Bean and Bacon Risotto (GF, TMX)

based on the same risotto version as last time, and this recipe i found online (i was actaully looking for a recipe using green beans but decided i liked the sound of this one lol) sorry for the shocking picture! (don't click on it, it gets no bigger, i didn't have a single pic that wasn't out of focus! and yes, id idn't use my tmx to chop my bacon, naughty me lol)


3 bacon rashers, or 6 shortcut pieces, roughly cut into largeish pieces
1 medium onion, peeled and halved
15g olive oil
380g arborio rice
100g red wine
1 tin chopped tomatoes
900g water
1 tin borlotti beans, drains
chopped parsley, to serve
40g cream, optional


heat the thermomix 2 minutes varoma speed 1
add bacon, chop for 10 seconds on speed 5-6
saute for 3 minutes varoma speed 1
add onion on speed 5 for a few seconds
add olive oil
saute for 2mins 100C speed 1
pop in the butterfly
add arborio rice and wine
saute for 2mins 100c reverse speed 1
add in stock concentrate (or 2 stock cubes), tomatoes and water
cook for 11 mins 100c reverse speed 1
add borlotti beans and cream and cook a further 5 mins 100c reverse speed 1

Pour into thermoserver, mix to stir parsley through and leave to stand for 5 mins or so until more of the liquid is absorbed. serve with parmesan if desired




posted by Karen on http://brazen20au.blogspot.com/

Rough guide to daal and spicy vegies (indian style) (GF, TMX)

we had such yummy vegies and daal, here's a very rough guide to what i did:

Daal
heat oil, gently fry 2 tspns cumin seeds and 2tspns black mustard seeds. add in a small amount chopped ginger and 1-2 garlic cloves
when just starting to stick add water - maybe around 3-4 cups - and 1 large tspn chicken (or vegie) stock concentrate
add around 1/2 - 2/3 cup red lentil
simmer until lentils are tender (around 20-25 mins). add around 1/4 cup coconut milk and cook another 5 mins before serving


Vegies
heat oil, gently fry 1 chopped onion, approx 2 tspn aldi curry blend, 1 tspn turmeric (hmmm sure there was a third but can't remember it! i think maybe ground coriander? NOPE it was a tspn of caraway seeds! thanks clear marie :))
when it starts to stick add in a tin of tomatoes (or 3-4 fresh chopped tomatoes)
put in 1 chopped carrot, 1 green and 1 yellow capsicum (1" dice) and 1 tin drained chickpeas.
add a large tspnful chicken or vegie stock concentrate and a little water if needed
put a lid on an angle (to allow steam to escape) and cook on medium low heat until the vegies are just soft but still with some body and the sauce slightly thickened.
i think some tamarind would be nice in this too

serve with rice :)

PS: yes, you could easily do both of these in the thermomix too but i had started too late and needed to cook all 3 dishes at the same time

Moroccan Meatballs with Chickpeas

one of the recipes from the SMH's good living (a jill dupleix recipe). i would like to convert to thermomix...

2 thick slices white bread, crusts removed (obviously i would need to convert to GF too ;))
100ml milk
500g lean minced lamb
1 small onion, grated
2 tspn chopped parsley leaves
2 tspns chopped coriander leaves
2 tspn ground cumin
2 tspn ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt

chickpeas:
2 tspn olive oil
1 onion, halved & finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 x 400g tinned tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup water
400g tinned chickpeas, drained
2 tspn finely chopped parsley
2 tspn finely chopped coriander
1 tspn ground cumin
1 tspn paprika
1 tspn ground ginger
1/2 tspn salt

heat oven to 200'c. soak bread in milk for 5 mins then squeeze out excess milk. mix bread with meat in a bowl. add onion, parsley, coriander, cumin, cinnamon and salt and knead with hands until well mixed.
roll meat into golf ball sized balls, placed on oiled baking tray and bake for 15 mins until lightly browned
to make the sauce, heat oil in frypan and cook onion for 5 mins. add farlic, tomoatoes and their juices, tomato paste, water and bring to the boil. add chickpeas, parsley, coriander, cumin, coriander, cumin, paprika, ginger, and salt, stirring and simmer for 15 mins. add meatballs and simmer for 10 mins until sauce thickens.

makes 16-18 meatballs, serves 4

Mexican Chicken Meatloaf (GF & TMX)

based on this somewhat confusing recipe i made this last night - it was delicious though it still needs some tweaking.

