gosh, i have been so slack on the blogging front lately. i have a terrible secret. farm town (on face book) has been consuming my life. don't think i've ever been obsessed by a game before lol i'm weaning myself slowly, helped by working last week ;)

so onto a very lazy menu as i'm still not in the mood for cooking...

enchiladas & mexican rice
lamb casserole & mash (packet mix)
pumpkin & spinach risotto
minestrone
varoma chicken, veg and creamy sauce
pasta with zacuska

easily made gluten free from Trudy's recipe on the Thermomix Forum. These biscuits were so-so at first, but a day or two later were delicious and moreish!!! Geoff kept sneaking them behind my back despite trying to pretend they weren't really his thing LOL

when you're making gluten free biscuits it's much more successful to let the biscuits cool on the tray (i need more trays!!!) or they're too soft and will break up being transferred to a rack.

this recipe has a mild ginger flavour so you could add a little extra if you wanted for a stronger taste. on the forum there are suggestions of other variations. my version used raw sugar which worked just fine and probably looked much prettier on the outside!

be careful with the size of the balls of dough you put on the tray, and with how close you put them - or you'll end up with big square biccies joined together like i did LOL


GINGERNUT BISCUITS (Makes 4 dozen) Oven 180C

125g butter (soft)
130g raw sugar
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
1 egg - beaten
290g Gluten Free Self Raising Flour *
2 Teaspoons ginger powder

raw sugar for rolling

Place raw sugar, golden syrup & butter in TM. Cream for approx 3 mins on speed 4 or 5, scraping with spatula as you go.
Add egg & carb soda. Process for a few secs to combine and then add flour & ginger. Process for about 90 secs using the spatula to help.

Roll into 48 balls and then toss the balls into sugar. Place balls onto a greased or papered tray and bake for approx 12 mins or until golden brown.

These biscuits keep well in an airtight tin.


* i use the gluten free flour recipe in the Thermomix gluten free book, plus the gluten free baking powder mix.

breakfast this morning for Rora, Geoff and myself was Elana's nutty bread. it was nice though i forgot i can't eat nuts and it didn't go quite how i thought it would - i was supposed to "pour the batter" into the tin, but it was so thick and stiff even my spatula wouldn't get it out of the thermomix and i had to use a hard spoon to get it out!

anyway, here are the quantities in weight for the thermomix. i won't put a method cause it's pretty self explanatory :)

210g almond flour (i have never seen actual almond flour so i ground almonds until just before they became paste)
95g arrowroot (or tapioca) flour
40g flax seed meal
1/2 tspn sea salt
1/2 tspn bicarb soda
4 eggs
1 tspn rapadura sugar
1 tspn apple cider vinegar
35g walnuts (i put them in whole with the dry ingredients and mixed with the blades, not reverse)
65g chopped roasted macadamias
40g pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
40g sunflower seeds
35g sesame seeds


rora and geoff really liked it (rora LOVES nuts) and there was none left after breakfast. it didn't make a very big quantity so you either need a small tin or double the mix.

my kids (and dh) love custard! here's how we make it gluten free...

each recipe makes enough for the kids and dh to have custard for dessert with none left over, or this morning the strawberry filled 9 Tupperware snack cups, i'd assume the vanilla or chocolate would fill 8. I'm not sure about freezing it but am going to try and see how it goes. adjust the sugar to your taste.

this recipe makes quite a thick custard so if you'd rather a thin pouring custard you could either reduce the flour or increase the milk. please note that you need more flour (60g i think) if you are using regular wheat flour instead of gluten free.


if you are making it to keep you should pour it into your container/s then cover carefully with clingwrap so that the clingwrap covers the top of the custard, or today i just put the lids on while it was still quite warm. This stops the custard getting a skin on it.

