Indian style grilled chicken & veg (GF)

you could easily do this in the thermomix but mine is in hospital at the moment... *sob*

this was based on a few of Jamie Oliver's recipes and is very quick and easy

2 chicken breasts, cut into 1cm slices
2 tab tandoori paste
4-6 tabs plain full fat yoghurt
1 tin coconut cream
1 red capsicum, cut into 2" pieces
3-400g pumpkin, peeled and thinly sliced
olive oil
salt to taste
basmati rice
frozen peas (around 1 cup)
vegies of your choice - we had cauliflower and snow peas
coriander, chopped to serve

mix tandoori paste and yoghurt and mix chicken through well. leave to marinade for up to 8 hours - i only did 5 minutes and that was fine though longer would be better!

cook chicken on BBQ grill. toss capsicum and pumpkin in a splash of olive oil and grill

add remaining marinade to coconut cream in small saucepan. add salt to taste and stir well. bring to the boil and reduce ot simmer. cook until all other ingredients are done  and sauce has thickened

cook rice by absorption method, adding peas

steam vegies (i did mine over the rice, adding the cauli half way through and the snow peas when the rice was done and sitting)

serve with the sauce drizzled over and sprinkled with coriander

Quickest breakfast ever! (GF, TMX)

So I'm back on my carb-free diet. most of my past recipes don't strictly meet the diet i'm on unfortunately but i'm getting creative again.

breakfasts are a little boring because i can't do toast, cereal, bacon etc. so I vary between eggs in a variety of ways and then decided to go with yoghurt for something different - also for a quick breakfast at work when i haven't had time to eat before we leave for the day.

last week i went into supabarn to get nuts and seeds to put with the yoghurt and found a yummy mix already prepared! but at $10 a jar (the size of a pasta sauce jar) i realised it could only be cheaper to make it myself at home, which I've just done.

you could use this mix in anything - over salads, over the top of a casserole with cheese for a crunchy grilled topping etc

Mixed Nut and Seed Sprinkle
1 part raw almonds
1 part pepitas
1 part sunflower seeds
1 part linseeds
1/2 sesame seeds

place all in thermomix, turn to closed lid. press turbo button once or twice until your mix looks like mine - mostly chopped with a few larger pieces.

pour into jar/s.

i'm keeping mine in the fridge as i know linseeds can easily go rancid but i'm not sure if it's necessary.

Quickest Breakfast Ever!
Plain full fat organic yoghurt for one
3-4 spoonfuls of Mixed Nut and Seed Sprinkle
6 drops stevia (equivalent 2 tspns sweetener of your choice)

mix and eat!

Seeded Breakfast Yoghurt (GF)

yum!

as much plain creamy yoghurt as you want (i'm using the Aldi organic one)
stevia to taste (6 drops for me)
then add: slivered almonds, cacao nibs, chia seeds and pepita seeds.
1 tspn coconut oil
mix well and eat!

surprisingly delicious for something so simple!

Berry & white chocolate muffins (GF)

the weekend before I made these as i had some yoghurt in the fridge which the kids had rejected for school recesses.  the kids loved them though G & I found them wayyyyy too sweet. i think the sugar in the flavoured yoghurt AND the chocolate was probably too much with the 1/2 cup of added sugar.

they were very quick and easy to make though so i'll definitely make them again when we have yoghurt. i used frozen mixed berries though i think any kind would be good.

Chicken Korma (GF, TMX) rough guide only

i was craving butter chicken last night but had no fennel seeds so decided to do chicken korma instead. I"m finding now that homemade just beats takeaway hands down, the bought ones are just too greasy and oily to eat and enjoy.

anyway, this is the second time i've made this in the thermomix and i had to start from scratch again because i hadn't written down the instructions last time. i'm sure there'd be a chicken korma in the new indian cookbook but i wouldn't know as i didn't get one before they went out of stock :(

WARNING: this is a very very rough "recipe", please don't make this and think that it's a failure if it doesn't work perfectly - it still needs tweaking! (feedback welcome)

