Carrot Cake, the gluten free version (TMX)

I've just slightly updated this from the original thermomix recipe with a few changes including weights for everything i could!!! nothing drives me crazier than thermomix recipes i have to use cups to measure for lol (and yes, i have been a culprit too ;))

BRAZEN'S GLUTEN FREE THERMOMIX CARROT CAKE

170-190g carrot, chopped into 1" chunks
60g walnuts

130g sugar
130g oil (I use grapeseed)
160g applesauce (make in thermo, I freeze mine in small portion-sized containers)
3 eggs
1/2 tspn salt
1 heaped tspn baking soda (bicarb)
1 heaped tspn gluten free baking powder
1 heaped cinnamon or mixed spice
240g gluten free plain flour


place carrot in thermomix, chop on speed 5 for approx 10-15 seconds. remove.
place wanlnuts in bowl, chop on speed 4 for approx 10-15 seconds, place in bowl with carrot.

place butterfly in thermo.
combine sugar and oil on speed 4 for approx 10-15 seconds. scrape sides down, add applesauce and mix on speed 4 for another 10-15 seconds.
reduce speed to 2 and add eggs one at a time through top and beat till smooth.
add dry ingredients and mix on speed 2 for around 10-15 seconds.
add in carrots and mix on speed 2 for 5-10 seconds.

pour into a greased cake tin and bake in a mod. slow over 160-180'c (325-350'F) for 1 hour.

David's Pork

my ex was vietnamese and this is his recipe...


spareribs - boil til cooked
garlic - fry, add sliced pork
carrots - slice finely, add and fry til brown
hoi sin sauce - add & heat
shallots - slice finely and sprinkle over to serve

Where's the green?

ooops! i forgot to put any green on the plate! by the time i realised i couldn't be bothered to do anything lol but this would be delicious with some steamed / sauteed spinach, green peas, beans or any other green that takes your fancy ;) (it's very very rare that i would serve a non-pasta or rice type meal without green, it felt very weird to eat it lol)


it did taste delicious though!! ryan and emelia polished their plates off nearly as quickly as me! (rora didn't eat a single bite for some weird reason, hope she's ok...)

smashed potatoes are so yum and on this ww core plan i am supposed to have 2 tspns of good oil per day. i struggle to add that most days! so i decided to make smashed potatoes, which you have seen elsewhere. if you make them on a tray (i used a baking dish taht was slightly too small) they look impressive for a special occasion, yet they're SO simple :D just steam / boil small scrubbed potatoes (i used nicola) til soft. grease a tray / dish. place potato in dish then squash them with something (i used a potato masher but they started to come out through the masher holes lol). drizzle olive oil over, season with salt and pepper as desired and sprinkle with smoked paprika. bake in a 200'c oven until golden with some cripsy bits.

carrots were baby carrots, peeled and halved. i wanted to make something like honey carrots but can't have honey on the core plan. i also decided to use the heat of the oven. place them in a baking dish with a lid - you want a dish that is just big enough to fit the carrots in. put in about 1-1.5cm of water, one crumbled chicken stock cube, and some sesame seeds. bake til just soft. (all the water evaporated from mine so i thought they'd be awful, especially without honey, but they were soooooo tender and sweet. yum

the sausages were made based on this recipe. i used:

1 small red onion
3 cloves of garlic
several sprigs of garlic

chop on speed 6. i had to scrape down a few times and do a few seconds at a time.

put in some bread crusts - i just used the ends leftover from this morning's loaf (ooops have just realised i wasn't supposed to have any more bread today. oh well, it would have been about 1/10th of a point's worth lol)

again speed 6 til you hear it stop hitting the sides. scrape down and repeat if desired.

add in 1kg premium beef mince (i would have made my own mince but i had mince in the fridge), 500g at a time. i had to use speed 4 to get it to mix thoroughly. just take the lid off and have a look through to make sure there are no unmixed parts.

take handfuls of the mix and roll into sausage shapes (or meatballs or whatever you want).

i cooked mine by placing on a rack, over a dish full of water and baking til brown all over.

this made enough for 2 meals for us.

