Cake a Day.....

After a week living it up in Cairns, we all needed to break our taste buds addiction to sugar etc but still needed some yummy morning teas to get us through a week of renovations on our sun room. So just for a bit of fun, here are the morning teas I made (all Quirky Jo recipes) and any variations.

Monday
Pancakes with Banana and Rainforest honey (from Cairns)
http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com.au/2009/02/blender-batter-brown-rice-waffles.html

I made these just with Buckwheat and sliced up bananas which I put in each pancakes whilst it was cooking

Tuesday
Blender Batter Berry Cake
http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com.au/2009/07/blender-batter-berry-cake-gf-df.html

Halved the sugar in these

Wednesday
Carrot Cake
http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/one-bowl-thermomix-carrot-cake-gluten.html

Halved the honey and added some pumpkin seeds as well

Thursday
Flourless Pecan Cake
http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com.au/2009/08/flourless-pecan-cake-gf-df_16.html

I didn't have enough pecans so used some walnuts instead. Also I couldn't face not using all the thick coconut cream in the tin so I added a bit extra. The cake was a little softer but so so yummy. The girls were at Pre-School but Guy and I nearly ate the whole cake. (mainly Guy actually it was a favourite of the week)

Friday
Sultana Spice Bread
http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/grain-free-sultana-spice-bread.html

Again I didn't have any pecan nuts so instead I made the 120g up with Brazil nuts, cashew nuts and pumpkin seeds. I have made this one before with Pecans and it still came out very similar with the different nuts. I didn't add the honey which is optional in the recipe.


My freezer is now full with the leftover cakes cut up in slices. YA!

Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Chia Burgers

These are really yummy and definitely don't leave out the healthy tomato sauce

400g sweet potato, chopped (no need to peel)
400g can chickpeas, rinsed
2 spring onions 
1/2 lemon peel (just use veggie peeler to take off half the lemon)
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 eggs 
1 tsp ground cumin
few sprigs parsley 
2 tbs chia seeds
oil to cook

Tomato sauce

few broccoli florets
1 carrot
few mushrooms
3/4 tin organic chopped tomatoes
heaped tbs tomato paste
tsp veggie stock concentrate 
   
Bread rolls
Lettuce
Tomato
Cheese
1.  Place chopped sweet potato in Varoma tray.  Fill TMX bowl with 1L water and steam for 20 minutes on Varoma setting, speed 4.  Set aside.
2.  Empty and dry bowl.  Place spring onions, lemon peel, parsley and garlic in TMX bowl.  Chop on speed 7 until you no longer hear chopping noise.  Scrape down and repeat if necessary until finely chopped 
3.  Add sweet potato, chickpeas, eggs, cumin and chia seeds.  Press turbo until all ingredients combined but with a bit of texture left in the mix.  Scrape mix out into another bowl to have the TM bowl free for making the tomato/veg sauce.  No need to clean.
4.  Heat frypan over medium heat and place patty sized balls into pan. When browned, flip carefully with spatulaand cook until warmed through.  Repeat with remaining mix.
5.  While cooking the patties, place carrot, broccoli and mushrooms into TMX bowl and chop on speed 5 for 5 seconds.  Add tomatoes, paste and stock concentrate and cook at 100 degrees, speed 2 for 10 minutes.  Set aside.
6.   Assemble burgers by spreading tomato sauce onto bun, top with patty and remaining topping ingredients of your choice.

Tortillas

I made Fajitas for dinner the other night and thought I would try out Quirky Jo's Tortilla recipe.

http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com.au/2009/02/spelt-tortillas.html

If you haven't tried it, it is definitely worth it and very quick and easy to make.

Salmon Patties

120g brown/white rice
1 shallot, peeled and halved
Handful or fresh parsley, coriander or dill
400g tinned pink salmon, well drained
2 eggs
50g sour cream
Salt, to taste
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp Dijon mustard

Place rice in dry TM bowl and mill for 3 mins, speed 9. Set aside.
Place onion and herbs in bowl and chop 6 secs, speed 5 (scrape down part way through).
Add salmon, eggs, sour cream, salt, paprika, mustard and rice flour. Mix 10 secs, speed 3.
Heat oil in pan. Divide mix into twelve equal potions and flatten with the back of a spatula. Fry for about 4 mins on each side until golden.
Good with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce.