2 tabs cashews
boiling water to cover
1/4 tspn saffron threads (or 1/4 tspn turmeric)
boiling water to cover
1 tab ghee or oil
pinch nutmeg or blade mace
good pinch ground cloves or 5 cloves
10-12 cardmom pods, lightly crushed
1 cinnamon stick
1 medium onion, peeled & quartered
1" ginger, peeled and halved
3-6 garlic cloved, peeled
around 600g chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-1.5" pieces
1/2 tspn chili flakes
1 tspn ground coriander
1/2 tspn garam masala
approx 1/3 cup coconut milk
approx 1/3 cup plain yoghurt
fresh coriander to serve

put cashews in a small bowl and add boiling water to just cover, sit for half an hour
put saffron in a small bowl and add boiling water to just cover

heat ghee or oil 1 minute 100' speed soft
add nutmeg or mace, cloves, cardmom pods, and cinnamon stick. saute for 2 minutes 100' speed soft
remove cardamom pods and cinnamon stick and add onion. scrape down sides and chop speed 5 for 5 seconds or until chopped. saute 3 minutes 100' speed soft
add cashews (reserve water) and chop speed 6 for 5-10 seconds until cashews are finely chopped
fry for 3 minutes 100' speed soft
add chicken along with all the spices (chilli, ground coriander, garam masala, cardamom pods and cinnamon stick and fry for 5 minutes on varoma reverse speed soft
add the cashew water and cook for 10 minutes 100' reverse speed soft (add more water if it starts to stick)
add coconut milk and yoghurt and cook for another 8 minutes 100' reverse speed soft

sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve

note: i felt the chicken wasn't quite done enough, i will probably try cooking it longer next time (but i also had bigger pieces)

based on recipe from Curry

Quick & YUM Rocket Dip (GF, TMX)

we were heading out to a Coeliac Society afternoon tea and needed to take something to share but i don't have much in my pantry or fridge at the moment! (shopping trip is due but am waiting til after school holidays end ;))

i didn't have everything i needed to make the herb dip in the Every day thermomix book so i ended up with this:

2-4 cloves garlic, peeled
handful rocket
125g cream cheese
125g natural or greek yoghurt *

chop the garlic & rocket on speed 6 for 10 seconds
add the cream cheese and yoghurt & mix on speed 4 for 10 seconds, stop, scrape down and repeat.


* this makes quite a runny dip - if you have time try straining your yoghurt for a few hours to thicken

Links - Vegetarian / Vegetables #3

link to last post #2


palak tambli (spinach dish)

mixed bean palya

eggplant cauliflower & chickpea curry

sweet potato soup with haloumi & seeds

Santa Fe Huevos on Polenta Recipe aka Eggs Ranchero

Links - Sweets (cakes, slices, pancakes etc) #3

first lot of links
second lot of links

apple pancakes

big batch banana trail mix bread

buttermilk sweet potato pie

chocolate almond bars

chocolate cheesecake brownies

chocolate cream pie (aka chocolate bavarian pie)

pumpkin pie with pecan crumble topping

sweetened condensed milk cake

buttermilk lemon bars

lemon cupcakes filled with lemon curd

lemon torte

sweet potato muffins

Mandarin cranberry bread

apple fig & walnut bread

chewy chunky blondies

lime yoghurt cake

snickerdoodle blondies

ginger cherry chocolate chip bars

Low Fat but Absolutely Bloody Delicious Butter Chicken (Thermomix)

Note: this recipe is not working all that well atm, the chicken is ending up as mush. I will be working on improving it but please be warned!

UPDATE: try cutting the chicken into 4-6cm chunks, and use only speed 1 to cook. Please let me know if this works for you! it did for us, but I will cook it a few times before I make permanent changes to the recipe. Note that the larger chunks of chicken may require a longer cooking period.

this was a combo of the butter chicken recipe i'd posted before and the thermomix recipe. I'm assuming those of you (nicola ;)) who don't have a thermomix could make this on the stove top with a food processor or a mortar and pestle. sorry for the mix of grams and spoons with the spices! lol

10g cumin seeds
20g fennel seeds
2cm peeled fresh ginger
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tspns garam masala
2 tspns sweet paprika
2 tspns ground coriander
1 cinnamon stick
10 cardamom pods, bruised
1-2 tab oil
150g macadamia or cashew nuts
1 tin diced tomatoes or 4-5 fresh roma tomatoes (also add around 1/3 cup water if you use fresh)
3 ice cubes worth of tomato paste (lol probably 2-3 tabs)
1 kg chicken, cut into 2cm dice
2 tspns chicken or vegie stock powder (gluten free if needed)
½ cup plain yoghurt (i only had whole milk yoghurt so not sure how skim would go)

place cumin and fennel into tmx, dry roast 2 mins 100'c speed 1 place in bowl with other spices
place garlic and ginger in bowl, chop for 2-5 secs speed 7
add oil and spices and cook for 3 minutes at 100'c speed 1
add nuts and chop for 10-20 seconds speed 8
add tomatoes, tomato paste (still frozen is fine) and water if using, and puree for another 30 secs on speed 8
add all remaining ingredients except yoghurt, and cook for 15 minutes at 100'c reverse speed 3
add yoghurt and mix for 2 minutes reverse speed 3
and serve!

