Pizza Base

Who doesn't love a good pizza! And with a homemade one you can put all your favourite toppings on it. There are a lot of good pizza base recipes around and also quite a few average pizza base recipes around, but this one has stood the test of time and continues to be a favourite one in our household

300g Bakers Flour

200g Semolina

5g Olive oil

5g sea salt

10g dry yeast

325g lukewarm water

Put all ingredients in TMX bowl and mix for 10 sec/sp6

Knead for 2 mins

Remove from TMX bowl and place in another bowl and cover and leave in a warm spot to rise.

Once doubled in size (usually around 20mins), punch down the dough.

Split dough in half and roll out thinly. (The trick is to get it thin but not too thin that it can't hold the toppings once it is cooked)

Once rolled out you need to add toppings straight away and cook. If you want to cook later, just make dough and leave to rise then wrap in plastic wrap and leave in fridge until you are ready to roll and cook your pizza. Best cooked on a pizza stone if you have one.

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Sundried Tomato Pull a Apart Bread

This is the perfect bread to take on a picnic. There are endless options to change the filling to your tastes.....spinach and feta, olives, roasted capsicums etc or even a sweet version with cinnamon and sultanas. I'm thinking that I will try to make them into smaller pull a parts and add Miss 5's favourite fillings for her school lunchbox.

Dough
300g warm water
1 Tbsp yeast
520g Bakers Flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar (increase if making a sweet version - approx 2 Tbsp)
20g Olive Oil


Add warm water and add yeast to TMX Bowl

Add flour then salt, sugar and oil and mix
Sp 4 / 4-5 sec (approx until all combined)
Set dial to Closed position and Knead for 2 mins

Leave the dough to prove in a warm place
Once risen to approximately double its size, roll it out to size of 2x A4 pieces of paper


Filling
100g cheese
1/2 cup Sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 red onion
2 rashers of bacon (leave out or substitute for a vegetarian version)

Grate Cheese
Sp 9 / 4 sec - spread across rolled out dough

Chop Sun-dried tomatoes 
Sp 5 / 3 secs - spread across rolled out dough

Chop onion and bacon
Sp 5 / 3 sec
Add oil and saute
100 degree / 3 mins / Sp 1 - spread across rolled out dough

Once filling ingredients are spread out over dough, cut into long strips. Then take the end of one strip and gather it folding back and forth. Then place in a spring-form round tin. Continue until all strips are folded and in tin. Best to leave a few gaps for the dough to rise.

Turn oven on to 200 degrees and put tin straight in. Whilst oven is warming up the dough will also rise for a second time. Cook for approx 30 mins but keep and eye on it and remove when top is golden brown.

Ratatouille 

Ah, finally, a savoury contribution from me. This is really easy and yummy and delicious served with polenta (http://www.superkitchenmachine.com/2011/15193/polenta-fries-thermomix-recipe.html) or rice and a sprinkle of feta on the top. I double the amount here but cook in in two batches as the veggies take up a lot of space.

The recipe comes from Journal of a French Foodie. Mais oui!

120g onion, peeled and quartered

1 shallot, peeled and halved (optional)

1 clove garlic

20g olive oil

200g zucchini, chopped

300g eggplant, chopped

300g ripe tomatoes, chopped

100g red capsicum, chopped

big handful basil leaves, torn

big handful parsley, chopped

2 sprigs thyme

salt and pepper

- Chop onion, shallot, garlic 7sec/speed 5. Scrape down.

- Add oil and cook 5 mins/100deg/speed spoon/reverse. Cut vegetables into large chunks (by hand!) while this is cooking.

- Add vegetables with the thyme sprigs, season and cook 30 mins/100 deg/speed spoon/reverse

- Remove thyme, pour into a serving dish and stir through basil and parsley.

Chocolate and Vanilla Custards

This recipe comes from the Feisty Tapas blog (and it is originally from the UK thermomix book Fast and Easy Cooking). I doubled it to make a decent amount (2 serves just wasn't going to cut it) and had to play around with the cooking time a bit.