Links - Vegetarian / Vegetables #2

first list of links to try here http://brazen20au.blogspot.com/2008/07/links-vegetarian-vegetables.html

baked vegetable jalfrezi

Dhansak (eggplant, pumpkin & lentils, indian)

5 minute indian style cabbage

malai kofta

paneer tikka

Punjabi Aloo Gobi – Spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes

creamy black lentils

dani's greek style baked beans

red kidney bean curry

roasted garlic cauliflower

mediterranean carrot rolls & salad

sweet potato falafel with yoghurt tahini sauce

cauliflower & date curry

paneer pasanda

masoor dal with lemon

malai kofta

Links - BBQ ideas (marinades, salads etc) #2

some more great ideas for BBQ's :D

chickpea salad with roasted red peppers

cranberry walnut chicken salad

dani's potato salad

silverbeet & orange salad

thermomix moroccan carrot salad

the canberra cook's potato salad

spicy honey chicken

spicy garlic shrimp

Zucchini Slice (Vegetarian)

sorry for the vagueness but i'm writing up for geoff ;p

* 4-5 zucchini
* 1 large carrot
* 1 large onion

chop speed 4 - few seconds at a time, scrape down with spatula and chop again until fine enough.

add in:
* 5 eggs
* 150g self-raising flour, sifted
* 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
* 60ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
* cracked black pepper

mix on Reverse speed 3-4 for 15-20 seconds? or until mixed well.

bake in 160-180'c oven for 30-40 minutes until cooked

serve with TM31 bread

Links - Vegetarian / Vegetables

borlotti bean mole with roast winter squash

Briami (greek vegie dish)

butternut squash & caramelised onion tart

chickpea & sweet potato fritters

creamy carrot soup

falafel

falafel salad

green beans with caramelised shallots

grilled cheese and basil polenta

haloumi salad with hummus & pita crisps

refried beans (using pinto beans)

roasted autumn vegetable chowder

roasted tomato soup

sesame greens (beans & peas)

shredded brussel sprouts & apples

thermomix fennel & apple soup

zucchini ricotta cheese cake (savoury)

Zucchini Pumpkin & Feta cakes

zucchini & tomato gratin

zucchini or squash soup

see also the salads label

pumpkin & sweet potato soup

onion, peeled and chopped
olive oil (if desired, or skip the frying stage)
pumpkin, peeled and diced
sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
chicken or vegetable stock
1 tin evaporated skim milk
fresh freen herbs

optional:
garlic,
curry powder
coconut cream

if desired fry off the onion (and garlic / curry powder)
add all other ingredients except evaporated milk & herbs
bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer
cook until all vegies are very soft
puree with a stick blender or mash.
add in evap milk. puree to mix well
serve sprinkled with fresh herbs, crusty bread on the side

NOTE: to make in the slow cooker simply place all ingredients into cooker and cook for 4-6 hours. puree in cooker.

that'd be right!

ryan and rory are miserable with middle ear infections so i decided to make chicken soup (i had put the chicken in the SC for a roast but didn't think anyone would feel like it tonight.) rory asked for rice so this recipe was born.

it's FAR too bland and tasteless for me but rory's onto her second bowl already lol

Chicken & Rice Sickie Soup

1 cup rice
2-3 chicken stock cubes
1 onion, finely chopped*
2 zucchinis, finely chopped*
1 large carrot, finely chopped*
1/8 of a cabbage, finely chopped*
3-4 tomatoes, blended into puree
around 2 cups of finely shredded cooked chicken
lots of garlic - around 4-5 cloves or more, finely chopped*
pinch of saffron

simply place ingredients into the saucepan and top up with enough water to read 2cm below the top of the pan. bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer, cook until the rice and vegetables are soft. you will get some scum on top but keep stirring it in and it will pretty much disappear when the soup is done.

serve with parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper


* i chopped them all in the thermomix but a food processor would work just as well.

