♥Light♥Chocolate♥Muffin♥steamed♥EggFree♥ButterFree

Egg-free butter-free chocolate muffins.

No milk added.

Slightly different ingredients.

The 2nd one is better. Almost like a sponge cake?!

♦ The 1st batch

♦ Belgium chocolate muffin mix:  100g

(Paul Holywood*; it has no butter & no egg:
only very little dairy in the chocolate part of the muffin mix.)
♦ yeast ................ . 10g
♦ demerara sugar.. 5g
   mixed those two in warm water.

♦ chia seeds.......... 5g soaked with water.
Total water added: a bit more than flour.
(reason: chia seeds like water)
I used a glass cover saucepan to do a bigger one in a bowl.
Due to the size of container, it came out like pudding more.


I decided to added more yeasts:
Reason:
 after reading online reviews of the product.
 And it is Winter.

♥The 2nd batch

I improved the recipe.
And put into 3 glass "ramekins"
♥ muffin mix.... 100g

♥ yeast ............... 10g
♥ damarere sugar.. 5g
♥ warm water.
♥ 1/5 of a banana.

(same muffin mix: Paul Holywood Begium muffin mix)

Total water added similar to flour.
Steamed over a saucepan in a bamboo steamer with cover/lid.

2nd batch:

1st batch:

The good thing about the 1st batch was :
 glass lid allows observation/monitoring of the rising.

In these two attempts, I

♠ did not use any cup cake cases.
Reason:
during previous use, the colour run off and migrated to the steamer.

♠ did not buy milk.

♠ do not like rice products which might present in some vegan egg replacement.

♣ I am avoiding man-made resin / plastic / silicon / PVC, etc.

💜💗 Being environmental conscious & health conscious, 
I am willing to eat with a spoon.

🛈 The muffin mix product description has this:

No added colours. No preservatives. Suitable for vegetarians. 

[ Wheat Flour (with added Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin),
Sugar,
Chocolate Powder made with Belgian Chocolate (13%)
(Cocoa Mass, Skimmed Milk Powder, Sugar, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin), Flavouring), Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Raising Agents (Disodium Diphosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate) ]

Disclaimer:
* At the time of making, eating & writing,
I  am not related to and not receiving any benefit from the manufacturers or retailers or wholesalers.

chocolate muffin steamed eggFree butterFree in cupcake cases

Looking for a way to reduce fat (butter,oil) & avoid egg.
My recipe below.

I modified the recipe of a Belgium chocolate muffin mix...
Instead of baking, I use steaming.
I do without butter or oil.
Instead of egg, or even VeganEgg ,
I used pre-soaked chia seeds.

Didn't use a cupcake tray.
I do not mind the appearance as I am eating them all.

Recipe:
INGREDIENTS:

Muffin Mix (Belgian Chocolate)	half a bag. 200g	Paul Hollywood
Chia seeds (soaked with water)	1 teaspoon	any, I use organic ones
Yeast	1 tablespoon	any decent  ones
Demerara Sugar	1 teaspoon	or better
Warm water	more than normal recipe	-
Butter or oil	nil	-
Egg	nil	-

Containers

Option A: To make a larger piece: use a larger china/ porcelain / stoneware Option B: To make smaller pieces: use cupcake cases on baking trays & alike. I use a steamer over a saucepan. I chose a bamboo steamer. Electric metal ones /glass ones will also do.

METHOD:
1- Add yeast & sugar to water. Mix & wait for 10-15 minutes.
2- Add the above to the muffin mix. Mix.
3- Add the soaked chia seeds to the mix above. Mix.
4- I boiled water in a saucepan, put the steamer (& the stuff in it) on top.
Then steamed them for 20 minutes.

NOTE 1:
because the chia seeds and this muffin mix is very thirsty,
I use more water. More than half of the measurement of the flour.
NOTE 2:
Though the muffin mix already have raising agents
 of  Disodium Diphosphate & Sodium Bicarbonate,
because I do not use egg,
I added yeast to make sure it really get fluffy and soft.

This recipe is vegetarian.
No egg used. No butter used.
No artificial colour. 
The muffin mix has a tiny amount of skimmed milk powder for the chocolate.

Seen on the pack of the muffin mix, their ingredients:
- Wheat Flour (with added Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), 
- Sugar,
- Chocolate Powder made with Belgian Chocolate (13%)
  (Cocoa Mass, Skimmed Milk Powder, Sugar,
   Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Emulsifier(Soya Lecithin), Flavouring),
- Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder,
- Raising Agents (Disodium Diphosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate)

Bread-cake steam experiment1

Alternative brown bread-cake.
 Very low / nearly gluten-free.

Steam bread/cake.

(ℹIt is known that average commercially produced white bread made with white flour is bad for even wild games in ponds. White sugar is also notorious. Hence, I'm exploring, experimenting & sharing different flours & methods.)

Winter. 

