Breakfast smoothie

In addition to our fantastic baked beans this morning we had a breakfast smoothie, a great way to get everyone to eat a good few serves of fruit (even vegetables).

Here's what we had this morning (blended together sp10 for at least 1 minute)
Frozen blueberries, frozen mango cheeks, banana, avocado (gives smoothie an amazing smooth velvety texture), strawberries, kale, ice, orange juice

Yum yum...

Some ground flax seed would be a great addition for additional fibre and Omega 3

(saw a recipe for left over roast sweet potato, strawberries, frozen banana yoghurt, milk snd ice, might have to try that one day soon)

Baked Beans

We always seem to eat so well when Mim and I go away together with thermomix in tow. This morning we had eggs and baked beans so i thought i would add the recipe so I can remember to make them when i get home. It's a recipe from Quirky Jo and I'll leave it for Mim to make her changes in the comments...

Ingredients
1 brown onion
2-3 bacon rashers
30g olive oil
1000g pre-cooked beans - tinned would be fine but ones you've cooked have to be better. Mim used red kidney beans
1 400g tin crushed tomatoes
60g tomato paste
1/4 tsp mixed spice
2 bay leaves
25g molasses
25g rapadura
1tsp sea salt
Pepper
100g water

Method
Place onion and bacon in thermomix bowl chop 2-3secs Sp5
Add oil and cook 5mins, 100deg, sp1
Insert butterfly and then add all other ingredients and cook 15mins, 100 deg, sp1 (add water to desired consistency)
 Remove bay leaves and serve

Fruit Sorbets!

Making sorbets in the thermomix have to be reason enough to buy one, especially for non- fruit eating children like one of mine seems to think he is!

Basic sorbet recipe
rapadura sugar to taste (start with 1 tblsp and more can be added if necessary)
Frozen fruit (depends on how many you are serving)
Egg white (can use cream if you would prefer not to use raw egg but it's not the same)

Blitz sugar for 10 seconds sp 10
Add frozen fruit sp10 30 sec
Insert butterfly, add egg white and mix sp4 30 secs

Use frozen mango cheeks, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, mixed berries...whatever takes your fancy! 
Freeze pineapple and blend with frozen coconut cream and mint for a pina colada icecream (add white rum for the adults).
Freeze canned lychees with the syrup and blend with mint.

Shower steamers to clear blocked noses

Having had the worst cold in ages this past week which has developed into a nasty sinus infection, I remembered reading about homemade 'Vicks' shower steamers. Here's the recipe...

1 cup Baking soda
1/3 cup Water plus extra if needed
Essential oils: Eucalyptus, lavender and rosemary
Muffin tin
Muffin liners

Pre heat oven to 170 degrees
Slowly add water to baking soda while stirring  to form a thick paste (like putty) add more water if required
Spoon into lined muffin tray and bake for 20 mins at 170 degrees
Once cooled add 15 drops of each oil

Drop onto shower tray of hot steaming shower and inhale the essential oils

Chimichangas

After getting back from swimming lessons a little late one Saturday (probably chit-chatting to Karen about recipes for too long!!) these were pretty quick to make. Made the wraps and then whilst the chicken was cooking I quickly rolled and cooked the tortillas.

8 large wraps or make your own tortillas 

120g cheese - cubed
1 onion - quartered
1 clove garlic
20g olive oil
1 tsp Mexican Chilli Powder (Masterfoods)(Adjust seasoning at the end depending on how spicy you like it)
½ red capsicum
4 mushrooms
350g chicken breast –diced
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
handful of baby spinach leaves
1 tomato, chopped
sour cream

Make tortillas and set aside on a plate wrapped in a plastic bag to keep them warm and soft

Grate cheese in TMX
4 secs/speed 8.  Set aside

Chop onion and garlic in TMX
2 secs/speed 5

Scrape down sides, add oil and saute
3 mins/100 degrees/Reverse/ Speed 1.
Add the spices and cook for a further minute.