I'd imagine this would be very easy to make in the slow cooker and would probably take about 4-5 hours on low.

crazy week

i honestly don't know where the week has gone, but it is nearly over. i still haven't even posted my review and pics of the crumpets from last weekend!

anyway, our lentil soup was very nice the other night, geoff commented that "it was much better than i thought it would be" LOL

i won't do a thermomix conversion for it (because i like to have leftovers and the tmx only does enough for a meal for the 5 of us) but if any other tmx owners would like to do their own version please feel free :)

Bacon or salami of any kind - 4-6 slices, finely diced
Onion - 1-2, finely diced
Garlic, crushed
Carrots - 1-2, diced
Celery (optional)
zucchinis - 1-2, diced
red capsicum, finely diced
tomatoes - 6, roughly chopped, or 2 tins of diced
red Lentils - around 2 cups
vegetable stock
tomato paste - heaped spoonful (optional - i can't remember if i acutally put this in or not lOL i think i didn't in the end ;))
baby Spinach - a few handfuls

fry bacon/salami and onion over med-low heat in a large saucepan or soup pot, until onion is starting to turn translucent. add garlic and carrots and fry for a few more minutes.

add in all the other ingredient except the spinach, fill the pot to just below the top with extra water if needed.

bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook until lentils are starting to fal apart and look almost creamy. there will be a 'scum' on the top, you can skim it off if you like or be lazy like me and ignore it and it will go away ;)

when the lentils are done add in teh spinach and stir a few times til the spinach wilted and serve with parmesan if desired, cracked black pepper and crusty bread.

lazy dinner

we've been out all day since just after 9am and i have had to deal with a feral disobedient 2 year old almost all day (the only break being when i went to have a pap smear, oh joy) so i can't be stuffed cooking 'real' food.

a few weeks ago i bought a really yummy soup from woollies - can you believe it? it's the woolworths select brand tomato and lentil soup (in the cold section). i'm going to try to replicate it tonight. i have no celery but i have everything else.

here is the list of ingerdients i wrote from the back of the container, i will finish this after dinner :) i've left it too late (yet again) to make foccacia so will make the basic TM31 bread...

Lentils
Bacon
Onion
Carrots
Celery
Spinach
Garlic

Minestrone & TM31 bread

well, i could have sworn that i'd already posted a Minestrone recipe on my blog but i can't find it!

so here's the one which geoff gave to me based on the one his mum used to make...

Geoff's Minestrone

Serves 4

Another of Geoff’s favourites, based on June’s recipe!
You might want to add extra liquid (water or stock) if it’s too thick.

3 rashers of bacon, fat & rind trimmed
1 large onion, peeled & diced
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
1 large carrot, peeled & diced
¼ cabbage, shredded
800g diced tomatoes
approx 250g pasta shells
1 jar pasta sauce, try garden vegetable
chicken stock cube
1 can kidney beans
2 cups water
parmesan cheese, grated

1. Lightly fry bacon & onion until onion is transparent.
2. Add garlic and fry, stirring for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add all other ingredients and simmer until pasta is cooked.
4. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
5. Serve with crusty bread. Enjoy!

and here's how i made it tonight...

Tonight's Version

6 shortcut rashers of bacon, diced
1 large onion, peeled & diced
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
1 large carrot, peeled & diced
1 small green capsicum, finely diced
a handful of green beans, topped and tailed and cut into 8mm - 1cm pieces
800g diced tomatoes (i used tins)
approx 250g pasta shells
about 1/4 cup white wine
beef stock powder or cube
1 can borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
1 can butter beans, drained and rinsed
around 5-7 cups water
parmesan cheese, grated


1. Lightly fry bacon & onion until onion is transparent.
2. Add garlic and fry, stirring for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add all other ingredients and simmer until pasta is cooked.
4. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
5. Serve with TM31 bread. Enjoy!