Vanilla Custard
500g milk
40g sugar of any kind
40g gluten free flour (i use the TMX blend)
2 eggs
1 tspn (or a splash) of vanilla essence

cook for 7 minutes on 90'c speed 4



Chocolate Custard
500g milk
40g sugar of any kind
30g gluten free flour (i use the TMX blend)
1 slightly heaped tspn cocoa
2 eggs
1 tspn (or a splash) of vanilla essence

cook for 7 minutes on 90'c speed 4



Strawberry Custard
500g milk
40g sugar of any kind
40g gluten free flour (i use the TMX blend)
2 eggs
1 tspn (or a splash) of vanilla essence
5-10 strawberries, washed and hulled

cook for 7 minutes on 90'c speed 4


i'm sure you could do a yummy banana custard too, but emelia is the only one of my lot to like bananas.

if i have spare egg yolks i will throw them in the custard and reduce the flour a bit, but the one time i made it without any flour it curdled so i always include at least a little flour to keep the consistency right.

all thermomix meals this week as i'm sooo not in the mood for cooking lOL

Chicken Pasta Casserole (p85 Everyday Cookbook)
Yummy Frittata with Coriander Chilli Sauce (p 14 Cyndi's book, thanks Judy :))
Buckwheat tabouleh & grilled chicken with salad (p57 vegetarian cookbook)
spanish green lentil & chorizo sausage soup (p24 gluten free cookbook)
ragu / spag bol (p57 everyday cookbook)
pumpkin soup & foccacia romano (TMX forum)
plus cyndi's sweet chilli sauce



5 mushrooms
fresh basil, mint and italian (flat) parsley
garlic
5 carrots
4 onions
red capsicum
ginger
red onion
green or yellow zucchini
eggs x 3 cartons
fetta cheese (front fridge)
1 cucumber
2-3 tomatoes
1/2 celery
pumpkin - enough to make large batch of soup
large sweet potato
5 large red chillis
3 small red chillis

...was pretty yum.

Zucusca is a Rumanian speciality spread on bread, served as a sauce with grilled meat or used as a sauce for pasta. you can find the thermomix recipe here

I liked it, the kids liked it and dh didn't mind it (he doesn't actually like eggplant, which i had only used around 450g of).

we had ours with grilled sausages / chevapi sausages and veg steamed in the varoma while the zacusca cooked (they took 30 mins for 1" cubes). i whizzed mine at the end to make it more like pasta sauce.

Here's exactly how i made mine:

450g eggplants
400 g red & green capsicums
150 g onions (1 medium large)
600 g tomatoes
1 bayleaf
200 g olive oil (i know it's heaps but it didn't seem oily)
3 tspns spanish vegetable stock concentrate
1 tsp pepper
Chilli, according to taste


Cut vegetables into 1.5" cubes prior to putting in thermomix
Chop eggplants 8 secs/speed 5. Set aside.
Chop capsicums and onions 5 secs/speed 5. Set aside.
Chop tomatoes for 5 secs/speed 5. Now add all the ingredients incl. spices and oil to the TM bowl.
Cook for 45 mins/100°/speed 2 without MC. Place the basket on top of the lid to stop the sauce decorating your kitchen.

* If you would like a smoother sauce, you can puree it on speed 6 to desired consistency. Pour into sterlised jars and close tightly.

Pork Fillet with Mustard Sauce, chat potatoes & steamed beans and carrots (TMX)
Sweet potato and something green fritatta
Zacusca with grilled chevapi sausages
Sauteed potatoes with Grilled Moroccan Chicken and veg or salad
Chicken Jambalaya with gluten free risoni
Vegie Tacos
Spanish Minestrone soup with gluten free Foccacia Romano

Thermomix is featured in The Australian today...

story http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25585875-5018055,00.html

and a video http://player.video.news.com.au/theaustralian/#1141423366

didn't go exactly according to plan food-wise, as i had been so sick before-hand (really only came good on the friday). here is what i was planning and here is what we ended up with, i wanted it to be as close to gluten free as possible:

• mini frankfurts (aldi american hot dogs cut into 3 pieces each)
• mini sausages (what are they called? these were the peppercorn brand ones)
• cheese sticks (the aldi brand)
• cherry tomatoes
• some fruit (the kids ate 2 full platters of cut up fruit!)
• fairy bread (i made a loaf of GF breadmaker bread but it was a disaster so we ended up with a gluten and a GF version) with GF sprinkles / 100's & 1000's (they also had all natural colours)
  

• nachos & pumpkin soup for grownups

• a GF caramel mud cake (this did not work well - it tasted nice but was as hard as a rock. well, nearly) for the birthday cake with a wall-e topper and some GF candy-coated mini choc chips (Blackwood brand)
  
• and (phew) huge GF cupcakes with a buttercream frosting and jelly crystals (which have virtually no colour so kind of pointless!)

afterwards i put out some Woolies "Free From" brand plain chips and some of the aldi twisties for the kids to eat. I had a stash of lollies but by the time we'd handed out chocolate freddoes and GF lollypops as prizes for various games, as well as the size of the cupcakes! I decided they'd had enough sugar ;)