Chocolate Almond Smoothie

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

2 Tbsp soaked almonds

2 tsp honey

1/4 cup coconut cream or milk

1 banana (frozen is good)

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1 cup water

pinch salt

Add all ingredients to the thermomix bowl and blend for 30-45 secs on speed 8 until smooth.

www.wildhealthfood.com

Raspberry Cream Smoothie

1 ripe banana

1 small avocado

1 cup frozen raspberries

1 Tbsp honey

1 cup water

1/8 tsp (small pinch) salt

Peel fruit and add all ingredients to thermomix bowl. Blend for 45 secs on speed 8 until smooth. Add more water if necessary.

Recipe from www.wildhealthfood.com

Steamed chicken dumplings

2 chicken breasts or 4 thighs
1 bunch coriander incl roots and stalked
1/4 cup drained water chestnuts
3 green shallots white and green part
1 knob ginger
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp rice wine
Chillies
Lime
Wonton wrappers

Add all ingredients except chillies, lime and wrappers.  Blend 5 sec sp 5.
Fill wrappers and steam in varoma 15 mins

Make dipping sauce with lime and chillies

This recipe is converted from one I found in good living.  The kids like helping fill the wrappers.  I've tried with prawns and it's just as yummy.  Can also freeze half the mixture if needed.

Fish curry

3cm peeled ginger
Few kaffir lime leaves
1-2 chillies descended
3 clove garlic
1tsp ground turmeric
2tsp tamarind purée
1 tsp oil
20g dried prawns
20g palm sugar
500-550g coconut cream
1 kg firm white fish diced (I use monkfish)
1tsp fish sauce
Juice of one lime
Coriander for garnish

Ginger, lime leaves, chilli, garlic, prawns, turmeric, tamarind, oil and palm sugar  sp 6-7
Sauté varoma 4 mins sp1
Add coconut cream 8 mins 100 degrees sp 1
Place fish in varoma on  baking paper
Add fish sauce and lime juice to bowl 9mins reverse sp soft

Check fish is cooked.  Serve fish on bed of rice topped with sauce

Can make triple batch of curry paste and just do first 2 steps

Ratatouille

120g onion
30g shallots
2 clove garlic
20g EVO
200g zucchini diced
300g eggplant diced
100g red capsicum diced
300g tomatoes diced

Add onion, shallot and garlic 5 se. Sp 5
Add oil 3 mins 100 sp1
Add veg 20 mins 100 reverse sp soft

Pepper sauce for steak

I love pepper sauce and this one is so easy

Ingredients
3 tbs peppercorns
1 onion
3 clove garlic
50g butter
1 tbs evo
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tbs soy sauce
300 ml cream

1.  Grind pepper 5 sec sp 8
2.  Add onion and garlic 5 sec sp 6
3. Add butter and oil 3 min 100 degrees speed soft
4 add rest of ingredients 10 mins 80 degrees speed soft

Can add flour if need a little thicker

Kale Chips

I've yet to try this recipe but saw it on the Healthy Hybrid blog and it looks yummy so I've converted to TMX.  My kids love these chips for arvo tea.

1 cup red capsicum seeded and roughly chopped
1 cup raw cashews
2 tbs nutritional yeast flakes
2 to 4 tbs water (as needed)
1 tbs agave or other sweetener
1 tbs EVO
1/2 tsp salt
bunch of Kale washed and ripped into pieces removing touch central stem- must be a large bunch.  I had a small bunch and did a half batch of the sauce

Add all ingredients except Kale into TXM and blitz sp 6 until a paste forms adding water as you go so the mixture has the texture of thick cream.

In a large mixing bowl combine with the kale leaves until leaves are roughly covered.

Dehydrate for 8 to 10 hours or bake in the over either at low temp until crispy or quickly at 180 degrees for 15 minutes.

Quirky Cooking Blender Batter Muffins

Hi Girls

Karen put me onto this blender batter on the Quirky Cooking website.  It's so easy, you make the batter the night before then bake in the morning.  Very quick so you can have fresh muffins first thing.  And also you are soaking the grain to make it more easily digestible.

