Berry Fruity Dream

This is such a quick, easy and delicious dessert which is a great dairy-free substitute for ice-cream.  Make it in your Thermomix at your next dinner party and your guests are sure to be impressed!  It always fascinates me the way the frozen, ground up berries whip up to fill the whole bowl - it's beautiful!  Thanks to Bron for this recipe, which she posted on the Thermomix Forum as Strawberry Foam... I just changed it a little as I found it way too sweet for my taste.  You can use any frozen fruit (cut into small chunks) - strawberries, mango, peach, nectarine - whatever you like.  Eat it straight away, or freeze and serve as a fluffy ice-cream - it doesn't freeze solid, because of the egg whites.  Enjoy!

1.  Grind on speed 9 for 20 seconds:
- 80 to 100g Rapadura (depending on how sweet you like it)

2.  Add berries and grind for 30 seconds on speed 9, scraping down as needed:
- 600g frozen berries (or other frozen fruit)

3.  Insert the butterfly, add remaining ingredients and whip for 3 minutes on speed 4:
- 2 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice (opt.)

Voila!  A dreamy dessert! 

Decorate with insecticide free rose petals if liked :)


Variations:
You can use practically any type of frozen fruit, or a mixture of different fruits.  You can also use honey instead of Rapadura to sweeten - use about 60g of honey, or to taste, added with the fruit.

Creole Black-Eyed Peas 'n' Corn

This hearty bean dish is one of our favourite no-meat meals. I try to have a couple of vegetarian main meals on the menu each week, both to save money and so we don't overdo it with meat. This will serve six people. If you like to make really big batches and freeze some, you can double the recipe, do the chopping and sauteeing in the Thermomix, then cook it slowly in a big stock pot on the stove.

We love to eat this with cornbread.  Add more or less water, depending how 'soupy' you like it.

1.  Soak beans overnight; or if you're in a hurry, bring them to the boil, turn off stove and leave to sit (covered) for an hour:
- 1 1/2 cups black-eyed peas (also known as black-eyed beans)
- about 5 cups water

2. Drain beans, re-cover with water so there's about 2 inches of water above the beans, and bring to the boil.  Add seasonings, boil briefly then reduce heat to simmer:
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
Beans need to simmer for about an hour, or until tender, before adding to the Thermomix. Never add salt to the beans while they're cooking or they'll turn out tough!

Note: You can cook the black-eyed peas in the Thermomix if you'd rather - just soak the beans overnight, place in rice basket, add twice the amount (in grams) of water, then cook at 90 degrees for an hour on speed 2-3 (or until tender).

3. Next, place in Thermomix and chop on speed 7 for 3 seconds:
- 2 cloves garlic

4. Add and chop on speed 5 for 3 seconds:
- 1 large onion, quartered
- half a green capsicum, de-seeded and quartered
- half a red capsicum, de-seeded and quartered

5.  Add ghee and saute on 100 degrees, 5 mins, speed 1:
- 30g ghee (or olive oil or butter)

6. Add and cook at 100 degrees, 20 minutes, reverse speed 1:
- 1 x 400g tins of crushed tomatoes, or 400g fresh tomatoes chopped in Thermomix
- 100g tomato paste
- 2 Tblspns honey
- 2 tsp vege stock paste
- cooked beans
- 1 cup frozen corn (approx.)
- 2 tsps smoked paprika
- pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste
- 1/2 tsp dry thyme
- 1 tsp Italian herbs
- a little water - fill bowl to 2 litre mark, not over!

Serve with corn bread or crusty spelt bread.

Menu Plan Monday - 22nd February

How to Menu Plan...

I've had a couple of people ask me where I start when planning a menu for the week, and how it saves me money and time, so here's the how and why, for those interested...

* Keep a file/list of your family's favourite recipes (either on paper or on the computer) so you have plenty of 'old faithfuls' that will keep your family happy.  Use mostly these recipes each week, plus a couple of new and interesting ones, or healthier versions of old ones!  I go through my recipe books (or websites) each week looking for new ideas - sometimes I end up putting too many fancy new ones on the menu, and I find I've bitten off more than I can chew (lol)... It's really easier if you only have a couple of new ones each week, unless you've got plenty of time to spend in the kitchen!  (Or unless they're simple ones, eg. basic Thermomix ones.)