Meatloaf
2 cloves Garlic
around 500-750g chicken meat - breasts, thighs or a combination, still slightly frozen and diced
1/2 bunch fresh coriander
2 Eggs
50g Rice Crumbs (i used Casalare brand)
1/2 tspn chicken stock concentrate or 1 tspn GF stock powder
1 1/2 - 2 tabs taco spice mix

Vegetables of your choice - sweet potato, plain potato quartered, carrot roughly chopped, green beans topped and tailed

Meatloaf Method
Place garlic & coriander for sauce & meatloaf into TM bowl and chop for 6 seconds on speed 6. Place half in a bowl and keep for sauce.

Add cubed chicken into bowl. Set dial to closed lid position and pulse meat 8 to 10 times on Turbo to mince.

Add remaining ingredients except vegetables and set dial to closed lid position and pulse 5 times on Turbo again. Mix for 20 seconds on speed 5.

Remove mixture from the bowl and shape into one or two large loavesthe length of the varoma (depending on how much chicken used).

Spray Varoma dish with oil, place meatloaf longways across the centre of the dish (or if you have 2 loaves, place them across the varoma) and pack vegetables loosely around it. *



Sauce
2 cloves Garlic
1 small Onion, peeled and halved
1/2 bunch fresh coriander
1 Celery stick, roughly chopped
40g Oil
150g White Wine
2 tins 400g Peeled Tomatoes
1 Sweet potato, cut into 1" dice
1 Carrot, roughly chopped
1 large Potato, cut into 1" dice
1 green capsicum, cored and cut into 8 pieces
1/2 tspn chicken stock concentrate or 1 tspn GF stock powder
1 1/2 - 2 tabs taco spice mix
jalapeno peppers to taste (optional)

Method for Sauce
Place garlic, onion, coriander and celery into the TM bowl and chop for 3 seconds on speed 5.

Add oil and sauté for 3 minutes at 100°C on speed 1. (I forgot this bit and it was fine without it ;))

Add remaining ingredients including vegetables and cook for 5 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1.

Place Varoma dish with meatloaf into position and cook for 35 minutes on speed 2 at Varoma temperature. *

Serve on large platter together with vegetables and pour sauce over.


* i didn't weigh my chicken but am guessing i had around 750g and had only made one long loaf. the 35 minutes was not long enough to cook it through - it was only half cooked, but the vegies were all done or overdone (i had added the beans and julienned carrots after the potatoes had cooked for 10-15 mins). Next time I will probably cook it in 2 loaves for 45 minutes, but only add the larger vegies in the last 30 minutes, and the smaller ones for the last 15 minutes. Once i get this recipe so i'm happy with it i will update :D

PS: i have to say that even though this was delicious and sounds like kid-friendly food my kids had conniptions over it and emelia only ate the chicken, ryan only ate the potato and rora refused to eat even one bite LOL

Involtini di melanzane

from the Canberra Times Food & Wine supplement on 3/12/08

Involtini di melanzane

serves 4-5 as a main, makes 16 rolls

salsa di pomodoro
3 medium/large eggplants
extra virgin olive oil as needed
1 bunch basil
cheese filling:
250g fresh ricotta, drained
1 free-range egg
sea salt & freshly ground pepper
110g fresh cows milk mozzarella, cut into cubes
1/2 cup (65g) freshly grated parmesan
2-3 tbs toasted pine nuts (optional)