1L milk (I used half coconut and half dairy)

3 tsp vanilla extract

4 eggs (meant to be a room temp but I couldn't wait)

75g raw sugar 

5 Tbsp cornflour

4 Tbsp cocoa powder

- Put all ingredients EXCEPT cocoa into thermomix and whiz for 5 secs on speed 5.

- Cook 10mins, 90 deg, speed 3 until the mixture thickens. (The first time mine thickened quickly, but the last time I made it I had to give it another 3-5 mins cooking time. Not sure why...)

- Mix 8 secs on speed 6. Pour HALF the mix into ramekins or clear glasses (4-6 depending on the size you use). Cool till just firm.

- Add cocoa to the thermomix and whiz 20 secs on speed 6. Pour over the vanilla custard and cool to room temp. Cover to prevent a skin forming and chill in fridge. Nice served with raspberries/strawberries to offset the sweetness.

-Sticky Pear Ginger Cake

I seem to be making a great deal of sweet things at the moment...This is very good. I have baked it a couple of times now and it seems to be pretty fail-safe. Any cake preceded by the words sticky, pear and ginger would just have to be a winner.
The recipe comes from Nat's Thermomixen in the Kitchen. I reduced the sugar content, added wholemeal flour and a little more pear, used rice and maple syrup instead of golden syrup and replaced some of the butter with coconut oil.
I also put the pears in at the second stage so my non-fruit eating son wouldn't come across anything too chunky and suspiciously fruit-like in his fruit cake...I admit, it would have been nicer just stirred through at the end, but he loved it. Sucker.

140g rice syrup/maple syrup mix
75g dark brown sugar
125g butter/coconut oil
250g self raising flour (I used half white and half wholemeal)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1Tbsp ground ginger
310mL milk
1 egg
3 medium pears, peeled, cored, diced

-Cook syrup, sugar and butter/oil 90 deg, 5 mins, speed 2.
-Add dry ingredients, milk and egg and mix on speed 4 for 4-5 secs - be careful not to over mix.
-Add pear (if you want chunks) and mix reverse speed 2 for 3 secs.
-Grease and line a square cake tin, pour in the mix and bake for 55-60mins at 180 deg. Cool in the tin 10 mins, then on a rack until cold.

Double Layered Raw Chocolate Fudge

If you like coconut oil, you'll love this...
The recipe comes from Hot Pink Chilli (who adapted it from a rather more sugary version in PaleOMG). I only fiddled around with the tahini/nut butter part - the original recipe uses almond butter. I had peanut butter and tahini so I used half of each. Would probably be yummy with cashew butter too. I had a little coconut nectar in the fridge but decided to use maple and rice syrup as they are a little sweeter. I also only made half the quantity, but lived to regret this, as the batch lasted one day....and my kids only saw one piece each.....
One more thing - keep it in the freezer or fridge! It quickly turns to mush if left out, so not really a suitable lunchbox treat, unfortunately.

200g/ 1 cup coconut oil
125g/ 1/2 cup tahini
120g/ 1/2 cup peanut or almond butter
150g/ 1/2 cup coconut nectar/ rice syrup/maple syrup
30g/ 1/3 cup desiccated coconut
15g/ 5tsp raw cacao powder
2 pinches salt

-Throw everything EXCEPT the cacao and one pinch of salt into the thermomix and blitz on speed 7 for 3 secs.
-Pour half the mix into a suitable tupperware container (my half batch fit neatly into a square 1L box) and place in the freezer to set (will be ready by the time you have mixed up the topping).
-Add the second pinch of salt and the cacao to the remaining mix in the thermomix and whiz for 3 secs on speed 7. Scrape down and repeat.
-Pour chocolate fudge mixture into the tupperware and pop it back into the freezer. When it is solid (this does not take long, thankfully) remove from container and use a hot knife to slice up into good sized chunks. Delicious.

Spiced Chicken and Raisin Pilaf

This recipe comes from the foodiemum.com and is now a family favourite. This is a great meal to cook on Sunday afternoon so that dinner is ready to heat & eat when you get home from work on Monday night....always a sanity saver on a "Too Tired to Cook Monday"!