Chop capsicum and mushroom
3 secs/speed 5

Add chicken and sweet chilli sauce and cook
5-10 mins (depends on how big your chicken pieces are)/100 degrees/Rev/ Soft speed.
Once cooked add spinach leaves and stir through. Check spice levels

Chop up tomato with a knife and set aside.

Assemble the Chimichangas by placing cheese down the centre on each wrap and spreading the chicken on top (drain any liquid first)
Fold in opposite sides to cover filling and then roll into a parcel

Heat a little oil in a fry pan and cook the parcels on each side for a minute or so. Serve with tomato and sour cream

Cleaning stainless steel eg taps, sinks

Here's a great tip for cleaning your kitchen sink...

Sprinkle with bicarb
Rub with the flesh of a used lemon
Rinse with water

I've never had such shiny sinks...too easy!

Dishwasher Powder

I've decided I work best if tackle things one at a time so for now I am continuing my search to make home made cleaning products. Here's one for the dishwasher, can be made with or without thermomix.

125g Citric Acid
250g Bicarb
125g Lectric soda
20 drops of essential oil - I used eucalyptus

Mix together!

Store in an air tight container. It's important to label it or put it in an old plastic dishwasher powder container with child proof lid.  Most importantly keep it out of reach of little people.

Use as normal and add vinegar as a rinse aid.

Orange Pepita Cupcakes

This recipe is based on the one found on the Mixing it Up HK website (Thanks for the link Mim), which was a Citrus Poppyseed Muffin. I was lacking a couple of ingredients so here is my version, which I have also reduced the amount of sugar in (but definitely try out the original as well)

1 whole apple 
1 whole orange
2 large eggs
30g coconut oil, melted if solid 
50g natural yoghurt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb
120g white spelt flour
120g wholemeal bakers flour
70g rapadura
Handful of pepitas

1. Preheat oven to 170°C and grease 12 cake cake/muffin tin

2. Remove core and quarter one apple. Add to the TMX bowl and chop
10 secs/Speed 4. Scrape down the sides.

3. Add 20g water and cook 8 mins/100°C/Speed 1. MC lid off 

4. Cut a whole (incl skin) orange into quarters. Remove white pith and any obvious pips. Add to the TMX bowl and blend Speed 7/10 secs

5. Add the eggs, coconut oil and natural yoghurt and Mix Speed 8/10 seconds until well combined. 

6. Add baking powder, bicarb, flours, rapadura and pumpkin seeds and mix 8 secs/Rev/Speed 4 until mixture just comes together. Do not over-mix.

7. Spoon mixture into prepared cake tin and place in preheated oven to bake for about 12-15 mins  

8. Once cooled a little, I topped each cake with a dollop of natural yoghurt

Pink Butterfly Raw Biscuits

This is a healthy raw biscuit recipe. The biscuit and filling are very easy to make but the assembly process is a little messy but fun to do with the kids. I made Butterflies with Pink filling and for the boys out there I made Stars, which was suppose to have a blue filling but looks more purple! Trick when making these biscuits is to keep everything very cold.

60g brazil nuts

60g cup pepitas

2-3 tbsp cacao powder

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1. Add nuts and seeds to TMX bowl.

Speed 9/ approx 30 sec until cumbly

2. Add remaining ingredients except maple syrup

Add maple syrup slowly once blades are running. Batter should come together easily without being too wet

Speed 6 / approx 10 sec 

3. Put mixture on cutting board and roll out 

Using cookie cutters cut shapes out and place onto a plate (even numbers - approx 12 depending on your cutter size) Set cookies aside in fridge

Pink Filling Ingredients

1 banana

1/2 cup frozen raspberries (at room temp) (for the blue/purple ones I tried blueberries)

4 tbsp coconut oil

1. Place all ingredients into TMX bowl and blend till creamy

Speed 4 / 10 sec and then scrape bowl and repeat a couple of times

2. Pour onto a cutting board and put into freezer

3. Once set, cut shapes and assemble biscuits. Once done they are best kept in the freezer until they are ready to eat

Black bean brownies

This recipe is converted from the Healthy Hybrid.  Similar concept to the magic bean chocolate cake which uses red kidney beans in place of flour.  I have yet to try it but thought I'd post anyway

