30 Second Asian Coleslaw

I was browsing the fridge at lunchtime today, and came up with this slaw with an asian twist. To make the dressing add a small (thumbnail size) peeled peice of fresh ginger, 30 g mirin, 30g rice vinegar, 20g light soy sauce, 1 tsp palm sugar (I used coconut sugar instead) and a few drops of sesame oil. Blitz at speed 8 for 10 seconds or until the ginger is nearly invisible as it's been chopped so small. Leave the dressing in the bowl and add 1/4 small red cabbage chopped roughly, 1/2 cup of fresh beanshoots and 1 peeled carrot also roughly chopped. I also added 50g of leftover BBQ chicken meat but this would be optional. Blitz at speed 5 just 1 or 2 seconds at a time until you get the size of dice that suits you. 30 seconds to make a healthy and yummy lunch time salad! You could easily add any other hard veg you fancy, like broccoli, celery or cauliflower for example. This recipe served two for lunch, or as a side could have easily been enough for the whole family.

Pomegranate Cordial

I'm sure those with kids will understand the love they have for a 'fizzy drink' so I have decided to try and create some of my own. My first effort was a pomegranate cordial, as usual inspired by what was on special and in season at the local fruit and veg market. I used a normal manual citrus juicer to juice 3 pomegranates as I had read pulping them could create bitterness. Nice for grown ups but wouldn't get past our kids! I weighed the juice in at 260g and topped it up to 320g with fresh lime juice. I then added 160 g rapadura sugar (raw would be fine as well), and 1 tsp tartaric acid and cooked at varoma temperature for 15 minutes speed 1. I ended up with around the same amount of liquid as the original pomegranate juice quantity. Mixed with a little soda water and served to the panel, it was given a thumbs up! The tartaric acid was in the interests of preserving it but in small batches like this I won't bother next time. Myself, I'd like to try it with soda and gin

Some other flavour combo's I plan to try..... Apple, Lime and Mint..... Raspberry and Lemon..... Black Carrot, Apple and Ginger..... Orange and Blueberry..... The possibilities are endless!

Mushroom Soup

You'll be jumping out of your skin with energy after eating this yummy soup! I have adapted a recipe from the Power of Mushrooms website for the Thermomix The Power of Mushrooms. Take 60g butter cubed and melt it at speed 2, varoma temperature for 5 minutes. Add 2 washed, trimmed down to the white section and roughly chopped leeks and 2 cloves of garlic and mix again at varoma temperature speed 2 for a further 6 minutes. Then add 700g of roughly chopped mushrooms- I used a mix of portobello, field and button mushrooms but you can get creative here! Cook at varoma temperature speed 2 for 15 minutes with the measuring cup lid in so they become tender. Add 1/3 cup flour and 1 lt chicken stock (or 4 tablespoons of Tenina's Chicken Stock powder and 1 lt water) and Cook at varoma speed 3 for 10 minutes, then a further 10 minutes at 100 degrees still speed 3. Rest the basket on top the lid while cooking to avoid mushroom splashes in your kitchen, Finish by blending at speed 9 for a minute, the add 1/4 cup pure cream and blend again for 30 seconds at speed 9 and you are done! If you prefer a chunkier texture just blend for less time at the final stage, but I like a smooth creamy soup. Serve with fresh chopped parsley.

Quick Apple Crumble

We all fancied a warm dessert so I dreamed up this version of an old fashioned classic! Into an ovenproof dish I mixed a large tin of pie apples (I think around 800g) with half a cup of sultanas and 1 tsp cinnamon. Into my Thermomix I weighed in 75g rolled oats, 50g roasted almonds and 50g raw sugar and then blitzed for 5 seconds speed 4. I then added 75 g cold chopped unsalted butter, 50g plain flour and 30g special K cereal. I had some that needed using up but you could substitute weetbix, cornflakes, puffed wheat or just experiment with other breakfast cereal you have in the pantry! Adjust the lid to closed and use the turbo setting to pulse all ingredients together 1 second at a time until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Cover the apples evenly with the crumble topping and bake at 170 degrees for 20-25 mins until golden brown. Delicious served with custard or vanilla icecream.

