by : Reiko Bento/Lunch Box, Breakfast, Leaf Vegetabes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Spinach Muffins with Crunchy Onion Topping
かりかり玉ねぎトッピングほうれん草マフィン

Muffin-making happens in my kitchen on the weekend.

I had beautiful spinach, and I knew that was going to turn my muffins to green deliciousness.

Love the color!

They were topped off with crunchy crispy onion.

And they were ready to go into the oven.

Finally out of the oven, and they looked absolutely perfect!

Exactly what I expected, the color, and the puffiness.

These are sweet (but not too sweet) and savory at the same time.

So you can enjoy them for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or snack.

Really anytime of the day.

These are not only beautifully green, but also delicious!

The inside is moist and the crunchy onion topping goes so well.

I’m not a big beer drinker, but I bet these can be a good snack for beer drinkers, too.

Since I have cool lunchbox stuff (these are from 100-yen shops in Japan), I decided to quickly put together a meal package.

Isn’t it cool?

The spinach muffins were packed with fresh grapes and pickled rhubarb.

This is a well-balanced lunch, if you ask me.

Spinach Muffins with Crunchy Onion Topping2 tablespoons flax seed meal (ground)
1 and 1/4 cup soy milk
1 ~1.5 cup fresh spinach
1/3 cup canola oil
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
a pinch salt
1/2 cup crunchy fried onion1. Preheat the oven at 375 F. Line a muffin tin with liners.
2. In a tall container combine flax seed meal and soy milk. Let it stand for a few minutes
3. Add fresh spinach. Puree spinach using a hand blender.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients except fried onion. Combine well but do not over-mix.
5. Spoon the batter in the muffin tins.
6. Place fried onion on top.
7. Bake for about 20~30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

There is a Blues Festival going on in our city this weekend, and my Spinach Muffins made it there, too.

It’s pretty hot outside, but the music is awesome!

2 Comments
by : Reiko Bread, Breakfast, Vegan, Vegetarian

Steamed Black Muffins
黒んぼ蒸しパン

I know not everyone feels the same way, but personally black food is appealing to me.

Remember the Black Curry?

I like making steamed muffins for breakfast, and this time I decided to make a black sesame version.

Japanese Satsuma sweet potato cubes and additional black sesame seeds were placed on top.

I was so excited when I opened the lid of my steamer.

The beautiful black color was absolutely beautiful!

These are perfect for breakfast or a snack.

I really enjoyed them with a cup of milk tea.

Steamed Black Muffins makes about 10 muffins

100g black sesame seeds
200cc (plus some more if needed) soy milk
2.5 tablespoons sugar
200g all-purpose flour
2.5 teaspoons baking powder
a pinch salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 cup cooked Japanese Satsuma sweet potato cubes
black sesame seeds

1. Combine black sesame seeds, soy milk, and sugar. Puree the sesame until smooth using a hand blender.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, and mix well. Add the sesame mixture and coconut oil. Mix until combined. Add more soy milk if the batter is too thick.
3. Pour the batter into muffin cups. Place sweet potato cubes and sesame seeds on top.
4. Steam for about 12 minutes or until cooked through.

2 Comments
by : Reiko Breakfast, Vegan, Vegetarian

Steamed Beet Cinnamon Muffins
ビーツシナモン蒸しパン

Since I liked having steamed muffins for my breakfast or a snack so much, like these carrot ones or the kiwi ones, that I decided to make another one.

I had a little beet left from a can and I thought it would be fun to have bright pink colored muffins.

They were so beautifully bright pink, and I was extremely excited.

And then, these are what I ended up with!!!!

Where did the beautiful pink color go?

I was so shocked that I almost threw them away.

Well, I calmed down a little bit a while later, and I was glad I didn’t throw them away because they were delicious.

I have no idea what happened.

I initially thought maybe it was the heat, but I remember when I made beet pasta even after cooked in hot water it did not lose the color at all and it actually ended up almost too vividly pink to eat!

But like I said, these muffins were super tasty, and I’ll definitely make them again, just not for the color but for the taste next time.

Since I didn’t get enough pink image for this post, here is something pink and beautiful.

Love peonies.

So elegant.

These are from the local farmers market as well.