TM31 bread
i made this tonight - had my first try at plaiting - it's really hard to plait bread as compared to hair lol
anyway, i was too lazy to brush with milk or water to get the seeds to stick, so drizzled olive oil over it - discovered that the top remained really soft instead of going crunchy!

"comfort food" recipes from New Idea magazine

all 3 use the same basic principles for making, will convert to slow cooker soon.

beef, bean and bacon casserole
olive oil
1kg diced chuck steak
1 clove garlic
1 onion, chopped
6 bacon rashers, diced
150g tomato paste
2 cups (500ml) beef stock
1 tab chopped fresh thyme
500g chat potatoes, quartered
420g red kidney beans, drained
steamed silverbeet to serve

sticky beef casserole
olive oil
1kg diced gravy beef
1 clove garlic
1 onion, cut into wedges
1 tab brown sugar
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
1/3 cup sweet orange marmalade
2 cups (500ml) beef stock
2 tab cornflour
2 tab water
1 long red chilli, finely sliced
200g sugar snap peas
basmati rice to serve

rolled beef brisket
olive oil
1kg rolled beef brisket
100g sliced pancetta, chopped
2 clove garlic
1 stick celery, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
400g pickling onion, peeled
1 tspn mixed herbs
200g cup mushies, quartered
1 cups (250ml) beef stock
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 tab cornflour
2 tab water
mashed potato to serve

Method
heat oil, brown meat - in batches for diced meat
fry onion / garlic / bacon (plus pnacetta + carrot + celery)
add sauces, stock (plus mushrooms), etc bring to boil, replace beef and cover
cook in 160-180 oven for 1 1/4, 2, 3 hours
transfer to stovetop and add cornflour and water (and potatoes), cook til thickened
add extra veg and cook
serve

and still more...

yes i had a very busy afternoon.

reduced fat and healthier sausage rolls (i dont' think they can ever be really low fat lol)

i made a HUGE batch of meat mix, so will halve it here, but it will still make a lot, just put them in your freezer and warm through when needed :)

4 sheets reduced fat puff pastry

250g pork and veal mince
350g premium beef mince
oatmeal, maybe about 1 cup
mixed or italian herbs, or any fresh herbs finely chopped
1 carrot finely chopped or grated
1 zucchini finely chopped or grated
1 large onion finely chopped or grated
1 egg

mix very very well until the meat starts to get a bit lighter in colour (i did mine in my thermomix but pre-thermo days i did it by taking handfuls and squeezing them through my fingers)

take handfuls and form into a sausage on a sheet of puff pastry - you want it to be around 1.5-2" high. roll pastry up and gently cut through into 6-8 pieces. stab the top of each roll a few times

put on baking tray lined with baking paper. if you aren't lazy like me brush the tops with milk or beaten egg.

bake at around 200' until golden brown and meat cooked through (this will take longer if they are thicker)

serve with tomato sauce

Honey-Roasted Parsnip Soup

this one IS fully made and YUM!

it is a fair amount of work for the small amount of soup you get, i have to be honest, but if you like parsnips you'll LOVE this. I think next time i'll use maple syrup (ack, i forgot to buy more!) instead of honey.

from here http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/honeyroastedparsnips_5334.shtml

Ingredients
25g/1oz unsalted butter
500g/1lb 2oz parsnips, roughly chopped
½ onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 small clove of garlic, roughly chopped
1 tsp thyme leaves
1 small bay leaf
1 tbsp clear honey
1l/1¾pt chicken or vegetable stock
6tbsp dry cider
4tbsp double cream

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas7. Heat the butter in an ovenproof casserole dish, add the parsnips and roast in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. Add the onion, carrot and garlic and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes, then mix in the herbs and honey. Cook for about 10 minutes until the vegetables have caramelized.
2. Now remove the dish from the oven, add the stock and bring it to the boil on top of the stove. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cider then pour the soup into a blender and purée until smooth. Strain through a fine strainer, bring back to the boil, then remove from the heat, swirl in the cream and serve.

ohhh forgot to say - next time i'll add the carrots in with the parsnips at the start - i ended up with falling apart parsnips and only just cooked carrots.