Banana and Blueberry Bread

I have adapted a recipe out of the Woman's Day ABC of Kids Cooking for this- thanks for the inspiration! First melt 125 g of unsalted butter at 70g for 3 mins speed 3. Add to that 3 mashed bananas, 3 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla extract and mix at speed 4 for 30 seconds (note if you are short on a banana you can successfully substitute 1/2 cup of other soft/stewed fruit). In a separate bowl sift together 1 cup plain flour, 1 cup wholemeal self raising flour and 2 tsp baking powder. Add 1 cup brown sugar (I have also substituted 1/2 cup rapadura sugar for half of the brown sugar) and stir until combined, breaking up any brown sugar lumps in need. Stir in 3/4 cup frozen blueberries then using a fork mix in the butter/egg mix until combined. Spoon into a lightly greased or non stick loaf tin and bake at 175 degrees fan forced oven for 55-60 minutes or until a skewer stabbed through emerges clean. This should freeze well for lunch boxes and is very nice served warm with butter!

Tenina's Chicken Stock Powder

I recently attended a Tenina Holder Thermomix cooking class (well worth it!) and she passed around a jar of her chicken stock powder for us to smell- amazing flavour so I had to give it a go. For the recipe you'll need to buy/borrow her book For Foods Sake. I did as usual adapt to what I had on hand and it looks and smells similar. I added some extra veg I found wilting in the fridge- pumpkin, capsicum and some herbs. I then substituted fried shallots in for onion flakes, then celery salt in lieu of celery seed and adjusted the extra salt accordingly. I also transferred my ingredients to a dehydrator after the first baking stage but a 50 degree oven overnight would achieve the same result. The dog has been starving after a house smelling of roast chook for 24 hours! I used a tablespoon instead of a stock cube in chicken chilli con carne tonight and it was yummy. What a great way to use leftover roast scraps and bones instead of wasting them. Thanks Tenina!

Ice Magic a la Thermomix

I received a 1kg bag of Valrhona milk chocolate from my lovely cousin Kerry whilst recently in Sydney, so I've been looking for chocolate inspiration.... What better than to pour it on icecream? Put 125g milk chocolate, 25g 100% cacao bar (I use Willies Cacao) and 75g virgin coconut oil in altogether and melt at 50 degrees speed 3 for 4 minutes. Check to make sure it's all blended and give it another minute if needed. Allow to cool, then pour over icecream and watch it magically turn into a hard chocolate shell! Delish! Keep it in the pantry or it will set hard. I'm not sure of the shelf life but this treat won't last long enough to spoil I guarantee it.

And this picture also has salted caramel suace peeking out from under the chocolate.....

Whole Orange Cake

This is a citrus take on the Dani Valent basic cake recipe- thanks Dani! First I simmered 2 whole navel oranges in water on the stove for 90 minutes. I allowed them to cool enough to handle and quartered to check for seeds and set aside. Into the Thermomix bowl I put 160g raw sugar and blitzed for 2 seconds at speed 10. Then I added 100g of chopped unsalted butter, the chopped oranges, 3 eggs, 200g self raising flour, 1tsp baking powder, 20g shredded coconut, 30g almond meal and finally 5g orange blossom water (optional). Blend for 50 seconds speed 5, scrape sides and blend again 10 seconds speed 5. Pour batter into a paper lined 20cm round tin and bake at 160 degrees for 1 hr 15 mins. Check with a skewer and if the batter is still sticking give it another 5 or 10 minutes. I did find this cake ended up quite dense so it was nice served warm with ice cream or a dollop of Greek yoghurt and drizzle of honey. I'd be interested in suggestions as to how to lighten the texture if you try it please! I thought of using 1 orange rather than 2 but it did have a lovely zesty orangey flavour that was nice. The kids ate it happily too, so that is always a plus.

Risotto with Prawns and Peas

I'm yet to perfect rissotto in the Thermomix but this was definitely better.... Don't forget to leave the measuring cup lid on the bench or all you'll get is mush! First I chopped 1 carrot, the stalks of 2 spring onions and 1/4 small fennel bulb for 2 secs at speed 5. I added 50g of olive oil and sautéed for 5 mins varoma speed 2. Next I added 300g arborio rice and sautéed again at varoma for 5 mins. Then I inserted the butterfly and added 1 litre chicken stock, 100g sliced mushrooms, 200g frozen peeled prawns and set it for 17 mins, 100 degrees and stir speed. With about 5 minutes left to go I added a handful of frozen peas. Then when the time was up I added 50 g of sugar nap peas cut in half and cooked for a further 5 minutes at 100 degrees and stir. Check the rice if still very white and chalky to bite give it another 2 mins, if it feels cooked even if a little al dente without chalk then its ok. Pour into the thermo server to rest for 5 minutes before serving. If you fancy stir in 20g of butter now. To serve up top with grated Parmesan, and for a spicy hint add sriracha chilli sauce- buy that at your local Asian grocer.