1. to make the filling set aside 2 tabs of parmesan. lightly beat egg and mix in ricotta and seasoning. add mozzarella, remaining parmesan and pine nuts. keep in fridge til needed.
2. use long serrated knife to cut eggplants lengthways into slices 6mm thick. cut slices from the centre section of eggplants - you should get 5-6 slices from each (use leftover for another recipe)
3. sprinkle slices with salt and leave to drain on rack for an hour. rinse off salt and squeeze dry between teatowels.
4. brush lightly on both sides with olive oil, grill both sides (can also fry or bake)
5. to assemble brush a large shallow oven proof dish with olive oil. preheat oven to 180'c
6. lay slices on bench with narrow end closest to you. cut several basil leaves into shreds and sprinkle over slices. spoon a tab of cheese filling onto each at the narrow end. roll slices up around the filling and place seam side down in the dish
7. spoon tomato sauce over rolls and sprinkle on reserved parmesan. bake in oven until hot, about 30 mins.
   
8. leave to rest 10 mins before serving. drizzle with olive oil and scatter with basil leaves. serve warm or at room temp with italian bread and a salad

Salsa di Pomodoro - Tomato Sauce
2 tabs extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
S&P
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
750g rice tomatoes, peeled & seeded, or 2 tins tomatoes including juice, or combination
pinch chilli flakes
1/2 tspn sugar
splash red wine vinegar (optional)
handful basil leaves

1. add a little tomato paste if fresh tomatoes aren't at their best.
2. roughly chop tomatoes.
3. heat oil with onion & pinch salt
4. cover and cook gently for 10 mins, add garlic after 5 mins
5. increase heat and add tomatoes, chilli flakes, sugar, vinegar & pepper, cook for a few minutes
6. turn heat down and simmer, partly covered, for about 30 mins
7. stir occasionally, adding water if necessary
8. sauce is ready when it thickens and oil separates
9. puree with hand blender or food processor *
10. slice basil leaves & add

* this recipe is just made for a thermomix ;)

Quick & Dirty Baked Beans -version #2 (TMX, GF)

this version was even easier and yummier than my other version! it reminded me of the pasta e fagiole without the pasta.


this quantity serves around 2-3 as a main (with toast or baked potato etc)

2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 green capsicum (pepper)
5g olive oil
3 ripe roma tomatoes, quartered
1/2-1 tspn beef stock powder (i use massell)
1 tin drained rinsed butter beans
1-3 tabs chickpea flour (or other, chickpea is what i had on the bench from last night)

chop the capsicum and garlic finely on speed 6 for around 2 seconds. scrape down bowl.
add oil and cook for 2 minutes at 90' speed 1 (you might not need as long if not using onion)
add tomato and chop on speed 6 for about 5-10 seconds
add stock powder, 1 tab flour and beans and cook for 10 minutes at 90'c reverse speed 1
check thickness, add more flour if required and cook for a further 5 minutes at 90'c reverse speed 1

i think these were nearly good enough to be acceptable for the kids ;)

Quick & Dirty Baked Beans (TMX, GF)

last night i just couldn't be bothered cooking, it's been too hot and I'd had an awful day (everything that could go wrong had gone wrong). inspired by Caroline's baked beans, which i didn't have time to make, i decided to go with a quicker version which was a bit plain but nice enough for me to write down in case of other lazy nights...

this quantity serves around 2-3 as a main (with toast or baked potato etc)

1/2 small red onion, optional *
2 garlic cloves, peeled
5-10g olive oil
2 ripe roma tomatoes, quartered
1/2-1 tspn beef stock powder (i use massell)
1 tin drained rinsed cannellini beans **

chop the onion and garlic finely on speed 6 for around 2 seconds.
add oil and cook for 5 minutes at 90' speed 2 (you might not need as long if not using onion)
add tomato and stock powder and cook for 5 minutes at 90' speed 4
add beans and cook for 15 minutes at 80'c reverse speed 1 with measuring cup out of lid


* i used a full one and it was a bit strong tasting, i'm not sure if i needed to cook it longer or leave it out
** i think you could probably use 2 in this quantity

a dollop of tomato paste in with the beans would probably be good too

Lentil, Vegie & Feta Salad

a brand new recipe from the weightwatchers satisfaction plan, this looks utterly delicious!