Chicken Soup for the sickies and Farmhouse bake for us

this recipe for tonight's dinner needs cooked chicken. so instead of buying a BBQ chook i tossed the 1.5kg of chicken breasts i had in the fridge into the slow cooker, sprinkled oregano over it and put a mostly peeled and trimmed bulb of garlic on top. cooked it for maybe 3 hours on high - only because i forgot about it LOL and then turned it down to warm for an hour or so. if there wasn't wine in the recipe i would have put in a splosh of white wine too.

used two of the breasts shredded in the recipe above. 2 of the breasts went into the freezer to use for quick after work meals, and the juices - probably 1.5 cups - which smelled divine, went into a saucepan with a grated carrot and zucchini, and some alphabet pasta, and enough water to cook the pasta and still be chicken soup-y. ryan and rory are currently demolishing it! i would have also put garlic in it for the sick ones, but ryan has a mouth ulcer that is very sensitive so thought it best to be safe than sorry...

the pasta bake will be ready in about 10 minutes, it was pretty easy to make and easy to use as a starting point - i already added spinach and fresh basil into it and feta on top of it lol

review: it was bland :( it kind of grew on me as i ate it but dh wasn't keen. it needed some more oomph - maybe some stock intead of just water, some feta chunks through it and some sliced olives?

Corn Chowder

as i posted a week or two ago my mum had a very quick easy and yummy recipe for corn chowder which i will probably use some time over winter for a work night dinner, but it does use mostly tinned ingredients. I wanted something similar but with mostly fresh ingredients. using the chowder recipes on taste for inspiration i came up with this recipe...

the amount i made will last us for 2-3 meals so it's a lot

olive oil
2 large onions, finely diced
6 slices shortcut bacon, finely diced
garlic to taste, chopped (i used a whole bulb as i have sick children)
around 1L water
5 chicken stock cubes
1 large carrot, diced
2 potatoes, diced
6-9 cobs of corn, de-husked, rinsed and kernels cut off the cob
about 1L low fat milk (you might need more, i'm not really sure. i used up the container of buttermilk as well)
cornflour to thicken (maybe about 6 tablespoons), mixed with small amount milk
can of creamed corn, optional
1/2 bunch spinach, chopped finely, optional
fresh lemon thyme
cayenne pepper, optional - only a small amount
black pepper, optional
fetta cheese, optional

heat oil, gently fry onion, bacon and garlic
add water and stock
add rest of the vegies
add milk and cornflour mix, stir well.
when carrot and potato is soft without being mushy add creamed corn, spinach, thyme and cayenne. let spinach wilt.
serve with cracked black pepper if desired and crumbled feta on top

would be nice served with fresh bread or damper :) YUM!

oh this would be easily done in the slow cooker, would probably take about 4-5 hours, maybe 6 depending on how small your diced vegies were.

Penguin's Delicious Chicken

here's a recipe inspired by a friend on another board my changes in italics...

Penguin's Delicious Chicken (serves 4)

8 chicken thighs or drumsticks 2 breasts, diced
2 Tbsp flour
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 leek, washed and sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tablespoons minced garlic
1-2 carrots, sliced 2 carrots
1 parsnip, sliced 2 parsnips
1 tin (400g) diced tomatoes in juice
2 cups chicken stock 1 chicken stock cube
3 tablespoons tomato paste

Preheat oven to 180C. Toss the chicken in seasoned flour.
In a heavy-based frying pan brown the chicken on high heat, then remove and place in a large casserole dish. Add a little more oil to the pan on medium heat and cook the leek, garlic, carrots and parsnip for 5 minutes, stirring until tender. Add to the chicken. Then put the tomatoes and stock in the pan and bring to the boil, simmer for 5 minutes until it thickens slightly. Add to the casserole dish. Cover and bake in oven for 1 hour, then remove lid and cook for 15-20 minutes more. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice.

