A Tasty Tale of OMMs, MIMs and NEUTs.

Today’s blog post is about the near infamous “One-Minute-Muffin” (OMM), also commonly known as the “Muffin-ina-Minute” (MIM).

I secretly like to refer to them as NEUTs, though … (Nuke ‘Em Up Tasties).

Before I get into the wonderful world of OMMs, I’ve wanted to direct you to a special page on my website.

Oddly, I’ve had SEVERAL requests this week for recommendations on other websites to visit. The request came in a variety of forms, but most seemed to indicate that I should base a whole post on just awesome blogs that I follow, or that I’d recommend, or that I trust.

I have a page on my website dedicated to websites, resources and bloggers that I trust. I interact with many of them on a semi-regular basis. All are excellent resources for everything from inspiration and motivation, to science, history and finally … tasty, scrumptious recipes! Check out my recommendations page!

Share the LCve

I used to do something I called “Share the LCve”, but … I stopped for no known reason. I should get back into that practice, as it’s good for everyone involved!

I’m going to throw a little LCve towards Karen S. from South Carolina! Karen’s blog (Living Low Carb … one day at a time) is about a year older than mine. She has attacked her ideas with all her might! A big part of my job is to look at how other bloggers conduct themselves, promote themselves, present themselves and their ideas and Karen is a lot like trying to watch a shooting star. All while working a job as an engineer, this young woman has blogged constantly and grown her following by leaps and bounds. She walks the walk … all while eating properly, taking a low-carb cruise, participating with the Low Carbing Amongst Friends Team and has also written a cookbook about egg-free breakfasts! Karen simply astounds me. Above and beyond her ability get out there and blast her message … her message rocks!

Karen is a lot like I am, in terms of dietary philosophy. She lives somewhere between low-carb and Paleo and has dropped 85 lbs. by following her own advice! She doesn’t seem to use a lot of dairy or eggs and can even be a bit stricter than I am! Her food is always interesting and creative, while also being fairly simple to put together! If this were the late 90’s, I’d say, “Mad Props!”, but it isn’t and I don’t know how to say that in 2013 …

Check out her website. Sign up for her newsletter. Like her Facebook Page. Buy her Book!

Karen is the real deal.

The Wonderful World of OMMs

One-Minute-Muffins are fantastic almost magical little creatures. They are incredibly low-carb little grain-free breads, which can be made both sweet or savory. They require very little time and effort to make, they’re intended to be “nuked” in the microwave and can become a fully fresh, yummy warm muffin in less than 5 minutes! The “Minute” in the title suggests that they can be nuked within 60 seconds, even as I tend to go a full 90!

In my experience with OMMs, I’ve learned a few things …

It’s just muffin batter.

OMMs are “quick breads”, meaning they’re leavened without yeast. Normally, the leavening agent for these kinds of bread is baking soda or baking powder. It’s possible to beat air into the batter, by whipping the dickens out of the egg whites, then building it that way, but … I don’t have any variations that utilize that method.

Baking SODA is a chemical leavening agent, known in scientific circles as “Sodium Bicarbonate” There are a million things you can do with baking soda. One of those things is giving rise to cookies, cakes and … muffins! There is a chemical reaction which occurs when baking soda is mixed with an acidic ingredient, such as buttermilk, wine, vinegar, lemon juice, etc. Baking soda has zero carbs, but doesn’t do much of anything without an acid.

Baking POWDER is another chemical leavening agent, which INCLUDES Baking Soda in its make-up. Baking POWDER is usually a mixture of baking soda, cream of tartar and corn starch. In short, it’s baking soda with some dried acid added to it, so you can bake your cakes without needing to add any lemon juice to them! It results in a milder taste, but tends to require more in order to achieve the same OOMPH. The corn starch is there to help it stay dry and to prevent clumpage.

BECAUSE of the corn starch in baking powder, many Paleo and Low-Carb purists won’t use it. Corn, being a grain, is frowned upon within the Paleo community. A single teaspoon of baking powder also has 1.3 net carbs, which causes some of the more passionate low-carbers to frown.

If you’re REALLY trying to cut back on your carbs, you can make your own baking powder, but it’s an imperfect science.

The ratio is 1 part baking soda to 2 parts cream of tartar. (Normally, there is an extra 1 part corn starch, but we’re omitting that)

So, if you want to make 1 cup of baking powder and stash it for another day, you can blend together 1/3rd cup baking soda with 2/3rds of a cup of cream of tartar. HOWEVER! Because most commercial baking powders ALSO have an additional 25% of the bulking corn starch, you’ll need to use 25% less homemade baking powder. If a recipe asks for 1 tbsp baking powder, then you’ll need to use 3/4 of a tbsp … and it should work perfectly … and carb free!