The day before his birthday he had taken pattycakes to school - his request was carrot cakes and while i thought the kids would not be keen apparently they went down a treat, after his teacher told them they had baby carrots in them LOL they were topped with buttercream frosting and sprinkles (not gluten free as we didn't have any at home, just for school)

still can't believe my boy is 6!!!

we do tend to eat GF out and about quite often, but I never remember to take any pics! anyway, now that geoff has put a shortcut to the camera on my phone i am trying to take more ;)


on Monday we went to Deeks for morning tea. Rora had (2) babycinos and i had a chai latte (delish) and we shared a 'hazelnut wafer' which was like a creamy slice. it was quite heavy in texture but very nice none the less. I used to eat at Deeks occasionally when i worked in Dickson and i always found the meals nice (though I preferred to eat next door at Rainbow Dreams as I'm a curry addict, in case you didn't guess lol) Rora really enjoyed her morning tea and i think half of the slice each was more than enough.


On Sunday Geoff was trying to study, ryan had gone to friends' to play, emelia was at a birthday party and so rora and I went to the Kingston / Old Bus Depot Markets. I hadn't been there since having kids (!!) but had a vague feeling I'd heard good things about GF food there. I wasn't wrong!


There were so many stalls with yummy things labelled gluten free, and many with taste tests - Rora lOVED the honey macadamias I picked up as we walked in (she loves nuts).

AT the Divine and Delicious stall (photo 2nd from top) she picked out a yummy cake to have later - It was something like STicky caramel and date cake. it was heavy but very rich, moist and yummy, with a ltitle spice and topped with a creamy frosting.


we then set out looking for something to have for lunch. after asking at the asian (thai?) stall where they had nothing - but at least they knew they did! - i found the ethiopian stall next door. perfect as I've been wanting to try ethiopian and the dinner date i organised to try it didn't work out (well, the dinner date did but we went to zeffs instead lol). anyway these curries were from Fekertes in Dickson and were absolutely delicious. we had a chicken curry, which was similar to a thai curry, a lentil dish which was divine, and a bean curry which was very nice too. rora loved them (they were all mild, though the bean curry was a little spicier than the other 2) and ate more than me! at $12 for the plate you see above they weren't as cheap as some meals but so good they were worth it. i think ethiopian curries might become my new love LOL

anyway, i highly recommend an outing to the kingston markets if you want somewhere interesting to go with GF options to tempt you!

from the SMH Good Living magazine for 2/6

6 tab olive oil
6 onions, halved and finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tspn ground cumin
1/2 tspn ground cinnamon
1/2 tspn ground allspice
5 cups water or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups brown lentils, washed and drained
1 cup long grain rice, washed and drained
1 cup plain yoghurt, drained through muslin lined colander for 30 mins
fresh mint sprigs to garnish

heat 2 tabs oil in large saucepan. add ONE onion, garlic, cumin, cinnamon and allspice and saute for four minutes until onion is softened and lightly coloured.
add water or stock and lentils and bring to the boil. reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 mins.
stir in rice, return to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook until liquid has been absorbed and rice & lentils are tender, about 15 mins. season well with S&P
meanwhile, heat remaining oil in pan and cook remaining onions until soft, well coloured and beginning to caramelise and blacken at the edges, about 30 mins.
arrange rice & lentils on a platter and sprinkle with onion. servew ith yoghurt & mint.

from the SMH Good Living magazine for 2/6

2 tabs EVOO, plus extra
2 sticks celery, sliced
1 carrot, chopped
1 brown onion, chopped
1.5L chicken stock
1 x 400g can diced tomatoes
200g cavolo nero, shredded (discard thick stems)
1 x 400g can white beans, rinsed & drained
80g dried stelline or other soup pasta
shaved parmesan, to serve

heat 2 tabs oil in large saucepan. add celery, carrot and onion & cook over medium heat for 5-8 mins, stirring often.
add stock, tomatoes & cavolo nero, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 mins.
Mash half the beans to a paste and stir into the soup with the rest of the beans.
season with salt & pepper, add stelline and simmer for 3-5 mins
top with parmesan & drizzle with EVOO
serve with crusty bread


i have some kale from choku bai jo so i think i'll make a batch of this for my lunches (that way kale-hating geoff doesn't have to eat it). i'll convert to thermomix too of course ;)