Serves 4-6

i served mine with a pumpkin and kale curry (*sob* geoff has just tole me he doesn't like kale *sob*) and basmati rice.

the curry was simple: some onion, garlic, ginger, black mustard seeds and turmeric gently fried with a little oil, add some water when it starts to stick, then add pumpkin and a tin of drained chickpeas. stir well several times, cover and cook over low heat until nearly done. put your greens on top and cover for several minutes until greens are wilted. mix well and serve.

Blueberry Cake

oh gosh, i shouldn't have had a piece (which fitted into my ww plan) as now i want more more more!! lol

this is very nice - moist, not too sweet or rich and the blueberries i put in mine are DIVINE!

i used this recipe from Taste.

Cranberry Maple Breakfast Scones (Thermomix)

this recipe was heavily inspired by two recipes from The Crepes of Wrath - Whole Wheat Maple Oatmeal Scones and Cranberry Almond Multigrain Scones - thank you!

85g oats
140g wholemeal flour
100g plain flour
70g ground almonds *
1 tab baking powder
1 tspn cinnamon
1 tspn cardamom
100g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
65g milk (low fat)
140g yoghurt (low fat, i just used the yoghurt i had left, so if you have more or less in a tub just adjust the milk accordingly, you could also use flavoured) **
25g maple syrup ***
50g cranberries
for the glaze:
1-2 tspns each of maple syrup and milk

place oats in tmx, closed lid position and pulse using the turbo button x3
add in the rest of the dry ingredients and mix for 3 seconds on speed 7
add butter, closed lid position and pulse using the turbo button x2-3
add wet ingredients and cranberries. remove the measuring cup from the lid. set on closed lid position, reverse and knead until the dough is well mixed (i forgot to pay attention to how long but probably just 3-4 'kneads')
line a baking tray (i used my silicone baking mat) and sprinkle with flour - probably about 1/8-1/4 cup. gently knead the dough a little more and shape into a circle. flatten until it's about 4cm thick. with a butter knife cut into 6-8 wedges.
in the measuring cup mix the extra syrup and milk and brush over the top of the scones. i think it would be nice with a few oats and some raw sugar sprinkled over too (ooops i just noticed this is actually in the whole wheat scones recipe!)
bake in a 160' oven for about 20-25 minutes

* to grind the almonds place 70g whole raw almonds in the tmx, grind at speed 6-7 for 5-10 seconds until you can hear the smoothness and no larger pieces hitting the sides.
** my dough was a little wet so perhaps i will adjust the amount of yoghurt next time
*** this was the perfect (not very) sweetness for me but if you like sweet breakfast dishes you might like to add a little brown sugar too - or you could serve with a brown sugar / butter blend

geoff just got home from the Botanic Gardens native plant sale and had a scone - he's not a fan of any fruit except blueberries - but he loved them!

Links - Sweets (cakes, slices, pancakes etc) #2

ran out of room in the last list of 'want to makes' so here's part 2 :) part one can be found here

blueberry & yoghurt crumble cake

Chocolate pecan cheesecake bars

double lemon bars

easy apple pie

healthy pumpkin bread

light cranberry oatmeal bars

majestic and moist honey cake

maple huckleberry coffee cake

moist gingerbread cake from the crone

orange cranberry walnut loaf

parkin

peanut butter crispy bars

peanut butter oatmeal bars

pumpkin cake roll

pumpkin pecan scones

raspberry spice cake

sour cream coffee cake with chocolate and nuts

sour cream coffee cake

Simple Vegetable Curry, yoghurt and Butterscotch Almond Cake

i forgot to say that for some bizarre reason our new increased download limit started today - but then it restarts for the new month again tomorrow! how bizarre lol. i need to remember to go find a program to download some stuff as we have 10MB to use today LOL!