Steamed Beet Cinnamon Muffins makes 8~11 muffins

100g thinly sliced cooked beet
200cc soy milk
2.5 tablespoons sugar
200g all-purpose flour
2.5 teaspoons baking powder
a pinch salt
a few sprinkles of cinnamon
2 tablespoons coconut oil

1. Combine beet, soy milk, and sugar. Puree the beet until smooth using a hand blender.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl, and mix well. Add the beet mixture and coconut oil. Mix until combined.
3. Pour the batter into muffin cups.
4. Steam for about 12 minutes or until cooked through.

by : Reiko Breakfast, Vegan, Vegetarian

Rhubarb Jam/Rhubarb Apple Jam
ルバーブジャム＆りんごルバーブジャム

There are so many things you can do with rhubarb like Rustic Rhubarb Tart, Rhubarb Cinnamon Rolls, Rhubarb Cardamom Doughnuts, and Cardamom Rhubarb Custard Bars, but when you don’t know what to do, you can always make jam.

My rhubarb jam is super simple and easy.

This is how I make it…

1. Chop rhubarb into small pieces.
2. Put rhubarb in a pan.
3. Add a small amount of sugar.
4. Cook over medium heat while stirring.
5. Taste and add sugar if needed.

I usually end up with so much less sugar than called for many recipes.

These are jars full of deliciousness!

This is my rhubarb apple jam.

Just added some apple to rhubarb and cooked together.

I used a much smaller amount of apple (probably like 1 (apple):4 (rhubarb)), but that’s all I needed to really enjoy the both flavors in the final result.

Rhubarb strawberry jam is the popular one, but I think I like this combination of rhubarb and apple better, probably because I’m not typically a big fan of cooked strawberries.

Happy rhubarb season, everyone!

by : Reiko Breakfast, Vegan, Vegetarian

Steamed Kiwi Muffins
キウイ蒸しパン

I liked the Steamed Carrot Muffins so much that I decided to make the kiwi version.

I know you can’t really tell it’s kiwi by the color, but you can definitely see the seeds in the final results.

Again, they were so moist and soft… Exactly how I wanted my steamed muffins to be.

My new white silicon cups have arrived from Amazon and I got to use them for these muffins.

I like the simple and clean look.

Have a great week everyone!

Steamed Kiwi Muffins makes 8~10 muffins

100g thinly sliced kiwi
200cc soy milk
2.5 tablespoons sugar
200g all-purpose flour
2.5 teaspoons baking powder
a pinch salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil1. Combine kiwi, soy milk, and sugar. Puree the kiwi until smooth using a hand blender.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, and mix well. Add the kiwi mixture and coconut oil. Mix until combined.
3. Pour the batter into muffin cups.
4. Steam for about 12 minutes or until cooked through.

by : Reiko Bread, Breakfast, Vegan, Vegetarian

Steamed Carrot Muffins
にんじん蒸しパン

I’m always looking for a new snack I can make on the weekend and take to work.

I bought a steamer as part of a set of pots and pans many years ago, but I’ve never used it.

I’ve always liked the moist texture of steamed buns, and I decided to make steamed muffins for the first time.

I also liked the idea that I don’t have to use the oven!

I wanted to make something I could enjoy for breakfast and not for dessert, so I though carrot muffins would be perfect.

The natural bright orange color from the carrot is absolutely beautiful.

This is a simple recipe made with a short list of ingredients including a small amount of sugar.

These muffins were so good and perfect for someone like me who enjoys the natural flavors of the ingredients that are not overwhelmed by excessive sweetness.

Steamed Carrot Muffins makes 7~8 muffins

100g thinly sliced carrots
200cc soy milk
2.5 tablespoons sugar
200g all-purpose flour
2.5 teaspoons baking powder
a pinch salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil

1. Combine carrots, soy milk, and sugar. Puree the carrots until smooth using a hand blender.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, and mix well. Add the carrot mixture and coconut oil. Mix until combined.
3. Pour the batter into muffin cups.
4. Steam for about 12 minutes or until cooked through.

Okay, using the steamer was the first for me, but using silicone cups was another thing I’ve never done before either.

When the So-Zai Bread unexpectedly stuck to the paper cup, Terry ordered these silicone cups at Amazon for me the same night.

These silicone cups worked wonders.

I was comfortable putting them in the steamer (I wouldn’t use paper cups), and the muffins came out of these cups super easily.

I like the idea that these are reusable, too.

The only thing I’m not sure is the bright colors…

Why is it so hard to find simple white colored silicone cups?

2 Comments