Ingredients

2 cup cooked black beans, drained of all liquid - could use a can.
2/3 cup rapadura sugar or sweetner of choice
1/3 cup raw cacao powder, cocoa, or carob powder
2 tbsp coconut oil, or butter
3 eggs,
1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt
walnuts (optional)

Do

1.  Preheat oven to 180 degrees and prepare a rectangular slice pan/ dish (grease or line with baking paper) 

2.  Blend ingredients other than walnuts together with 20 seconds sp 5 or until well blended
3.  Pour into greased 8"x8" pan. top with walnuts for decoration if you'd like

4.   Bake in the oven maybe 15 minutes. When the top starts to crack, they're golden and cooked.

Healthy Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cashew Nut Cream

I thought I would try out a new recipe for Fathers Day, although seeing as they came out a little bit red/pinkish it maybe good for Mothers Day!! This recipe has been adapted from the one found on "The Healthy Chef" website. It makes 12 smallish cupcakes, which didn't last long in our household. The last ones were eaten (without icing) after dinner with Quirky Jo's Cashew honey vanilla bean custard http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/cashew-honey-vanilla-bean-custard.html Yum!

2 large raw beetroot
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt
150g almonds
¼ cup cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
3 tbsp macadamia oil
60ml honey
½ cup raisins
1 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven 160 C (fan forced) 

2. Add almonds to TMX bowl and grind
Sp 9 / 2 mins. Set aside

3. Add Beetroot with skin into TMX bowl and grate
Sp 6 / 3 secs (until grated)

4. Add eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, ground almonds, cocoa, honey, oil and baking powder and mix
Sp 6 / 10 sec

5. Add raisins and mix
Sp 3 / 3 sec

6. Spoon into paper lined cupcake tins

7. Bake for 40 minutes or until cooked through

Cashew Nut Cream Icing1 cup of raw cashew nuts 

1/2 cup of water
little vanilla

1. Add all ingredients to TMX bowl
Sp 9 / 2 mins (or until smoothish)

Chicken and Vegetable Pie

This pie is so yummy and moreish!

1 onion
2 cloves garlic
5 rashers bacon
20ml olive oil
3 cups mixed vegetables (I used carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, celery)
2 tsp TMX vegetable or chicken stock
1 large chicken breast
a handful of fresh parsley
2 sheets of frozen puff pastry 

Cheese sauce 
300ml milk
25g butter
25g plain flour
50g cheese

 

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C

2. Put vegetables (except onion & garlic) in TMX bowl and chop
Sp 5 / 5 secs (approx).  Set aside.

3.  Place chicken and parsley in TMX bowl and chop
Sp 5 / 5 secs (approx) Set aside

4.  Place onion, garlic and bacon in TMX bowl and chop
Sp 5 / 5 secs (approx)

5. Add oil and saute
Varoma / 5 mins / speed soft / Reverse / MC off

6.  Add vegetables and chicken mix back to the bowl with stock and cook
100 degrees / speed soft / REVERSE / 8 mins
Use spatula to mix around a couple of times.  Set aside and rinse bowl.

7.  Add sauce ingredients to TMX bowl, except cheese. 
90 degrees / Sp 4 / 7 mins

8.  Add cheese and mix
Sp 7 / 10 secs
then heat for 1 min / 90 degrees / Sp 3

9.  Put pastry into bottom of pie dish. Spoon filling into the pie base (remove as much liquid as possible to avoid the pastry becoming too wet).  Pour over cheese sauce.  Put top sheet of pastry on and gently press into bottom layer of pastry around the sides and make a slit opening into the top of the pie.  Brush with a bit of milk or egg wash if desired.

11.  Put in the oven and bake for approx 20 minutes or until browned and pie is cooked through.