1 Chicken breast fillet
40g olive oil
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
2 tp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
300g Basmati rice (I used Brown rice)
1/2 cup raisins or sultanas
1 Litre water
1 Tbsp Vegetable stock
2 tomatoes
1 capsicum, finely diced
1 bunch of broccoli
1 handful of parsley, finely chopped
Cubed pumpkin

Add onion, garlic and chop
3 sec /Sp 6

Add 20g of oil, half cumin seeds (1 tsp) and cinnamon and saute
2 mins / 100 C / Sp 1 with MC off
SET ASIDE and add raisins

Using a frypan add oil, remaining cumin seeds and Chicken and cook until cooked through

Meanwhile, add rice to TM basket and rinse. Add water and stock to the bowl and place the basket with rice into TM
Add pumpkin, capsicum and broccoli to varoma and continue cooking 

15 mins / Sp3 / Varoma temp
 (Note: If using Brown rice cook for 30 min and add vegetables in varoma in last 15 minutes
Transfer vegetables and rice to a large bowl, mix through onion/raisin mixture and diced tomatoes.

Slice or shred cooked chicken and add to rice. Season with pepper.

"Coconutty" Berry Cake

I love berries in any cake and also love the healthy touch of Chia seeds and Brown Rice in this recipe, which I found on the Recipe Community by the Foodie Mum. I have changed a couple of the ingredients and this recipe has now become a favourite in our house for our regular weekend morning teas.

150g Frozen mixed berries
approx 1/3 cup of Shredded Coconut
170g Brown Rice
100g Raw Almonds
70g Flour
2tsp Baking powder
90g Rapadura Sugar
2 Tbsp Chia Seeds
200g Coconut Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Tbsp Macadamia Oil
2 eggs


Preheat oven 180 degrees Celsius
Grease and line the base of a 20cm round cake tin

Spread berries out in cake tin and sprinkle with coconut

Brown rice into TMX bowl and grind
1 min / Sp 9

Add Almonds
30 sec / Sp 9

Add Flour, Baking Powder Sugar and Chia Seeds and blend
10 sec / Sp 5

Add Coconut Milk, oil and eggs, vanilla
15 sec / Sp 5
Scrape bowl and repeat
15 sec / Sp 5

Pour batter over berries and coconut and bake for approx 40 mins until inserted knife comes out clean. Leave to cool for 5 mins before taking out of cake tin and removing baking paper.

Nori Linseed Crackers

I don't wish to set a precedent but this recipe does not need a Thermomix (gasp!).  Karen was kind enough to lend me her dehydrator last week and my lovely friend Jan showed me these crackers that she discovered at a yoga retreat in Bali (phew).  Too simple for words.

Soak some flaxseeds (lots) and pumpkin seeds in water overnight.

The next day spread out sheets of nori onto the dehydrator trays.
Add a couple of splashes of tamari or shoyu into the flaxseed mixture
Thinly spread the flaxseed mixture onto the nori sheets
Dehydrate at low setting (I did 43 degrees) for 5 hours or until crisp
cut into squares with scissors and store in airtight container.

My kids loved them and great for lunchboxes.

Shaggy Dog Pikelets

As a child my Mum often use to makes us Pikelets and I have made them the same way for years, but with all the new ingredients now in my cupboard, I have made this old time favourite a little healthier. This recipe actually doesn't need to be mixed in the Thermomix (shock horror!!) and is better just mixed in a bowl with a spoon.

1 cup Spelt Flour
1/4 cup Rapadura Sugar
2 tbsp Macadamia Nut Oil
1/2 - 3/4 cup of milk of choice 
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg

Topping
Shredded coconut
Sultanas

Add all ingredients except milk to bowl and mix to combine
Slowly add Milk and mix after each addition until it forms a smooth batter

To Cook
I have found that by cooking on a non-stick sandwich press you can quickly cook these pikelets with little mess and it also requires no butter or oil to cook them. If you don't have one, then of course they can be cooked in a fry pan.

Spoon smallish circles of the batter onto sandwich press/fry pan and then sprinkle with shredded coconut and sultanas.

