Blueberry Cake

Ingredients:

2 T canola oil
2 eggs
1/4 C sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1.5 C white whole wheat flour
1.5 C blueberries
2/3 C milk
shake of cinnamon

vanilla sugar

Directions:

Mix everything together in the pot, top with vanilla sugar and cook on 'cake' for 45 minutes.

Results:

This cake is moist and tasty. The blueberries are tangy and the cake is just barely sweet though not particularly flavorful. Some more spices or some lemon might brighten it up considerably.

We're in the middle of a heat wave and I have very few ingredients in my house. So, I decided to improvise another risotto-type thing in my rice cooker. Proportions are total guesses.

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups chicken stock
Pinch of saffron threads
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 finely chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup sake
2 1/4 cups brown rice
4 big mushrooms, diced 
2 tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions:

Heat 1 cup of the stock and crush the saffron into it; let stand 15 minutes.

Set rice cooker for Quick Cook. Place olive oil in the rice cooker pot. Heat for a few minutes and then add onion. Cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the sake and cook for 1 minute. Add rice and stir occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the saffron stock, remaining chicken stock, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Close cover and finish cycle.

When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle or the timer sounds, stir the rice. The risotto should be only a bit liquid. If needed, cook for a few minutes longer. Stir in the cheese. Serve immediately.

Results:
 

This was not as nice as the mushroom risotto. The texture from the brown rice was less creamy and the chicken stock that I used was quite salty.

Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients:

3 cups chicken stock
Pinch of saffron threads
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 finely chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup sake
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons jasmine rice
4 big mushrooms, diced
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions:

Heat 1 cup of the stock and crush the saffron into it; let stand 15 minutes.

Set rice cooker for Quick Cook. Place olive oil in the rice cooker pot. Heat for a few minutes and then add onion. Cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the sake and cook for 1 minute. Add rice and stir occasionally until grains are transparent, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the saffron stock, remaining 2 cups chicken stock, and mushrooms. Close cover and finish cycle.

When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle or the timer sounds, stir the rice. The risotto should be only a bit liquid. If needed, cook for a few minutes longer. Stir in the cheese. Serve immediately.

Adapted with ingredients that I had on hand from a recipe on foodgal.com

Results:

This recipe combined my favorite things: carbs, cheese, and saffron. The end product was delicious and creamy. Although it was intended to serve 4, my husband and I devoured the entire pot without taking a picture!

Waffle Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• pinch salt
• 1/2 cup lowfat plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1.  Mix everything together in the pot.
2. Set to 'Cake' and start the cooker. Cook for 45-50 minutes.
3. Test for doneness by inserting a butter knife into the top. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. Remove pot and invert onto a cooling rack.

Results:

 Another 'healthy' recipe free of oil and excessive sugar! In order to save dishes, I tried mixing everything in the pot with a silicone spatula (definitely do not want to scratch it!). It ended up sticking a little but, with some coaxing, it eventually popped out. The cake itself is dense, moist, and not too sweet- somewhat reminiscent of a sponge cake- and tastes a lot like waffles! If I were to make it again, I would probably frost it with a nice maple buttercream frosting.

P.S. When I was living in Japan, a good friend of mine was allergic to eggs. In order to make treats that everyone could eat, I substituted 1/4 cup silken tofu for every egg the recipe required. Tofu isn't as effective as egg as an emulsifier so the results were always a bit more crumbly but the cakes were very tasty and devoid of any soy flavor. So, people with egg allergies or those watching their cholesterol may want to try using tofu in their cooking! Just make sure that you use silken tofu (not firm) and that you beat it well before adding it to your batter.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 ripe bananas (I always put any overripe bananas into the freezer for use in banana bread later)
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1 egg
• cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg- to taste
• A little oil or butter to grease the rice cooker pot
• Optional: Walnuts, fruit, etc. to taste

Directions:

1. Lightly grease the inside of the rice cooker pot and set aside.
2. Mix everything together in a bowl.
3. Pour the batter into the pot, set to 'Cake' and start the cooker. Cook for 60 mins.
4. Test for doneness by inserting a butter knife into the top. If it comes out clean, the bread is done. Remove pot and invert onto a cooling rack.

Results:

It turned out to be a dense and tasty bread- very moist out of the cooker (perhaps slightly undercooked) I suspect, it would dry out quickly if we didn't just eat it right away! Being that it contains just a half cup added sugar and a single egg, you could even argue that this is a 'healthy' recipe.

Edit: 

Still moist and delicious the next day!

Introduction

When I lived in Japan, my 'oven' was just the microwave with a red light- reminiscent of an EZ Bake Oven- so I used my rice cooker frequently for baking.

イージーベック

I liked it because it would steam things and I would be able to cut the fat content of most recipes without losing moisture. It was also ridiculously easy and didn't heat up my already boiling hot apartment.

My first rice cooker

When I moved back to the states, I loved my full-sized oven but still missed my rice cooker. Now, almost 4 years later, I have replaced my basic cooker with a super fancy, amazing one: a Zojirushi 5 1/2 Cup NS-TSC10. I have established that it can make delicious rice but I want to see what else I can make with it!

My new lovely

Whenever I make something more interesting than rice, I will post here with the recipe and my results!