I personally use regular ol’ baking powder, because I’m not as disciplined or as perfect as I’d like to be, but I feel I should cover the bases for those that DO strive to do it perfectly!

It should also be said that because this is a “muffin” batter, that it’s not JUST limited to the use of “muffins”. The exact same batter can make for a mean pancake (by adding a little liquid)! You can also bake the batter to achieve that golden crust that never develops in a microwave. Finally, the shape makes a difference. I’ve found that the heartier OMMs hold up quite well to sandwiches!

Two Kinds of OMM

There seem to be two clear variations: those based on coconut flour and those based on … well … “not” coconut flour.

The very plain and basic coconut flour ratio for one OMM:

• 1 tbsp coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Dash salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp coconut oil

Mix the dry. Then, mix in the wet. Place into a microwave safe receptacle (usually a coffee mug), and nuke for 60 to 90 seconds. You’ll wind up with a very basic, very bland, very “eggshell” colored One-Minute Muffin!

Why list it this way? Why list such a boring recipe? This is the very basic ratio for an OMM batter. This particular OMM batter is gluten free and dairy free. It’s “Paleo” (I kind of snortle at this statement, as I doubt Grok ate too many coconut flour based muffins from a microwave, but … fact is … it’s largely accepted by the Paleo community). This is the lighter variety of muffin. It’s soft, light and cakey. It’s surprisingly low in “egg” taste, as well! It doesn’t work very well for the savory OMMs, nor does it hold up as well as a bread, but for pancakes, cakier muffins and French toast … THIS is my favorite place to start!

I personally tend to add a little almond meal and protein powder, to bulk it out and add some protein, but … that’s just me. I’ll also add about 1 tbsp of almond milk to water it down for pancake batter. To make it sweet, add a further tablespoon or two of sweetener! Add a few toasted pecans and blueberries and now you have a Blueberry-Pecan OMM!

This is where/how basic ratios play their part. They’re the “mother” of a whole myriad of taste sensations!

The very plain and basic NOT coconut flour ratio for one OMM:

• 1/4 cup dry mix blend
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Dash salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp melted butter

The Dry Mix Blend … This really starts with flaxseed meal. If you use a pure 1/4 cup of flaxseed meal, and use your own homemade baking powder (utilizing a “scant” 1/2 tsp), you’ll have a virtually zero carb OMM! There’s a 1/2 carb coming from the egg, but all the fiber in the pure flax OMM will slow down its absorption, anyway.

I personally find straight flaxseed meal OMMs to have a strange texture, bordering on slightly slimy/oily in the mouth. The flavor, while not bad, isn’t as pleasant as other varieties. As a result, I personally tend to blend it with almond flour. So, rather than 1/4 cup of pure flax, I use 2 tbsp flaxseed meal and 2 tbsp almond meal. I find this adds a few carbs, but it lends to a better taste and mouth feel. In my opinion, it’s just more yummier!

Now, like soy, flax seed appears to be under the microscope at the moment. There does appear to be some compelling information suggesting that flax should be avoided, or … at the very least, dramatically decreased.

I conducted an experiment substituting ground white chia seeds, to replace the flax in several of my recipes and found them to be delightful, yet a little extra firm.

So, I think a slightly better variation on the above ratio would look something like this:

• 1 1/2 tbsp ground white chia seeds (black is fine, but the bread will take on very dark look, which can make it more of a challenge to bake with)
• 2 tbsp almond meal
• Dash salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp melted butter

This tends to make a slightly larger OMM than its coconut cousin. It’s also a firmer, heartier variety, which makes a great bread replacement. Add some herbs, chili flakes and some garlic, for a WONDERFUL quickie focaccia!

Or, add some sweetener to make it sweet! Add some cocoa powder for chocolate. Add some quickly caramelized apple cubes, cinnamon, nutmeg and some walnuts for a WONDERFUL apple-spice muffin, early in the morning! Or, add a little almond milk and make pancakes out of it!

Easy to make in bulk!

MANY people tend to gravitate towards one type or the other. Even within the type they choose, they may gravitate towards a favorite flavor. If you find you have a favorite type, make up a big batch of the dry mix!

For example, let’s say you’re favorite is the chocolate OMM. With a little calculations and utilizing the information contained within the blog post, you can make your own cocoa blend!

For 30 Cocoa Muffins …

• 2 3/4 cups + 1 tbsp ground white chia
• 3 3/4 cups almond meal
• 1 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp sugar replacement
• 1 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 tbsp baking soda
• 2 1/2 tbsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp salt

This will make just over 10 cups of “Chocolate OMM Dry Mix”.

With this lying around, any time you’d like a Chocolate OMM, you could measure about 1/3 of a cup “dry mix”, add an egg and 1 tsp melted butter and, nuke it up and you’re done!