Vegie Curry
anyway, last night G was making himself and the kids sausages & vegies for dinner but i wasn't really in the mood for it so i asked him just to leave me soem of the cut vegies and i'd make something. i decided i was in the mood for a curry so i pulled out some books and had a play.

the curry i ended up with wasn't the greatest but it was quick and easy and you could substitute just about anything into it, so perfect for after work dinner. i think if you added lentils or chickpea or paneer it would be a great meal on its own, or as i made it as a side dish.

the original recipe was vendakka vazhuthananga masala (okra & eggplant spicy masala) from my new curry cookbook.

this is just a rough draft of a recipe

oil
around 1/2 tspn each of
fenugreek seeds
fennel seeds
2-3 cardamom pods
cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1-2 onions, finely chopped
heat oil and add the rest above. cook over medium heat, stirring until onions are golden brown

1/2 tspn each of
turmeric
ground coriander
chilli powder (i didn't have any chilli left in the house so had to go without :()
salt
around 2 cups of chopped mixed vegies (i had potatoes, carrots, beans and corn off the cob)
stir and cook for a few minutes

2 tomatoes chopped or some leftover pasta sauce ;)
add, bring to a simmer, partially cover and simmer until vegies are done.

around 1/3 cup natural yoghurt
fresh coriander leaves
turn heat off, add and stir through. serve with rice, pappadums or a bread of some sort

Yoghurt
i finally remembered to save some yoghurt to try making my own yoghurt from the old batch. i used (probably out of date) skim milk powder and it worked perfectly! i thought 1/4 cup sugar was way too much but the final product tastes ok. i think i'll still try to get it as low as possible though.

here is the previous post about it

Butterscotch Almond Cake
over on eb someone requested testers for a new cake for a fete stall. i needed to cook a cake to share with friends so i made it. it didn't quite go according to plan though lol. now i have more of an idea of what i'm doing i will try it again in a smaller quantity and see how i go next time.

the thermomix made making it an absolute breeze, with it taking only seconds to make the ground almonds from whole ones and to mix the batter. and then only seconds more to pour it all back in and add the forgotten butter lol

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.

Making your own yoghurt

saving some recipes and links so i can find them when i want to try it! (i have some out of date easiyo packs to get through first!)

from Blonde

1 1/4 cup powdered milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbls of last yogurt batch OR Easi-yo sachet
Fill container with water and shake. Brew as normal.
Add flavour after yogurt is made.

note: i found 1/4 cup sugar way too much, i'm now using about 2 tablespoons

from down---to---earth

and of course there's also a recipe in the thermomix book which i keep forgetting about too.

i need to remember to put powdered milk on the list for the next Aldi shop.

and the rest....

i also made sausage rolls and the choc muffins for the kids.

ohhh i've just discovered i hadn't yet posted the choc muffins recipe so will post that first...

based on the recipe here http://members.essentialbaby.com.au/index.php?s=&showtopic=539220&view=findpost&p=7279922

Chocolate Brownie Muffins (low fat, thermomix)
1.5 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup cocoa
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 cup yoghurt
3/4 cup apple sauce
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla


Put dry stuff in thermo and mix on 4 for about 5 seconds to 'sift'.

Add sugar, yoghurt, eggs, vanilla and apple sauce and mix on reverse 4 until just mixed.

Spoon into mini muffin trays or cupcake cases and bake at 180 degrees for 10-15 minutes

Cake for Mothers Day

I already gave mum her MD present earlier in teh week (a gift voucher for IPOD songs. i gave it already because i got her a bigger one because i realised i hadn't bought her birthday present yet - bad brazen!)

anyway, i thought i'd make her a cake for MD as a treat.

I just found this in my email so I'll either make this one or a carrot cake (but i'd have to buy cream cheese for the carrot cake)

Greek Yoghurt & Lemon Loaf

Dips and garlic overload!

last night's dips and breads were yummy though a bit garlic overloaded - ooops! ryan was complaining about them being spicy and i thought he was crazy as i had put nothing spicy in but it was the garlic...

i still have garlic breath this morning LOL

i made
beetroot dip - beetroot, garlic, S&P, yoghurt, sumac
bean dip - mixed beans, olive oil, lemon juice, water, parsley, salt, garlic
spinach dip - english spinach, yoghurt, S&P, garlic
carrot - carrot (lol), cumin, coriander, yoghurt, salt

all 4 dips took about 20 minutes (inlcuding cooking the carrot one) in the thermomix, including washing it between each dip! i love my thermomix lol