Turn over when batter is bubbling and then cook for a further minute until cooked through.

Yummy eaten hot or can be eaten cold i.e. in the kids lunch box

brown rice crackers

I've  been  meaning to post this for ages.  I made  these crackers with some leftover cooked brown rice.  I'm wondering if it would work with other leftover cooked grains like quinoa,  buckwheat or millet.

210g cooked brown rice (or 110 g uncooked)
300g uncooked brown rice
1 tbsp of linseed (could use chia or sesame or other seed of choice)
1 tsp sea salt
50g EVO
60-80g H20

heat over 180 degrees
If need to cook 110g rice
put uncooked rice into clean dry bowl 1 min sp 10
add all ingredients - only 60 g of water 20 sec sp 7
add more water though the lid if need to- mixture should come together as dough
roll between 2 sheets baking paper
score with pizza cutter
bake 30 minutes until brown

Lazy Leftover Deconstructed Roast Pie

This is a version of of Quirky Cooking's leftover roast meat pie.  Mine is for the lazy ones among us.  I usually do this quickly on a monday after work when we've had roast lamb or beef on a sunday night.

Ingredients
1 or 2 sheets of frozen puff pastry depending on how many you wish to feed
1 clove garlic
1 onion
1 carrot
1 stick celery
1 tbs coconut oil
handful mushrooms if you have them
A few leaves of kale if you have it chopped up
leftover roast meat cut into bite sized pieces
leftover roast vegies (including any mash or rice)
leftover gravy
stock concentrate
water
2 tbsp flour of choice (cornflour, spelt, rice flour) to thicken

1. Preheat oven 180 degrees and take puff pastry out of the freezer to thaw
2.Garlic 3 sec sp7
2. add onion, carrot, celery (I also had some zucchini that needed using) 5 sec sp 5
3. add coconut oil 100 degrees 3 minutes sp1
4. add mushrooms 10 sec sp 3
5. cook 100 degrees 2 minutes sp 1
6. add kale, meat, roast veg, gravy, flour and top up the bowl with some water and add a little stock concentrate.  100 degrees 10 minutes reverse soft (may need longer to thicken up)
7.  Carefully cut pastry sheets into 4 squares.  Place on a lined baking tray and pop into the oven.
8.  Serve pie mixture in a bowl topped with square of pastry

Night before sourdough pancakes

I have Karen to thank for putting me onto this fantastic recipe.  I have a sourdough starter in my fridge which I like to use for making bread but I have to be super organised with all the rising etc. So this recipe is an easy way to use your starter without all the hassle of making bread.

You make most of the batter the night before then just add the last bits and pieces in the morning.  I use whole spelt flour but I think any flour would work find.  Photos forthcoming......

Ingredients:
1 cup sourdough starter
2 cups H2O
3 1/2 cups whole flour  (may need a bit more or a bit less depening on thickness of starter)
3 eggs
4 tablespoons sweetner of choice (I use maple syrup)
1/4 melted coconut oil or butter
1 tsp bicarb soda
1 tsp salt

1.  The night before (or any time up to 3 hours before) add starter, water and flour.  Mix 20 sec sp 4 and leave in the bowl overnight.

2. In the morning add the rest of the ingredients and mix 20 sec sp 4 until combined.

3.  Cook in the frypan with a little coconut oil as per usual pancake.

I like to serve mine with the strawberry sauce from the EDC and some ricotta.  I use half the sugar as the recipe suggests and vary the berries to whatever is in the freezer and I make the sauce whilst the pancakes are cooking.

A great weekend breakfast that even dads can do!

Quinoa Balls

After a very hot spring day, all I felt like was some salad, so I cooked some Quinoa and mixed with some roasted eggplant, onion, tomato and finished with some baby spinach and feta. Simple but very yummy....but of course, I always cook too much Quinoa. So today, whilst I was waiting for a new window to be installed, I set about finding a way to use it up and this what I came up with.