My hope is that this post contains, or is connected to, just about everything necessary to start making your own endless variations of the OMM, as well as breads, pancakes, waffles, French toasts, focaccias, etc. Some of it may take a little exploration, a pen and a calculator, but the info is all here!

Here are all the 14 varieties currently on my website, with 7 new ones listed in greater detail near the bottom of this post.

• Chocolate OMMs
• Cinnamon Roll OMMs
• Coconut OMMs French Toast
• Cheddar Buns
• Bacon-Cheddar BBQ Pork Sliders
• Blue Cheese Lamburger with Poppy Seed OMM
• Greasy Fried Pork Sandwich
• Plain ol’ Vanilla OMM
• Frosted Carrot Cake OMM with Pecans
• Pumpkin-Spice OMM with Maple Butter
• Savory Zucchini, Bacon and Herb OMM
• Spiced Zucchini Bread OMM
• Herby Sandwich Bread (Focaccia)
• Italian Turkey Club Sandwich
• … More to come!

I wish you luck in your pursuit of your own personal perfect NUET!

Until Next Time!

DJ

Herby Sandwich Bread (Focaccia)

This recipe is part of a series about the “One-Minute-Muffin“, even though this recipe isn’t an OMM.

OMM’s are little more than a quick bread batter, microwaved in a cup. Within 60 seconds, a full MUFFIN can be “baked”, resulting in a warm, fresh muffin! Realistically, this is just a standard batter, and can be used in a variety of ways. Take the same batter, place it into a ceramic cup and bake it for 22 minutes and … MUFFIN! The same thing results! It just takes longer. There is ONE extra benefit, which is caramelization. Because the heat is external, the outside of the muffin “browns” creating a more complex flavor. Other than that … same exact muffin!

I wanted to conduct a test by making a big batch of basic unsweetened OMM batter, infused with a few herbs and some garlic. I wanted something resembling a focaccia, but without yeast or wheat. I wanted it “quick bread” style!

It’s too much batter for the microwave, but the very same batter could be popped into the microwave for little savory herb muffins.

Let’s just say … it worked! IT WORKED WONDERS!! Delicious! Try some with dinner, or … slice it for AMAZING sandwiches!

[ VIEW RECIPE ]

Italian Turkey Club Sandwich

When I was younger, I worked in a high end deli in West Seattle. We made all manner of sandwiches, on a wide variety of breads. Hot, cold, custom style, etc. It didn’t matter.

There was one sandwich concept which I LOVED, and always thought was so cool, but never really made in my real life until recently! Recently, I made a sort of Super Low Carb Focaccia. It’s a big sheet of slightly spicy and herby bread, loaded with garlic and topped with salt. It’s just FANTASTIC and SOOO easy to make! With this perfect homemade sheet of goodness, I was able to start making this sandwich, again!

This is where the idea becomes less a specific recipe (even though it is one) and more a general concept for a larger sandwich idea.

The idea is, take the large sheet of focaccia, and split it evenly through the center, creating thin sheets representing the top and bottom. Imagine a GIGANTIC sandwich! Once you’ve got the two halves, you can spread your condiments into it, layer in your fillings, put the top on and … then CUT OUT the sandwiches, in any size and shape you’d like! Imagine you’re making sandwiches for the whole family. By doing this, you can cut out a big sandwich for Papa Bear, a medium sandwich for Mama Bear, and 3 little sandwiches for the cubs. This will likely leave a small sandwich or two for a midnight snack!

At the deli, we would cut different sizes and just sell them by the pound. Oh, I loved that idea!

[ VIEW RECIPE ]

Plain ol’ Vanilla OMM

Ahhh … the One Minute Muffin (OMM) or Muffin in a Minute (MIM) … plain.

It seems that no matter what is presented, there’s always someone that can’t do this, can’t do this, isn’t able to absorb that, just wants it plain, etc. This is fine, common and I love being able to present options and alternatives! One of the bigger issues related to many OMM varieties is the prevalence of “flax”, even as many others seek it out and love it! Flax does have a stronger flavor and is quite high in fiber. It tends to give a deeper “earthiness” to the muffins, a darker color and tends to hide more delicate flavors like … vanilla.

So! This recipe is on the lighter, more cakier side! It’s using softer, finer ingredients with an overall more synergistic yum, resulting in a light and mellow OMM!

Note: The protein powder and almond meal are unnecessary, frankly. If you were to use STRICTLY coconut flour for this, completely omitting (not replacing!) those two ingredients, you’ll still have a very nice little OMM, albeit one with a slightly greater coconut flavor. What I like about this personal blend is that it mellows the coconut flavor and allows a little more of the vanilla to shine through. I also personally like the extra little boost of protein, but … that’s just me.

