Meat and 3 veg families with Thermomix!

I have seen it written before that the Thermomix is not for those who just want meat and veg. Well I tend to disagree! The Thermomix just suits so many different people and you just have to adjust how you use it to suit your needs! The fact that a domestic cook can produce restaurant quality dishes so simply and with confidence, or that it can allow people that cannot cook at all, the ability to cook is amazing!! To indulge in creativity or just save time! For your health or for savings!!! It can suit everyone!

As an aside, I saw a sneaky camera shot of the Thermomix on Masterchef Australia again a couple of nights ago - it was a cooking challenge against a chef and the chef was using it!! I would guess either the lemon curd or lemon granita that he served for dessert - or both!! How great is that!!

But back to the point of this post!! Some think that you have to use the Thermomix for everything if you spend that amount of money on it. It simply isn't true- there are so many different elements you can prepare with the Thermomix, but you are still ALLOWED to use traditional methods if you choose for certain dishes!! You will still use the Thermomix everyday for something... And say for example a dishwasher... You don't think too much about spending $1000 -$2000 for a dishwasher. Yet mine only gets used once or twice a week. It doesn't improve my health, save me time on food prep or save money on my grocery bill!! And I definitely don't use it multiple times a day like I use the Thermomix.  Some people might see it as an extra appliance that is unnecessary - but I think more and more, it will become just another staple in your kitchen, like your dishwasher, fridge and microwave.  And you can sell the rest of your small appliance! So there's a little comparison for you on cost of appliances and use and benefits!

Anyway, back to the point again.. take the other night for example... One of the few nights I didn't use the Thermomix for our whole dinner. I felt like a "surf and turf"!!! We don't usually eat whole steak that much, we usually mince it. So I used the frypan to cook our steak and prawns, while the Thermomix was busy preparing our perfectly smooth mashed potato and steaming our vegies at the same time! Energy saving and I didn't even pay attention to it once I set the timer - it was taking care of it all for me!! I also did not have to get out a colander or a masher and mash it by hand - 45 seconds and the thermomix does the work for you. Apart from that, we also used the thermomix to make us a yummy mushroom sauce from scratch... Something I wouldn't have ever bothered to do before.

Yes they are frozen veggies..
Yes, the mushrooms are too chopped - hubby was in charge
of the mushroom sauce!!

Oh my goodness - did I use frozen veggies - YES!!! It was a Saturday night, we were late home and I was doing minimal food prep - you are allowed sometimes LOL!!  Hey, if it's saving you from buying takeaway, it's a good thing right!!

There you have it! A quick easy meat and veg dinner that still saves time, energy (yours and the power company's!!) and dishes!!!  And seriously delicious.... Again, a pleasure to work with the Thermomix in the kitchen!

PS.  I had already made breakfast in Thermomix, fresh wholegrain bread rolls for lunch in Thermomix (just before we went out for a big walk), juice, smoothies, and dessert that day as well.... and we had a busy weekend day!

TIPS!
Mashed Potato -
1. If you want to steam veggies at the same time, you need to cook your mashed potato at Varoma temperature instead of 100 degrees as stated in your cookbook.  If you use all full cream milk, you will burn the milk because of the fat content and it will stick to the bottom of the bowl - you must use at least half water to prevent this.  If you are using a rice milk etc, it should be fine anyway.  Varoma Temp for 20 - 25 will also break down the potatoes altogether.  I don't mind because once I whip it, there's no difference - it simply gives the convenience of being able to steam your veggies at the same time.
2.  I don't bother adding parmesan cheese, some people find it too "gluey".  So just add some salt.
3.  You can easily use a little oil to make it dairy free (with rice milk/alternate milk) instead of butter, and just make sure you add a little salt for flavour.
4.  If you find it too runny for your liking, just lessen the liquid content a little - I don't even measure now, I just use the amount of potatoes I would usually use for our family and then go by "eye" as to how much milk I add - somehow I get it right!

Dani Valent "In The Mix" Cooking Class

Dani Valent came to Newcastle today and did a cooking class based on some of her recipes from "In The Mix".

Have you downloaded the App?  It has some great videos and a selection of recipes for free!  How to temper chocolate perfectly, Grissini and more!