this quantity serves 1

1/2 cup canned brown lentils
2 tabs canned baby beets, chopped
1/2 lebanese cucumber, diced
3 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tabs red onion, finely diced
1 tab balsalmic dressing (i will have to check this for gluten and substitute if necessary)
30g reduced fat feta
small handful baby rocket leaves

combine
serve with multigrain roll. can also add chicken breast or shaved ham



(quantity for 6
2 cans brown lentils, drained
1 can baby beets, chopped
2 lebanese cucumbers, diced
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red onion, finely diced
6 tab balsalmic dressing (i will have to check this for gluten and substitute if necessary)
180g reduced fat feta
1 packet baby rocket leaves

Bruschetta

i love fresh homemade bruschetta! i'm not so keen on restaurant versions as they're never fresh enough and garlicky enough for my liking.

here is how i learned to make it when i lived in Italy (albeit from my english boss lol) oh and by the way the 'sch' sound in italian is actaully a hard sound so you say it like "broosketta" not (NOT NOT NOT) "brooshetta" (pet hate in case you didn't notice lol)

1 loaf firm italian bread, a day or 2 old is great, sliced about 1.5cm thick
a number of garlic cloves, peeled and halved lengthwise. larger ones are easier
good olive oil to drizzle

optional -
roma / plum tomatoes diced (removing the seeds is better but not when you're lazy like me lol), mixed with chopped fresh herbs of your choice
freshly ground salt and pepper

toast the bread on one (or both if you prefer or if it's really quite stale) side
rub the toasted side with the cut side of the garlic - be carefu not to do too much as too garlicky is hard to eat! you should get a few slices per half clove

if you're having the tomato mix put that on now (a single layer) and drizzle the lot with a little oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper

YUM!

Spiced Cous Cous

Spiced Couscous (mum's version)

Serves 4 - 6

Really refreshing for summer - serve with Moroccan Chicken

1 tab extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tspn ground cumin
1/4 tspn salt
3/4 cup water or chicken stock
1/2 cup couscous
2 tabs chopped mint and/or parsley
2 ripe tomatoes, seeded & cubed
2 tspns lemon juice

1. heat oil, add ground cumin. heat through until fragrant.

2. add salt & stock and bring to the boil.

3. stir in the couscous and let the mixture stand, covered, off the heat for 5 minutes.

4. fluff mixture with fork and stir in mint, parsley, tomatoes and lemon juice.

5. season to taste.

Thermomix Very Quick and Easy Creamy Sundried Tomato Sauce for Gnocchi

i couldn't be bothered starting from scratch with the pasta sauce (the 5 year old remember?) so i did a cheats version that was very nice:

4-5 sundried tomatoes

chop for 3-5 seconds on speed 4

add in one jar pasta sauce (we use aldi organic usually but this time i used the aldi olive one) and a little cream if you have some that needs to be used up, or leave out if you don't want it.

cook for 8 minutes on 80'c speed 2

pour over gnocchi, top with parmesan if desired.

At last - a salad!

Dani, we have finally started our summer salads! i LOVE a huge salad with bits of everything in it! great as everyone can take what they like best (we still struggle to get the girls to get anything but the cheese, but we try!)

geoff made this for dinner on Thursday (he was home with ryan and i was at work all day) and it was delicious. he also marinaded and grilled chicken breasts which we had sprinkled over the top too.

YUM!

Geoff's Thursday Salad
mixed greens of your choice (i always make sure i have rocket in mine ;))
baked or steamed diced sweet potato
finely sliced red onion
olives of your choice
fetta, cubed
tomato, diced (i wouldn't usually use tomato in a salad like this but ryan loves it)
and grilled sliced chicken breast

you could also add some :
toasted pine nuts or almonds
salad dressing,
diced crispy bacon

Chicken & Ricotta Crepe Bake (Thermomix)

Crepes
make a batch of crepe mix according to the TMX book
cook and cover with foil to keep warm