* Go through your calendar and figure out where you'll be each day (lunch and dinner) so that you know when you'll be able to cook more time consuming recipes, when you'll need something quick, and when you won't be home and need to leave meals for the family.  (You can even write these down on your menu, so the whole family knows who will be where, and when.)

* Figure out how many times per week you want to have fish, chicken, red meat, and vegetarian meals for your main meals... or whatever your family eats.  Write down next to each day of the week what you're going to have that day.  Eg: Monday - leftovers/vegetarian; Tuesday - fish; Wednesday - red meat; Thursday - fish; Friday - chicken; Saturday - leftovers/vegetarian; Sunday - meat/chicken.  Now you have a plan you can build on.

* As you look at each day, think about your calendar and commitments, and have a look through your recipes to find meals that will suit.  Eg: Tuesday I'll be out from 2pm to about 9.30pm cooking at a Cyndi O'Meara seminar - I need a quick lunch (because I'll be doing school all morning and getting ready to go after lunch), so I'll make extra dinner the night before so that there's leftovers for lunch, and I'll make a casserole during the morning that my dh can heat it up for dinner.  I'll also have to make sure there's something for snacks, so I'll make bikkies today, and some custard tomorrow for the kids to have for supper.  I know that sounds like a lot of work, but because I plan it out ahead of time I don't have to have cupboards full of junk food and packet snacks to fall back on, and we hardly ever buy take away meals.  We save a lot money by planning home-cooked meals and snacks, and we eat a lot healthier.

* As you choose the week's recipes, think about what's in your fridge, freezer, garden and cupboard that need using up - leftovers, grains, veges, fruits, tins of stuff, etc - and try to incorporate them into your menu.  It's easy to forget the leftover veges in the fridge, or the abundance of chokoes in the garden, or bags of beans and quinoa that have found their way to the bottom of the freezer.  Use up the oldest things first, and be careful not to double up when you go shopping.  (A good way to remember what's in the fridge and freezer is to keep a list on the fridge, on a white board or a laminated piece of paper.  You can write on it (with a whiteboard marker) any leftover meals, frozen meals, and bags of things you've bought bulk and frozen, rubbing them out as you use them.  This is also helpful for when you're about to put in another bulk order, as you know how much you have left of things.)

* Try to plan at least once in a week to make a double batch of something that can be frozen for a future meal - casseroles are especially good for this, as they can be thawed and cooked at the same time.  (Just pop it in the oven frozen and cook on 180 degrees C for approx. 1 1/2 to 3 times longer than you would need for baking in its' unfrozen state.  Or thaw overnight in the fridge for shorter cooking time.)

* After you've planned your main meals, think about lunches.  This is optional - you might be the kind of person who always has a sandwich, or a basic salad, for lunch.  I'm not! :)  We have main meals at lunch time sometimes, as my dh shift works. And if I'm doing a cooking demo at lunchtime, I have to have something organized for the family at home. We often eat leftovers for lunch, and if there's not enough I make it into something else - eg. soup, vege & bean patties, fried rice, vege curry...  Or we have fresh bread or bread rolls or tortillas with tuna and salad (or whatever else there is), different kinds of salads, or a quick vege/tuna pasta made in the Thermomix.  We don't generally eat lunch meats because of the additives and preservatives in them, so it's either leftover roast meat, tinned fish, salad, and/or homemade spreads for sandwiches/wraps.  If you have kids at school, it's a good idea to plan their lunches too, so they don't get bored with the same thing every day.  Eg: soup in a thermos with wholegrain muffin/crackers; raw vege sticks with dip & boiled egg; interesting sandwiches or wraps; fruit salad; pasta salad.

* Sometimes I also plan for breakfasts - generally, though, I just do whatever I feel like or have time for in the mornings - toast, scones, fruit cereals, fruit, porridge, smoothies, vege patties, eggs... even ice-cream!  (Don't worry, it's just the frozen banana one here!)

* When you write out (or print out) your menu plan, add notes on each day to remind yourself what you need to prepare for the next day.  Eg: beans, grains or nuts that need soaking for the next day, meat that needs to be thawed in the fridge the day before, bread that needs to be baked the day before so you can have toast for breakfast the next day... anything that can be prepared ahead to save you time the next day.