So today she ran through so many different aspects, I left the class so excited!  Excited that I, a simple stay at home mum - basic cook, could reproduce these stunning dishes and elements of dishes of a gourmet standard quickly, simply and easily with a Thermomix.

Making Chlorophyll paste

She did some things out of the cookbook I had not even really looked at long enough to realise what I could do with them.  For example, the Chlorophyll Paste - what a fantastic addition to your Green Smoothie (also in the cookbook) that just packs a stack of nutrients into a concentrated paste!

Beef Stir fry - Yum!  And so quick and easy and the beef was steamed while the rice was cooking for 20 minutes.  People often ask about steamed steak, well this was beautiful!  And then add your stir-fried veggies (takes around 6 minutes to cook in the bowl).

Beef Stirfy to feed a crowd! From marinade to rice, omelette and
stir-fried veggies, everything was done in the Thermomix

Kuzu Gnocchi with Parsley oil and Pea Soup.

Making the Kuzu Gnocchi in an ice bath

And lots more - in just 2 hours!!

I just came away continually amazed at the absolute variety of things you can do with a Thermomix.  It doesn't matter whether you love it for Health, Sweet Treats, Gourmet Cooking, Saving Time, or because you want to avoid cooking, the Thermomix really does fit for all of those categories!!

Don't forget if you would like to take advantage of hosting a Varoma demonstration this month and the bonus offers that go along with that, please let me know.

But also, 12 Months Interest Free is a great opportunity for people who prefer to have a payment plan rather than an upfront payment.  If you have questions about this, please contact me also.

For those who already own a Thermomix and are interested in purchasing "In the Mix", you can purchase through your consultant or online at www.thermomix.com.au.

So go and continue discovering the potential of what the Thermomix can do!!!

Thermomix Homemade Lemonade

I absolutely love that when I entertain guests, it is so quick, easy and simple to provide them with all elements of a meal/afternoon tea that are homemade.

Even just for ourselves, if we want something not quite as healthy as a freshly made juice, but a "treat"that still uses whole fresh ingredients!

Make Icing Sugar, Grind Ice, add whole lemons
with ends chopped off and cut in quarters

 Homemade lemonade.  It is awesome.  If you have a tray of ice cubes, 1 litre of water (or sparkling water, which I like because it makes it more like a real "soft drink"!!!), 100grams of raw sugar and 2 lemons, then in a couple of mins, you have freshly homemade lemonade and have also cleaned up!

Add half the water, Press turbo button a few times

First, you make icing sugar from raw sugar - you see this at the home demonstration.  The great thing about being about to do this is: 

1. You only buy 1 type of sugar instead of caster, icing sugar and normal sugar - if you run out, you just make some!

2.  Lots of icing sugars actually have anti-caking agents in them - e.g. a problem for people with things like Coeliac

3.  You actually get at least a tiny bit of nutritional value from raw sugar as it has some molasses still in it and it has been less processed than white sugar.  (If you want to go better again, I use Rapadura in a lot of things which hasn't been high heat treated or refined at all - I wouldn't use it for lemonade though the molasses flavour is a little overpowering.)

4.  You can use an Organic Raw Sugar and not pay the price for Organic Caster Sugars or Icing Sugars!

Add remaining water and strain through your rice basket!!!

I love that you actually use fresh lemons and don't even peel them!  Once strained through the rice basket, just discard the peels in the bottom and rinse bowl.  It's as quick and easy as that!

Freshly served Homemade Lemonade!

The end result is sooooo refreshing and yummy!

Tips!!!
1.  Unless you are serving straight away, remove the pips - I just poke them out with a knife.  This will stop the lemonade from turning very tart within a couple of hours.  I sometimes make some for dinner and if it isn't all used, I can save it for the next day and it's fine.  If the pips are left in, even though it is strained, they still seem to release the bitterness into it.
2.  Make a lemon/lime-ade by adding a lime as well!
3.  Make the most fresh Lemon Lime and Bitters your guests have ever had by adding your bitters into each glass!!

PS.  Sorry for iPhone pics!!

Quick hello and Anzac Biscuits

Alright a quick post today to say I'm still here!

We have been in Sydney, and moving house so all has been a bit crazy between demos and sending my parents off overseas and a whole lot of other "stuff"!!