Filling
1 sml onion
2 garlic gloves,
1 tbs olive oil
1-2 chicken breasts, cut into 2-3cm dice
1 large container low-fat ricotta
shredded spinach (frozen, defrosted and well drained, or fresh)
any other vegies desired, finely chopped in tmx before starting to cook
good pinch nutmeg
salt & freshly ground black pepper

chop onion and garlic on speed 4 until finely chopped. add oil and cook 2 mins on 100' speed 1
add chicken and mince (check directions in book, suggest speed 6-7 for 10 seconds at a time, stirring in between)
cook 8 minutes 100' reverse speed 2
add remaining ingredients and mix for 2 mins reverse speed 2 until well mixed

Topping
700g bottle italian tomato sauce - sugo or passata (or 2 tins of pureed tomatoes)
1/2 cup low fat grated cheese

Spread half tomato sauce evenly over the base of 1 large baking dish.
fill each crepe with several spoonfuls of mix, roll and place in dish
Spoon over remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Serve with salad leaves

Variations: for vegetarians replace chicken with 500g diced pumpkin.

note: some changes made after geoff cooked it and commented for me :)

Links - Sauces, preserves, miscellaneous

NEW homemade ketchup

Quick, easy and healthy - oh and yummy!

spaghetti with vegetable and bean sauce
Originally uploaded by brazen20au

spaghetti with vegetable and bean sauce

serves 6

1 packet spaghetti (cook and drain according to directions)

around 1 tspn olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
several garlic cloves, chopped as desired
1 red and 1 green capsicum
1-2 sticks celery, finely diced (we have a lot of celery leftover from teh party lol it wasn't a very nice bunch :()
4 baby zucchinis, diced into 1cm pieces
several mushrooms, sliced (i use my tupperware egg slicer, done in seconds ;))
3 medium tomatoes, cut into 2cm dice
1 jar pasta sauce (i was going to use more tomatoes but they weren't ripe enough to make a nice sauce)
few tablespoons tomato paste
around 1/3 cup white wine
1 stock cube (chicken or vege)
1/2 tspn italian herbs
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

heat oil over medium heat and cook onion and garlic til starting to soften
add vegies except mushrooms and gently fry for 5 or so minutes
add the rest of the ingredients and simmer covered until the vegies are softened but not soggy (about 15 mins).
serve spaghetti topped with sauce and a little cheese (tasty or parmesan)

Butter Chicken

2 tb oil
1 kg chicken
60g butter of ghee
2 tspns garam masala
2 tspns sweet paprika
2 tspns ground coriander
1 tab finely chopped fresh ginger
¼ tspn chilli powder
1 cinnamon stick
6 cardamom pods, cruised
350g pureed tomatoes
1 tab sugar
¼ cup plain yoghurt
½ cup cream
1 tab lemon juice

Heat wok til very hot, heat oil and stiry fry chicken half at a time.
Reduce heat, add butter and melt, add spices and fry 1 min. return chicken and coat in spices
Add tomato & sugar, simmer 15 mins.
Add yoghurt, cream & juice and simmer 5 mins
Serve with rice & pappadums
Serves 4-6

one of my workmates shared this recipe with me - it's from the book Bowl Food which looks like a good one (like i need another recipe book lol).

we made it the other night and it just didn't taste or smell as good as his but he said he cooks it a lot longer than the recipe says, so i'm going to give it a try in the slow cooker. he does his on the stove but our stove doesn't cook as low as he says his does.

Bit of a catch up...

Last night i made (sort of lol) sesame pork cups . I couldn't follow the recipe exactly because i didn't have any hoi sin sauce - so i discovered at the last minute (i used char sui sauce instead) and i couldn't get a butter lettuce so got a coral, which made it impossible to eat these as cups or rolls!!