I used 200ml buttermilk instead of the almonds and water and it worked out fine.  The muffins are moist and yummy.

http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com.au/2010/03/blender-batter-muffins.html

Lettuce soup

Lettuce soup - more delicious than it sounds.
This recipe is from the Thermomix Festive Flavour cookbook which was my first cooking class just before my thermomix was delivered.

Ingredients
500g water
1-2 tbsp veg stock concentrate
8-10 green butter lettuce leaves roughly chopped - it's the butter lettuce leaves that give the soup a real buttery flavour so not sure how well it would work with other lettuce leaves
1-2 spring onions or shallots
30g butter
1 large potato peeled and roughly chopped
salt and pepper
1MC cream or yoghurt
fresh mint to garnish

Method
1. Place 400g water, stock, lettuce, spring onions and butter in bowl and mix sp9 for 10seconds
2. Add potato and cook for 15 mins 100degrees sp2
3. Check potato, if cooked, add s&p, cream and remaining water adn puree for 30seconds slowly up to sp9

Vegetarian Sausage Rolls

Vegetarian Sausage Rolls by Cindi O'Meara
I love making these sausage rolls as I generally have all the ingredients.

Ingredients
1 brown onion, peeled and halved
2 tbsp of mixed herbs of choice
100g walnuts (I have used mix of almonds and cashews as well)
95g Rolled Oats
3 eggs
150g Fetta
1tbsp Tamari
45g breadcrumbs (made in thermomix)
3 sheets puff pastry

Method
Preheat oven to 200degrees
1. Place onion and herbs in tmx chop sp6 for 6s
2. Add nuts, oats and chop sp6 for 3s
3. Add eggs, cheese, tamari, breadcrumbs and mix to combine sp5 20s reverse
4. Place pastry on bench and cut in half
5. Put portion of mixture on the long edge of pastry and roll, cut into equal portions
6. Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds
7. Place on baking tray, brush with beaten egg and score with knife
8. Bake for 20mins at 200degrees

They are delicious and I am sure you can add other ingredients such as zucchini or carrots.


Tip
Make breadcrumbs up in advance and keep in a ziplock bag in the freezer as they come in handy and a pain to clean out the tmx bowl if you need some in a hurry (unless you have 2 bowls of course ;-) )

Jude Blereau's World Peace Bars

These delish bars are dairy free, egg free, nut free and wheat free so great for school lunch boxes.   The recipe looks complicated but is actually very quick and easy.

Filling

150g dates
90g dried apricots
50g apple or pear juice
50g water
1 tbsp lemon juice

 Oat mix
2 tsp chia seed
1/3 cup macadamia, almond or coconut oil
1/4 cup brown rice syrup (I used maple)
1 tsp vanilla extract
150 rolled oats
60g extra rolled oats or oatmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup desiccated coconut
1/4 cup rapadura sugar

1. Preheat over to 180degrees or 165 if fan forced.
2. Place 150g oats on a baking tray and toast in the over 5 - 10 minutes until just fragrant. 
3. grind chia seeds for 1 minute sp 9.  
4. add 80g water and mix 5 sec sp 5.  Set mixture aside
5. without cleaning out bowl add all filling ingredients except lemon juice and cook 100 degrees 10 minutes sp 4.  
6. add lemon juice and mix 5 seconds sp 3.  Set mixture aside.  Clean and dry bowl.
7. If using oats rather than oatmeal, place 60g extra oats in bowl and mill 1 minute sp 9.
8. Add sunflower and pumpkin seed 3 sec sp 6 or until roughly ground.
9. add baked oats, oatmeal (if using instead of extra oats), baking powder, coconut and sugar.  Mix 6 sec sp 4.  
10. Add chia seed mix, oil, brown rice syrup and vanilla extra.  Mix 10 sec sp 4.
11. Line a baking tin with baking paper and press half the oat mix onto the base of the tin.
12. Very gently evenly spread the filling over the oat mix.
13. With fingers evenly distribute the remaining oat mix over the filling and use a fork to distribute evenly.  Wet your hands and gently but firmly press down on the topping to even it out.
14. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until well cooked, golden and slightly crispy on the edges,  Leave for 20 minutes before slicing and serving

Store in an airtight container in a dark cool place- fridge is best in hot weather.