This recipe is a GREAT starting point for adding your own spins and flavors, too! Throw some blueberries into the batter, for example! Slather some butter on it!

It’s a blank slate, but a nice tasty and soft one. Plain ‘ol vanilla …

[ VIEW RECIPE ]

Frosted Carrot Cake OMM with Pecans

Someone, somewhere, at some point in time decided to run a poorly run test on cooked carrots, deeming them to be INCREDIBLY high glycemic, converting to glucose in the blood MUCH FASTER than regular ol’ table sugar! As a result, these fairly low-carb underground orange sticks have been passed over, time and time again, by most looking to maintain a stable level of blood sugar.

I’m here to tell you … lies. ALL LIES!!

Carrots are fine! They are, in fact, good for you! Cooked, raw, peeled or unpeeled, carrots are NOT going to hurt you. When I really stop and think about it, it’s silly to think that someone, somewhere, at some point in time became obese by a carrot heavy diet. I just really don’t believe that to be true.

Carrots were once thought to have a GI of 90+ (pure glucose is 100, while table sugar is merely 65!). Current reports clock cooked carrots in at closer to 30 or 40, which is fairly low glycemic (lower than sweet potatoes).

THESE sweet carrot and pecan muffins attempt to capture the spirit of a fresh carrot cake, smeared with a bit of cream cheese frosting! It’s pretty amazing what can be done in 60 seconds!

[ VIEW RECIPE ]

Pumpkin-Spice OMM with Maple Butter

Here we have a very simple pumpkin OMM. It’s little more than a basic OMM recipe, but with the addition of some spices and a healthy spoonful of pumpkin puree! The end result is little more than a quick pumpkin yum, perfect for any time of the day!

It’s midnight and you can’t sleep? Pumpkin OMM! It’s 9 PM and there’s a “Moonlighting” marathon on TV? Pumpkin OMM! The dogs just jumped on the table and ate the eggs and bacon? PUMPKIN OMM!

The one thing that I personally feel makes this a bit on the special side is the partner in crime. MAPLE BUTTER! The reality is, this is something I should have probably made its own recipe, rather than hiding it here, but … that’s not the road I chose. Only you reading the Pumpkin OMM recipe will be privy to the maple butter, which … is AWESOME slathered on a pork chop! It’s AMAZING on a fresh hot Pumpkin OMM straight from the nuker. It’s perfect melted on top a thick stack of pancakes in the morning! Make a batch of this splendid butter and stash it in the freezer, in one big plastic wrapped log. Just slice off a disc when you need some. You’ll find it won’t last long!

Maple Butter Suggestion: The recipe for the maple butter is actually 1/2 cup butter (softened) and 1/4 cup sugar-free pancake syrup. With a mixer, whip the butter until it’s light in color and airy. Then, pour in the syrup, with a dash of salt and whip until combined. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on the counter, then spread your butter into a small log. Roll the log in the plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze. This will make enough butter for about 6 to 8 OMM’s. The amounts below are listed in this manner, so that I could keep the recipe as a single serving.

[ VIEW RECIPE ]

Savory Zucchini, Bacon and Herb OMM

For years, I lived down in Mexico with a broken microwave. I’d read and read about the “One-Minute-Muffins” in all the various low-carb forums, but never had the opportunity to TRY one! I finally moved into an apartment with a working microwave and gave one a shot. O … M … G!!!

Since then, I’ve been making all sorts of flavors! This is about my 8th flavor combination, so far (on the website, anyway). I wanted to try something different, though. No more SWEET flavors, and no just plan breads, either. I wanted something interesting, unique and special! The kind of think you could serve in place of a bread basket during a nice meal and NO ONE will question you about the lack of “bread” … they’ll just gobble THESE tasty things down and beg for more!

I chose to go “savory” this time, starting with a zucchini base. I then incorporated bacon, parmesan, fresh herbs and a simple topping of cream cheese!

Pretty, tasty and … pretty spectacular, too!

[ VIEW RECIPE ]

Spiced Zucchini Bread OMM

Here we have a slightly spiced zucchini bread style “One-Minute-Muffin”. I thought about coming up with some kind of exotic frosting for it, but decided to keep it simple. Fresh from the microwave, smearing some softened salted butter onto the top of one of these would be a simple, inviting and MORE than appropriate complement!

This particular blend comes across as quite hearty. With the fiber rich flax, it comes across as a bit course and not entirely unlike a zucchini bread made with whole grains!

Much like my more formal “Zucchini Bread Loaf”, this is similarly spiced, but I’ve opted to swap out the pecans for walnuts. (either will work, though!)

Photo Note: In the background is this Zucchini OMM’s savory cousin, the “Savory Zucchini, Bacon and Herb OMM“.

[ VIEW RECIPE ]

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