I also added to the pork mix 2 finely grated carrots and a finely sliced green capsicum - brilliant idea as the kids had no idea it was there. (when i 'hide' vegies like this i'm more than happy to tell them theyr're there, so they know they aren't so bad after all!! but i admit i do try to put extra vegies into everything as much as possible, i did this prekids anyway, to try to cut down the calorie intake and up my own vegie intake :))

they were very popular with the whole family though! next time i'll probably chop the pork up into a coarse mince so it's more like a sang choy bow, and seeing as the 'sesame' taste was negligent, will add a little sesame oil (which i'm also out of atm).

on the right in the picture is an omelette which i made by quickly stirfrying some garlic (yay, i finally got fresh garlic that wasn't mouldy! even if it was russian / elephant garlic), ginger and 2 bunches of pak choy. then pour off lots of beaten eggs mixed with a little soy sauce, sherry and cold water. usually i would make a sauce to go over it but i was too lazy plus i couldn't cope with the idea of having it with no sesame oil in it lol

i also made the thermomix marble cake for the rest of the family to have for dessert after.

yesterday afternoon i also made a batch of the salsa to have baked over chicken (this is the world's easiest recipe and i can never get over how good it tastes! you just pour a jar of salsa over some chicken breasts and top with grated cheese then bake!) i did the salsa in the thermomix and was hoping to have a new recipe conversion to post but i think it's one i need to work on - i cooked it too low and it took forever. once i turned the heat up it was much better :) anyway, i'm impressed, the salsa looks just like the bought stuff and hopefully when i cook it in the next few days it will taste just as good if not better! (the tomatoes weren't the greatest so i'm not really sure...)

i realised this morning that i forgot to post ages ago (after i had the food poisoning) that i had tried the crumpets again and had more success with them! i'm sure i changed the recipe just a little and now of course i can't quite remember how *rolling eyes*

so today i want to try to get the sausage rolls and pizza scrolls done and in the freezer ready for the party. i always get so stressed trying to be the mega hostess so i'm hoping to get as much done ahead of time as possible :) i'm going to do the pizza scrolls with a scone dough rather than puff pastry.

tonight's dinner will be butter chicken, which i'll cook in the slow cooker. will post the recipe later...

and some more "New Ideas" - dips

and from another New Idea magazine

creamy tomato & bacon dip
fry 2 rashers bacon, finely chopped, until crisp. drain and add mccormick lemon, basil & thyme seasoning
put in bowl and add sour cream, finely chopped semi dried tomatoes, finely chopped gherkins and finely chopped basil.
refridgerate
serve with crudites

beetroot & hummus dip
mix hummus (damn, i didn't realise this used bought hommus), can of baby beets (drained), garlic, cumin and lemon juice in food processor
season and refridgerate
serve with asparagus spears, toasted naan bread wedges & slice sausages

corn & chilli dip
in food processor mix cream cheese and half a can corn (drained) til smooth
in bowl mix in remaining corn, sweet chilli sauce, lime zest, lime juice and a long red chilli, finely sliced. season and refridgerate
serve with lime wedges, rice crackers and grissini sticks

Potato, Bean & Bacon Salad

POTATO, BEAN AND BACON SALAD
one of mum's :)

500g beans. trimmed and cut into 5cm pieces
500g potatoes
2 medium tomatoes. cut in wedges
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 rashers bacon cut into strips
1 tab margarine
1 medium onion
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup chopped parsley


Cook beans in large saucepan. Remove and drain. Add potatoes and simmer till tender (15mins). Drain, peel and slice

Put beans in middle of dish. Arrange potato slices and tomato wedges around. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In small frying pan sauté bacon in butter until crisp. Add onion and cook till tender. Add vinegar. Heat till boiling. Pour over beans, pots and toms.

Sprinkle with parsley....toss together just before serving

Links - Meat Dishes

Beef Chimichangas

broccoli beef

chicken bean & tomato soup

chicken enchilada throwdown

chicken poppers

Costa Vida Chicken (good for entertaining)

garlic chicken with white wine

Greek Chicken (thanks susana ;) and chris lol)

kerala style chicken curry

Old Fashioned Fried Chicken - want to try this for chicken nuggets for the kids

Spicy Shredded Pork - for enchiladas etc

taco soup

NEW Wednesday Night Chicken Delicious