You can use an onion if you don't like leeks. You can also substitute other veges if you prefer but this is a nice combination. Leftovers reheat beautifully!

spray pan with cooking spray, fry chicken til lightly browned, place in slow cooker. gently fry all veg & garlic until onion / leek is slightly softened. put all ingredients in SC & mix. cook on high 2 hours & low 1 hour.

Spiced Carrot Soup

based on a recipe that was in the sunday paper a few weeks ago - i made this one in the slow cooker and it was great!! and even if you're not that keen on carrots you'll like this one

1 kg carrots, peeled if you want, chopped into 1" pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 tspn each of black / brown mustard seeds, ground cumin and coriander
2-3 tspns of crushed garlic
olive oil
1/2 - 3/4 cup red lentils
2 chicken stock cubes
water as needed (at least 3 cups)
1/2 - 1 tin coconut cream
coriander to serve (optional)

heat oil and gently fry onion and spices on medium heat.
add carrots (or place carrots in bottom of slow cooker then top with onion spice mix)
add lentil then chicken stock cubes and water as required.
when carrots & lentils are nearly cooked add the coconut cream.
blend into soup consistency (or mash well) and add any more hot water required for soupiness!
serve with chopped coriander if desired.

I served mine with fresh wholemeal bread made in the bread maker, but it would be nice with a loaf of herb and garlic bread or naans or anything like that.

CAULIFLOWER & BACON SOUP & HOMEMADE HAMBURGERS

catch up....

CAULIFLOWER & BACON SOUP

1 large cauliflower, cut into large florets
bacon, maybe about 4 or so rashers, with fat removed and diced
1 large onion, diced
small amount olive oil
chicken stock (i used 3 cubes but my cauli was huge!)
black pepper
water
1 tin evaporated skim milk

heat oil, fry onion and bacon for a few minutes
add some water, then cauli
top water up so it comes about 2/3 of the way up the cauli
add stock cubes and pepper
cook until very soft and starting to fall apart
puree with stick blender, add evap milk and puree to mix.

based on a weight watchers recipe. i highly recommend you DON'T do this one in the slow cooker, the taste of the cauli is incredibly strong and not all that pleasant!

surprisingly the kids all ate 2 bowls of it for lunch!!!



HOMEMADE HAMBURGERS

500g extra lean mince
1 onion, cut into quarters
1 carrot, ends cut off and cut into inch pieces
1 egg
around 2/3-1 cup of instant oats
garlic if desired

using thermomix chop onion, carrot and oats (and garlic), hmmmm speed 6-7 for maybe 5-10 seconds
add mince and egg and mix using reverse and speed 2-4 until well mixed

if possible chill mix in the fridge

use tupperware burger maker thingie (i forget what it's called!) to make burgers - whatever you don't use can be frozen raw or cooked

if possible chill in fridge again before cooking (i say if possible as i never remember to leave enough time to chill it at all lol)

fry in a pan sprayed with cooking spray or a little oil until nicely browned on the outside and cooked through.
you can also fry sliced onions if you like

we served ours on toast because we had lots of sliced bread and nothing else to use LOL but generally i would use rolls from my local bakery (because the burger buns you buy at the supermarket have preservative 282 in them). i've tried making my own rolls but they haven't been very successful :(

toast bottom layer of whatever bread you are using. top with onions if cooked, then a slice of cheese and grill til cheese is melted.
top with sliced tomato, beetroot (we used the organic ones i cooked the other day) and lettuce, some sauce of your choice and serve. you can serve with chips if you like but i think the burgers are too yummy to spoil with chips LOL

you can make a million variations of this of this of course, with herbs or spices in teh meat patties and various sauces or different cheeses on the burger. geoff loves his with a fried egg and bacon it as well.

any leftover cooked patties can be frozen (as above) or crumbled up and used in bolognaise or similar.

bigger versions of photos and more photos here (i don't want to put the original pics here, the file size is ginormous!)