I don't always stick completely to my menu plan - sometimes meals get changed around because I didn't get the preparation done the night before, or something has come up and I don't have time for what was planned.  In that case, I switch the meals around, or use the meat/veges planned for that night to make something simpler. 

Hope you find these ideas helpful.  A menu plan is a great tool that will save you time, money and frustration!  If you want some more ideas on how to menu plan, visit Menu Plan Monday at "I'm an Organizing Junkie". 

Here's my plan for this week...

[TMX = prepared and/or cooked in the Thermomix]

Monday:
(lunch) Tuna sandwiches with spelt bread (TMX)
(dinner) Bean stew (TMX) and cornbread (TMX)

Tuesday:
(lunch) Leftover bean stew & cornbread
(dinner) DF Tuna Mornay casserole x 2 (TMX) (cooked ahead, one for tonight, one for freezer)

Wednesday:
(lunch) Tortillas with tuna & salad
(dinner) Sweet & Sour Beef Stew (TMX) on spelt noodles

Thursday:
(lunch) Soup (TMX - clean out the fridge!) & spelt bread (TMX)
(dinner) Fish (coated in cornmeal, shallow fried) & baked potatoes & salad

Friday:
(lunch) Tuna tomato gf pasta (TMX)
(dinner) Chicken curry & rice (TMX)

Saturday:
(lunch) Baked potatoes (crockpot) & leftover curry
(dinner) Steak/burgers, mashed potato & steamed veges (both cooked in TMX)

Sunday:
(lunch) Crockpot corned beef with leftover veges
(dinner) Spelt bread rolls (TMX) & leftovers

Chocolate Banana-Nut Ice-Cream

Here's an ice-cream recipe that is very quick and won't make you feel guilty!!!  It's so healthy you can even eat if for breakfast - we do!  It's a great way to get the kids out of bed on a school day - just yell, 'Chocolate ice-cream for breakfast!' and they'll come running.  :)  I always buy a few bags of over-ripe bananas when they're in the throw-out box at the supermarket - just peel them and toss them in a bag and freeze them, then they're ready for ice-cream anytime you want it.  Cut them into pieces about an inch long before processing.

I don't usually measure the amounts in this recipe - it's very flexible.  But I've added approximate amounts (in brackets) for those of you who want them.

If you're looking for somewhere to buy cacao powder or agave syrup, you can buy them either at health food stores, or at online stores such as Loving Earth.

Toss into Thermomix bowl and process on speed 9 until it all comes together - about 30 seconds:

- (500g) half a TM bowl of frozen banana pieces (cut in 1 inch chunks)

- (150g) a good handful or two of raw pecans or macadamia nuts

- (20 - 30g) a couple of heaped tablespoonfuls of cacao powder (or organic cocoa powder)

- (30g) a couple of tablespoons of agave syrup, to taste (or pure maple syrup/raw honey)

(It will be crumbly at first, but keep mixing and it will come together.)

That's it!  Serve it immediately before it melts.  This makes enough for 4 - 6 people.

Note: to make it even more special, you can add some Rapadura sweetened choc chips at the end!

Flourless Choc Hazelnut Brownies

Here's a brownie recipe I made up the other day in honour of my little brother who was visiting from the big city - this one's for you, bro!  These brownies are especially nice eaten with fresh strawberries, and they're even better if they're shared with those you love :)  Enjoy.

Gluten free, dairy free, naturally sweetened, easy and delicious!

1. Preheat oven to 190° celcius.

2. Weigh all the ingredients into the Thermomix bowl and process on speed 9 for 30 seconds.  Scrape down sides of bowl, and process again on speed 9 for another 20 seconds.