Gingercake

Gingercake with Lemon Icing (adapted for Thermomix from a Nigella Lawson recipe)

Ingredients
150g unsalted butter (could replace a portion with coconut oil)
125g rapadura sugar
200g golden syrup
200g blackstrap molasses
4cm piece of ginger
1tsp ground cinnamon
250ml milk (I used rice milk which worked well)
2 large eggs (beaten to mix in)
1tsp bicarb dissolved in 2tbsp warm water
300g plain flour
Baking tin, greased and lined with baking paper

For the icing
1tbsp lemon juice
175g icing sugar (made in thermomix from raw sugar sp9 for 1 min - could try rapadura instead?)
1 tbsp warm water

Method
Preheat oven to 175 degrees

1. Place peeled ginger in tmx sp9 for 30s
2. Add butter, sugar, golden syrup, molasses and cinamon and melt 60degrees sp4 for 2 minutes (or until melted).
3. Add milk, eggs and bicarb. Mix sp4 for 5s
4. Add flour and mix (it will be a very liquid batter)
5. Place in prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes to 1hr. Be careful not to overcook as it is nice to be sticky.

Icing
1. Mix ingredients together to make a thick icing
2. Spread over cooled cake and leave to set



Blackstrap Molasses:
Molasses is the left over after extracting sugar from raw sugar cane and in particular blackstrap molasses is the most concentrated and nutrient thick obtained from the third boiling of the sugar cane juice. It contains significant amounts of iron, folic acid, B6, calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, manganese, postassium. It has a low GI.

Guy remembers his grandmother giving him blackstrap molasses on toast for afternoon tea as a treat!!

Chocolate dessert with leftover almond pulp

Today I made almond mylk and tried the dessert mentioned by Danielle at the wholefoods class we went to.  It's fast, healthy, raw and totally yummy

Ingredients:
leftover almond mylk pulp
big spoonful of raw cacao powder
about tablespoon coconut oil
1 avocado
sweetener of choice (I used maple syrup and a couple of softened dates)

Blend until smooth mousse like texture sp 4.

Delish with strawberries.  Was going to take a photo but ate it all too quickly.  Kids gobbled it up too.

Cleaning spray

Here's a good 'spray and wipe' alternative that helps use up all those citrus peels.

collect citrus peels in a jar, ripping them up as you go or smushing them with a pestle to help release the oils. Cover the peels with vinegar, pop the lid on and leave the jar in a dark spot for 2 to 4 weeks.
Strain the liquid from the peels into a spray bottle and add a squirt of eco dishwashing liquid.

Discard the peels in the bin- they will be too acidic for the compost

More chocolate!

So I had this amazing raw handmade chocolate from an organic shop in noosa on the weekend.  It was soft and almost fudgy so I'd love to recreate.

Here's the ingredients:
cacao solids 50% min
cacao butter
agave nectar
cacao powder
coconut oil
wild carob
cinnamon
goji berries & coconut flakes
himalayan sea salt

Anyone know what cacao solids are?

Gluten Free Carrot Buckwheat Wraps

Wraps are a favourite in my household, so I found this recipe on Teresa Cutter “The Healthy Chef” website and I have converted it to a Thermomix recipe. Strong carrot flavour but my kids happily ate them plain and with cheese in them.  One thing I read on her website that I found interesting is that Buckwheat is actually a seed and not a grain. 

100g whole Buckwheat

10g Arrowroot
2-3 Carrots (Need to make 200ml carrot juice)
200ml Water
Pinch Nutmeg
Pinch Salt

TMX

1.  Add Whole buckwheat grains to TMX bowl and grind
     1 min/ Sp 9 (Remove to separate bowl)

2.  Add carrots to TMX bowl and chop
     30 sec / sp 8

3.  Add water and mix
     2 mins / sp 8
    Strain carrots into a bowl (use rice basket)

4. Add back to TMX bowl Carrot juice, Buckwheat flour, arrowroot, nutmeg,  salt and mix 5 sec (approx)/ sp 4 to combine
(Note: Consistency should be like crepe batter  - I found that I needed to add another 50mls or so of water but will depend on how thick your carrot juice is)

