.

Well, the main reason why I wanted to have french toast was that Terry sent me a picture of french toast that his colleague was having at a restaurant during his business trip.

Terry was not able to have the french toast because it was not vegan, but he said he liked the syrup being “rosemary” infused.

So I decided to make rosemary orange infused syrup for our french toast, and it turned out awesome!

But first we need french toast.

I’ve tried a few vegan french toast recipes and I was not thrilled with any of them.

This time I decided to experiment a little.

Since I’ve had some success in creating some egg-like texture with chickpea flour, I used chickpea flour instead of regular flour for the batter.

Look at this!

I was so happy with the result.

I tried with a few different bread, and they both turned out great!

This vegan french toast served with paprika butter and rosemary orange syrup was a big winner!!

The flavor combination was sophisticated and I really really enjoyed this.

French Toast Batter Ingredients – adapted from this recipe

1 cup unsweetened soy milk
2 tablespoons chickpea flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
a few sprinkles cinnamon
a pinch of salt
vanilla extract

January 20, 2018

by : Reiko Breakfast, Vegan, Vegetarian

Oat Waffles with Strawberries and Cream
苺クリームのせオーツ麦ワッフル

We don’t eat a lot of “sweet” breakfast anymore, but when we do, we like to incorporate “whole” foods.

So these waffles were made mostly with whole wheat flour and oats.

There is only a very small amount of sugar in the waffles, but I used raw sugar (less refined).

These waffles are a bit more dense than regular waffles, but we like them so much better.

One of the reasons why I wanted to make waffles was this: coconut cream.

I had some leftover coconut cream I needed to use up.

I love coconut cream and I use it wherever I would use whipped cream.

I really don’t miss whipped cream, because personally coconut cream tastes better.

It’s by no means the healthiest food (I have a feeling that this has a LOT of calories), but I don’t care (lol).

Eating strawberries this time of the year is a bit strange to me (remember that Japanese people closely associate with food with a certain season? Well, strawberries always represent “spring”), but berries taste so good right now.