Green Tea Muffins

I used to bake muffins a lot when we were in St Louis. Initially, they came from the premix boxes. And then, as I slowly got the hang on baking from scratch, I baked out of magazines and books. Nowadays, I draw my inspirations from all the amazing food blogs. In fact, my favorite Raspberry Chocolate Chips Muffins comes from here.

One day, as I was surfing for muffin ideas to bring to a friend's place, someone mentioned green tea muffins. Being a huge matcha fan, that piqued my interest, and I had to have it. Unfortunately there was no recipe accompanied it.

Undeterred, I make a few tweaks on a recipe from my favorite online recipes source- Epicurious.com and come up with my version of Green Tea Muffins. Because I see muffin as morning food, I prefer mine lighter and not too sweet. With almost 2 teaspoons of matcha powder, the green tea flavor comes through, but it may not be everybody's cup of tea. So adjust the amount of matcha powder to suit your preference. For sweetness, I add 1/2 teaspoon of sweetenend azuki beans into each muffin, and find them compliment each other really well.

As with many matcha recipes I have tried, the green tea muffins turn dry easily. We learn our lesson when we absent-mindedly let them sit uncovered for a few hours. I think an extra splash of milk or an additional tablespoon of melted butter should be sufficient to counter the dryness.But I need to try it again this weekend just to be sure.

Green Tea Muffins
adapted from Epicurious.com

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
2 teaspoon matcha powder
canned sweetened azuki bean, (1/2 teaspoon for each muffins)

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter muffin pans. Mix the flour, matcha powder, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the egg, milk, and butter, stirring only enough to dampen the flour; the batter should not be smooth. Spoon into the muffin pans, filling each cup about half full, dropping 1/2 teaspoon of azuki beans into each over and cover with more batter, until the cup is two-thirds full. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes each. Or until the cake tester inserted comes out clean.

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Learning to eat breakfast : Almond and Dark Chocolate Granola

I feel terrible confessing to the world that I don't eat breakfast in my blackberries and mango clafoutis post. The more I think about, the worse I feel. Mum would be sad if she knows that I skip breakfast, wouldn't she? I mean, mothers alway tell their children not to skip breakfast. And here I am, shamelessly proclaiming my undisciplined life. Very bad.

Although a quarter of 2008 has passed, I am going to squeeze "eating breakfast" into my 2008 resolution.It is never too late to add another resolution as long as I can keep it right?

Where are we? Oh yes, da breakfast. Something nutritious, healthy, easy and tasty. After some googling and tastespotting, I decided on granola. One with 70% dark chocolate, just to make sure I will stick with the regime. The granola inspiration comes from one of my favorite bloggers- Molly, who posted a granola recipe, which was in turn inspired by the granola she had in Paris.

If Parisan can eat chocolate for breakfast, why can't I, right? I adapted Molly's recipe to use whatever I have on hand and enjoy eating. She recommended Trader Joe's bittersweet chocolate, but I opt for half a block of the Green and Black 70% chocolate that I got from Target (while it was on sale, of couse). Mostly because the thick slab of Trader Joe's bittersweet chocolate is too hard to chop finely. And using 70% chocolate makes the granola slightly healthier.

I have also grinded half of the rolled oats, for texture,a tip I learned from The Traveler's Lunchbox post on granola. I have just started my breakfast regime this morning, with a cup of granola. Tomorrow, I am eating it with a cup of plain soy milk, as Molly suggested. One thing you need to know about this granola- it's great for snacking too. Definitely make a double batch!

Almond and Dark Chocolate Granola
inspired by this recipe

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds
2 tbsp light brown sugar
Pinch of salt
5 tbsp mild honey
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 block of 3.5oz 70% chocolate or more, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 300°F.
In a food processor, coffee grinder or blender, grind half the oats to a fine powder.

In a large bowl, combine the grinded oats, oats, almonds, brown sugar, and salt. Stir well to blend.

Warm the honey, maple syrup and oil over low heat, whisking occasionally –until the honey is loose, this should not take long, about 15 seconds. Pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to combine well.

Spread the mixture evenly on an oiled baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden. Stirring the granola half way through for even baking. When it’s ready, remove the pan from the oven, stir well – this will keep it from cooling into a hard, solid sheet – and cool completely.

When cool, transfer the granola to a large bowl, storage jar, or zipper-lock plastic bag. Add the chocolate, and stir (or shake, if using a jar or bag) to mix.

Makes about 5 cups.

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Blackberries and Mango Clafoutis

Blackberries and Mango Clafoutis was what I had for breakfast last weekend. Man, I feel so proud of myself when I eat breakfast on rare occasions! Although I know it's important and it will fuel me until lunch time, and helps me to focus etc, I am used to skipping breakfast. It's bad, I know. You see, I am not a milk drinker. So the milk+ granola combo that most people eat for breakfast doesn't work for me. And fruits? No, they help in digestion, and probably will make me hungrier than full later on. How about bread? Yes. I ate that for 13 years while growing up, so No thanks. Normally, a cup of coffee is all I have for breakfast.

To rectify the situation, I try to make something that would pique my interest for breakfast on weekends. Pancakes work for awhile, then it lost its appeal. This month, thanks to Bron, who is hosting the latest round of Hay Hay It's Donna's Day, I am reminded that clafoutis is perfectly acceptable for breakfast. And I should bake a batch before I miss the deadline again! Oh, I am terrible at keeping deadlines. Or other important dates/numbers in general.

Although I enjoy eating cherry clafoutis, they are just not available this time of the year, (depressing, I know). Instead, I spied some mangoes and blackberries on sale in the grocery store. Not entirely sure if the two would go well together, I know there's just one way to find out- whipping up a batch myself. Which I clearly did. The lovely thing about this clafoutis batter is, it is highly adaptive. It works for cherries, plums and berries + mango! Now I have a recipe for blackberries & mango clafoutis! I topped the clafoutis with chopped pistachio, which added a nice contrasting texture and flavor to the clafoutis.

I love it, I am now a good girl who eats her breakfast! (on weekends :p) So do you eat breakfast ? What do you eat for breakfast everyday? I need some inspiration here.

Blackberries and Mango Clafoutis
adapted from Ceres and Bacchus

3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 6 oz pack blackberries
1/2 sweet mango, diced (you can use more mango and less berries too)
some chopped pistachios

Preheat the oven to 400 F. With a mixing bowl, beat the sugar and eggs with a wire whisk until they turn lighter in color. Gradually add in the melted butter, beating to incorporate. Add the flour all at once and whisk until the batter is a homogeneous mixture.

Slowly pour in the milk and vanilla,whisking to combine. The batter should be very smooth and shiny.

Distribute the berries and diced mango in 7 disposable aluminium dishes,(or you can also use a buttered glass or earthenware baking dish, cake pan (9 or 10 inches in diameter) or skillet, as the original recipe suggests). Pour the batter over the fruit. Bake for approximately 20-30 minutes (longer if you can using a bigger pan), until slightly browned and almost completely set in the middle. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold. (I baked them at night, had one before sleep and another one for breakfast the next morning.)

Top some chopped pistachio on the clafoutis before serving.

Make 7 individual size clafoutis for weekend breakfast.

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