Frypan

Oil frypan with coconut oil or olive oil. Pour in batter just enough to coat bottom of fry pan
Cook for 1 min and flip over to cook for a few more seconds on the other side (wait until it is bubbly before flipping over)
Cool wraps and store between sheets of grease-proof paper

Tips:
Can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days
Swap carrot juice for beetroot juice or spinach or kale 

Raw Chocolate

Delicious raw chocolate recipe adapted from Quirky Cooking:

Few handfuls of nuts (cashews/macadamias) or slivered almonds
Handful of dried cranberries or sultanas or any dried fruit
200g cacao butter
100g Rapadura Sugar
1 whole vanilla bean
2 cinnamon quills
rind of one orange
80g Cacao powder
2 pinches himalayan crystal salt

1. Blitz nuts and dried fruit in tmx sp9 for a few seconds. Set aside. (do not do this step if you have slivered almonds)
2. Place sugar, vanilla bean and cinnamon in tmx sp9 for 1 minute.
3. Add orange peel sp9 for 30 seconds or until a paste forms. Set aside.
4. Break/cut up cacao butter into small pieces, place in tmx sp 8-9 for 30 secs
5. Melt at 37 degrees sp1 for 20 minutes.
6. Add sugar mixture and melt 37 degrees sp1 for 20 minutes
7. Add cacao powder sp6 for 10 seconds
8. Melt 37 degrees sp1 for 10 minutes
9. Add salt and melt 37 degrees for 10 minutes.
10. Line baking tray with baking paper and place chopped nuts/fruit. Pour over chocolate mixuture and leave to set (if in a hurry can set in fridge)

Could leave out cinnamon and orange peel and replace with tablespoon of maple or agave syrup.

It's delicious but very rich so dont eat too much of it!!

Washing powder

Washing powder

Ingredients
2 bars sunlight soap
1 cup (or slightly less) Borax
1 cup (or slightly less) Lectric Soda

Carve up soap into small pieces (I use bread knife) and blitz together with Borax and Lectric Soda in thermomix speed 8-9 for 1 minute in 2 batches. And there you have a great everyday washing powder!

I also add eucalyptus oil to my wash and a splash of white vinegar to the fabric softner compartment!

DO NOT USE ON SILK OR WOOL - be warned! I only wish someone warned me!!!

You can buy all ingredients at the big supermarkets usually on the bottom shelf of the laundry product aisle.

Chocolate Truffle Bliss Balls

Every good Thermomix Blog needs a Bliss Ball style recipe. So here is one I created this afternoon.
Brazil nuts are high in Selenium, which may help with the prevention of cancer, so they are a good addition to this recipe as well as cinnamon which can help stabilise blood sugar levels.
Enjoy 

80g Almonds
40g Brazil nuts
30g Sunflower seeds
15g Cacao powder
1/4 tsp ground Cinnamon
½ tsp Vanilla bean paste (vanilla essence works as well)
8 pitted dates
Handful of either Pepitas or coconut to roll balls in


1. Add Almonds, Brazil nuts, Sunflower seeds, cacao powder and cinnamon to TMX bowl. 
Speed 9 / 20 secs until bread crumb consistency
2. Add vanilla and dates
Speed 9 / approx 20 secs until combined
3. Add approx 2 tbsp of water (mixture should be sticky but not mushy)
Speed 4 / approx 5 secs until combined and can form a soft ball
4. Roll mixture into balls
5. Without washing TMX bowl, blitz 2 tbsp of pepita seeds
6. Roll balls in either pepita seeds or coconut


Tip: This makes approx 10 balls so you may want to double the mixture

First post - chicken waldorf sandwich spread

Here's our first post!
Chicken Waldorf Sandwich spread.
This is a recipe for a sandwich spread.  I find it really easy to make a big batch at the start of the week.  Then making sandwiches is a breeze and it's a great way of using up leftover roast chicken.

So... Put into the tmx:
Cooked chicken (whatever amount you have left)
Stick of celery
Green apple quartered
Handful of walnuts
Half a block of cream cheese
3 spoonfuls of tmx mayo
Parsley or thyme or herb of choice

Blend on speed 4 about 3 seconds