When getting back into a "routine", we revert back to our quick and easy favourites.  Homemade pizzas (I will do a post on these one day!), curries, Chicken and Cashew Satay with rice and veggies (courtesy of www.quirkycooking.blogspot.com - seriously delicious and all in one meal with steaming while cooking rice), I tried a new prawn curry in Travelling with Thermomix which was yummy, our regular Chili Con Carne, with lots of breakfasts, desserts, snacks and drinks made in between in the Thermomix!

We have converted my husband's yummy easy chicken pie too, so I will post the recipe of that shortly.

But as for today, in view of Anzac Day, have you tried the Anzac biscuits in the Everyday cookbook?  They are delicious and very simple, and I even cut down on the sweetness quite a bit too and they are still yummy.  For those who are dairy free, try the Vegan Anzac Biscuits - Quirky Cooking version - I have tried them too and they are also lovely.

Happy baking!

Hot Cross Buns

As we pull fresh HOT Hot Cross Buns out of the oven on Good Friday, I am so grateful again that I can provide such lovely food so easily, preservative free and with the ingredients I choose to add.  They taste soooooo good and cost a fraction of the cost of buying them, especially preservative free (even using organic sultanas).  The recipe is found in the Everyday Cookbook.

I have made a few batches now - this batch was made using dairy free and spelt flour and rapadura sugar as the sweetener.  The dough had just been kneaded and ready to rise - it looks a little different to Bakers Flour version.

Today's batch I just used rice milk instead of milk and rapadura as the sugar component.  They rose to be quite a bit bigger than these pictured and were super light and fluffy.  Been a busy morning between packing to move, and making, all in the Thermomix: Eggs for Breakfast, Loaf of bread for lunch sandwiches, Fresh butter spread from cream, Rice Milk, a birthday cake for my son's birthday tomorrow, and a batch of Hot Cross Buns!  And no I haven't been in the kitchen all morning!So easy and so fresh!  Enjoy your Easter long weekend!!!

Corn Fritters

A quick and easy lunch idea.  Corn fritters with smoked salmon and salad.

These are great for kids also, and because you weigh in your ingredients, no making extra mess!

This is a basic recipe that I put together, so feel free to make it tastier by adding other grated veggies etc - these ones on their own are quite "boring" but I love them with smoked salmon and salad.

Although I have pictured them with not much salmon and just tomato and lettuce, usually I would serve them with more salmon and an avocado, red onion and tomato salad and maybe a little dressing if desired.  I am allergic to avocado but it's healthy and great for the kids!  Maybe leave out the red onion for them though!

And make them dairy free by using an alternative milk.  I made mine with spelt flour, so you may have to adjust the ratio of milk to flour slightly depending on how large your egg is and which flour you use.  You don't want them so runny that they don't hold together, but you don't want them too thick either!!!

To the bowl add:
1 egg - beat for 6 seconds on Speed 4

Add:
90g Spelt Flour
80g Milk
pinch salt
1/2 tsp Bicarb Soda

Mix for 4 seconds on Speed 4

Add:
230g corn kernels

Mix for 8 seconds (or until combined) on Reverse + Speed 2.

Then just fry in the frying pan until golden on each side.

A Healthy Chocolate Alternative

This is a super easy recipe based on the Chocolate Alternative recipe in the Taste of Vegetarian Cookbook.  It is fantastic because it allows you to have a treat that has nothing bad in it.  And as usual, because you make it yourself, you can choose high quality ingredients - organic, preservative free etc.  And it's yummy!

I use almonds but you can use any combination of nuts.

200g almonds
250g pitted dried dates

65g desiccated coconut (mine is sulphur free - no preservatives)

20g Cacao powder or organic cocoa.

1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt or quality salt

20g raw honey (find in Health food shops or buy through co-op)

70g coconut oil (cold pressed, unrefined, again Health food shops or co-op)

Grind nuts for 8 seconds on speed 7. Set aside

Chop dates, coconut, cacao, salt and honey for 30 seconds Speed 7.

Add nuts, add coconut oil and mix for 20 seconds on speed 5, or until completely mixed. 

Press mixture into slice tin and set in refrigerator.  

Chop into squares for your chocolate fix!

This is also a dairy free chocolate option (as long as your cocoa doesn't have milk solids - check label).