ℹIngredients:

💦Warm water.
 53 to 65% of the amount of flour, please adjust.
🔴100g rye flour low gluten; organic (Bacheldre Watermill).
🔴100g gluten-free brown bread flour. 
(Dover Flour Mills)
🔴20g (high protein) gluten-free coconut  flour organic
 (Tiana)
🔵30g  demerara sugar or better. 
💥30g  yeast.

No additives. 
Minimum pesticides & herbicides. 
No artificial colouring.
No artifical flavour. 

A little bit of good oil for surface and barrier.

Methods:

1, in a bowl, add sugar & yeast into warm water.
2, add flour.
3, mix, knead.
4, cover & wait. 
5, knead, fold, form/shape and optional variations of colours & ingrediets 
6, oil on surface, wait.
7, steam with steamer. 
(due to my use of glass, I steam a little longer about 25 minutes. Could be less without the secondary containers.)

-- Many options:
● oriental bamboo steamer over saucepan or pot of water;
● Stainless steel steamer with water.
● other bread machines but result will be different.

-- Options for minimising sticking to the steamer: 
☆ oriental paper for steaming, 
☆ in oiled containers.
☆ paper cups for cup-cakes.
☆ other methods.
  
Serve while hot.

Result & reflections of this experiment:

Like a fusion or a cross between Western bread, cake, Oriental steam cake.

Steaming method was supposed to be healthier.

Due to Winter temperature & low protein low gluten flour, I put in more yeast. Longer time, too.
From start to putting inside steamer I allowed 1 hour.

Flour...
 it is better to minimise wheat and gluten. 

I saw original recipes mostly use  flour with mid-range level of protein. I added a little high protein flour to the low protein ones.

Flavour? 
Plain. 
Next time I can add different things like cocoa powder, green tea powder, almond powder, mixed grains, vanilla, chopped nuts, etc

Presentation:

Reasonably soft and moist.

Ok - if it is just for oneself. 
For better presentation, 
better consider buying :

 special paper for steaming at the bottom of the bread/ steam,
 or,  
 cup-cake paper cups,
 or baking paper.

Personally I checked the materials of most baking paper , and or parchment paper, have synthetic resin. Not keen on them. I try to avoid all moulds and utentils with artificial resins, plastic, pvc, etc. 
(avoid endocrine disruprive chemicals)

I did not knead much.
It is Winter❄- I tried to keep my hands clean & dry.
I did fold & roll a few times.

The part that raised above the glass containers is good and better than inside the glass containers.  Next time I will use other methods.
The answers I needed obtained.

a soup...

From a free recipe of pea & mint soup, much wisdom can be learned.

Slightly stir fried garlic & spring onion with butter for 1 minute.
Add vegetable stock and diced potato, simmer for 15 minutes til potato is soft.
Add garden peas, simmer for 3 minutes. Off the stove.
Stir in chopped mint leaves, balsamic vinegar, a pinch of sugar and season.

Use hand blender to whisk til smooth.
Serve with a swirl of sour cream.

That is home-made soup.

For food shops & canned version, cheaper chemicals are used.
Even for efficiency, the soup is microwaved by the busy staff.
We know microwaved stuff are not good for health.
Canned version might have other unwanted materials
from the container inner resin film
and other processes including some kind of radiation.
Take away soups & Central kitchen soups,
heated and transported in plastic containers, that also caused worries about plasticizer ...

Take care & take notice of ingredients and what we really put in our body!

The names of products are often too simple.

my meals with veg & fruits

Recent years more people are becoming health-conscious.
Meatless Monday, Green Monday, 5 a day, Healthy-eat, etc.
I am not a vegetarian yet.
But I do have more veg & fruits everyday. 

This is made by a local restaurant when I asked for mixed vegetable cook in water.
Not very imaginative.  Great if he can add peas, beans, etc.
I added a bit of ginger, spring union, sesame, pepper.

This cream colour mashy stuff is
organic houmous (from chickpea, cooked and seasoned)

More and more vegetable +fruit juices/smoothies are available on shelves.
Different brand names, even supermarkets' own labels.
I also like young coconut water/juice.
Preferably unsweetened and no additives.

This one below
I added taramasalata, spices and sesame oil.
Rarely do I use ready made salad dressing or sources.
I like variety of adding good
vinegar / salsa / curry / houmous / taramasalata / organic yogurt...
+ good spices,
+ good oil like coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil...

Fruits, melons, vegetables, potatoes familes,
beans, peas, sprouts, nuts, seeds, seaweeds,slow dried fruits, etc.

Eating these raw, "living food", 
we can enjoy the life force, the enzymes, many vitamins & minerals, etc.

Heating above 45 degree Celsius will destroy most of those!

I will try raw vegan when weather is warmer
and
ideally after I bought really powerful blender.

I gave my Vitamix to my sister/parents.

That is great for making fresh smoothies,
especially green smoothies and even banana icecream.

Wait till I settle down later this year or next,
 I shall buy one again.

(I eat lots of chocolate)  ;)