1 cup oats
1 cup cooked Quinoa
1/4 cup coconut
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cranberries
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Put all ingredients in TMX bowl and mix
Speed 6 / Approx 10 sec or until combined

2. Roll into balls and store in the fridge

Crackers

I can't believe I have been buying expensive not so healthy crackers when these are so easy to make. After my girls sat down to eating a plate of these with some hommus, I later caught them stealing a few more from the baking tray...so I'm guessing they like them!!

70 g warm water 

70 g olive oil
250 g wholemeal Bakers Flour

10g Chia seeds

10g Linseeds
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, remove sticks
1 tsp sea salt 

Preheat oven to 180ºC 

Place water and oil into TMX bowl and warm 

80ºC/ Speed 1 / 1 min

Add remaining ingredients and blend

10 secs / Speed 7

Tip into a bowl and scrunch into a ball to form a soft dough

Wrap and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Divide into thirds and roll out each ball of dough as thinly as possible. Side onto a flat baking tray.      
Use a pizza cutter to score the dough

Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until crisp.

Turn off oven and break into crackers into pieces. Return to oven to completely dry out.

Icing Ideas

With all the birthday cakes that have been made here recently, I thought I would devote a post to purely icing ideas. Here are some of the ones I have tried recently and a couple of others which sound yummy!

Icing used was the Creamy Vanilla Frosting

Cashew Nut Cream

1 cup of raw cashew nuts 

1/2 cup of water
little vanilla

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

Berry Cashew Cream

1/4 cup raspberries (thawed, but any berry would work)

1/2 cup cashews (If you have time soak for an hour first and then rinse before using)
2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp coconut milk

2 tbsp maple syrup

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

Creamy Vanilla Frosting 

From Steph Berg’s Blog http://www.stephberg.com/?p=2888

35g Plain Flour

200g whole milk

150g sugar

200g unsalted butter

35g natural vanilla extract

Place flour and milk into TMX bowl and blend

5 secs / Sp 6

Cook for 15min / 80deg / Speed 4

Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, pushing plastic down onto surface of mixture.

Cool completely

In clean TMX bowl add sugar and pulverise

15 secs / Sp 9

Add butter and chop
5-10 secs / Sp 7

Insert Butterfly and aerate butter and sugar

1-2 mins / Sp 3 with MC off to allow air in bowl

Scrape down sides of bowl when necessary.

Add Vanilla and beat

6 secs / Sp 4

Add cooked milk mixture and continue to beat
2-3 minutes /Sp 3 until very smooth and white.

Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes (No longer and no less). Use immediately

Tip: As Mim discovered...make sure the milk mixture is completely cool before adding to the butter mixture.

Coco Cheese Icing
Recipe stolen from Karen....this one is so yummy and particularly good if you need white icing.

250g cream cheese
120g chilled coconut cream (not light)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp lime zest
1 tsp vanilla essence or paste

Add all ingredients to TMX bowl and mix to combine

Approx 30sec / Sp 6

Chocolate Ganache

As per the Everyday Cookbook (not so healthy but very yummy!)

100g Dark chocolate, broken into pieces

80g Cream

Place chocolate in TMX bowl and grate

30sec / Sp 8

Add Cream and cook

2 mins / 50degreesC / Sp 5

Chocolate Icing

This came from "The Healthy Chef" website

1/4 cup honey

2 ripe avocadoes
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/4 cup good quality dark cocoa powder

Add honey first then add all other ingredients and blend

30 sec / Sp 6 until smooth and creamy
Spoon into a bowl and allow to set in the fridge.

Tip: The addition of banana or a little water makes for a lighter mousse.

Quirky Cooking's Gooey Chocolate Icing 

Grind cashews for 10 secs / Sp 9, until fine

100g raw cashews

Add remaining ingredients and mix at speed 6 for 30 seconds, scrape down, add a little more water if needed, and mix another 30 seconds until smooth:

- 3 fresh pitted dates

- 20g raw cacao powder

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 20g pure maple syrup

- 20g filtered water

Natural Food Colouring
If you are looking for Natural Food Colouring, I ordered them from Allergy Train - http://www.allergytrain.com.au/Store/tabid/62/CategoryID/9/List/1/Level/1/catpageindex/3/Default.aspx

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