- 170g raw hazelnuts (no need to remove skins)
- 60g dates
- 40g raw cacao powder or organic cocoa powder
- 60g Rapadura
- 4 large eggs
- 50g coconut oil
- 30g macadamia oil or light olive oil
- 60g coconut cream
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3. Pour into a greased or lined 7" x 11" (18cm x 28cm) rectangular oven dish.  Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

4. To serve, you can dust with cocoa or powdered Rapadura if you like.

Raw Cacao Treat Balls

These yummy little treat balls are a firm favourite at our house - the kids love snacking on them for morning tea, and they are quite filling.  I love to use cacao powder in raw recipes, as it has so much more goodness than cocoa.  It's a bit like the difference between Rapadura and refined sugar, or extra virgin olive oil and refined oils.  Regular cocoa is usually heat extracted (up to 150 degrees celcius!) with solvents.  Organic cocoas are better, such as 'Planet Organic', which is sun-dried, chemical free and fair trade - but cacao powder is the best (and is generally fair-trade also)!  (I use Planet Organic cocoa powder when cooking, but cacao powder in raw foods such as treat balls, raw slices, smoothies, and raw chocolate pudding.)

Cacao is cold pressed without solvents, and the nutrients are preserved much better than in cocoa - in fact, organic cacao has over 360% more anti-oxidants than regular cocoa!  It has 21 times more anti-oxidants than green tea, and 7 times more than dark chocolate!  Cacao does not raise blood cholesterol, it contains a fair amount of protein, and all three types of energy: fat, carbohydrates and sugar. It also contains high levels of catechin, fiber, carbohydrates, B vitamins and anti-oxidant-like substances. Calcium, Phosphates, Vitamins A, C and D occur in smaller quantities.  (Read some really interesting facts about cacao here, as well as some myths about chocolate!)

Since Cacao contains fat, sugars, carbohydrates and protein, it has historically been used as energy food -- it's energy content is high, 18500 kj/kg (2000 kcal/lb). There is no caffeine in cacao (or chocolate, contrary to popular opinion), but it does contain small amounts of theobromine, which is similar to caffeine in that it stimulates the mind, muscles, kidneys and heart - but it has less effect on the central nervous system than caffeine does. Theobromine is not addictive, and is a much gentler stimulant than caffeine (see findings here), but it's still best not to overdo it. I find cacao powder makes me feel wide awake, so don't munch out on these just before bed!  (And if you're breastfeeding, don't eat too many or your baby will happily stay awake for hours!)

If you're dairy free, you'll be pleased to know these balls are a good way to get some calcium into your diet because both the cacao powder and the tahini contain calcium in usable forms.

These are great for school lunch snacks - if your child's school is 'nut-free' you can just substitute the almonds for a mixture of pepitas and sunflower seeds.

[Amounts are very flexible - I don't generally measure, I just chuck in a couple of handfuls of dates (and sometimes sultanas or other dried fruit), and a couple of handfuls of almonds (and/or cashews and seeds), a couple of heaped tablespoons of cacao powder, a few blobs of tahini and a splash of agave syrup... and grind it all up adding more dates if it needs more moisture!]

Put all the ingredients in the Thermomix bowl and grind up on speed 9 for about 40 seconds, or until well ground and mixed and able to be squished together into balls.  If mixture is too dry, add some more dates or other dried fruit.
- 200g raw almonds
- 220g dates
- 30 - 40g cacao powder (to taste)
- a dash of pure maple syrup (to taste)
- 3 large tablespoons of tahini

Roll into balls and keep in the fridge.  Can also be rolled in dessicated coconut if preferred.

Menu Plan Monday - 8th February

How's the menu planning going, guys?  Hopefully there's some of you out there that find it as helpful as I do...

Been so busy, haven't got too many recipes posted lately...  Schooling takes up a lot of my day lately, as well as cooking classes, demos, church and youth activities, art class and other homeschool group outings...  My friend Mama Bel and I have been dying wool for a felting class for our homeschool group - look at these beautiful colours!  (Actually, Mama Bel did most of the work, bless her!)  I know it's not food, but it's so pretty...

The weather has been so hot and sticky I really haven't wanted to do too much cooking... We've been enjoying icy cold lime-ade, made with lovely, locally grown limes picked fresh off the tree at the lime farm (they were so kind to give me a great big bag full for free!)  It looks darker than usual as I use Rapadura to sweeten it, plus a pinch of stevia.  (Recipe coming...)

For those busy nights when I need a quick, simple dinner, I often cook the mashed potatoes in the Thermomix with the veges steaming on top at the same time, while frying some meat in the frying pan.  For those of you who haven't done this yet, I'll post the recipe soon.  Sometimes I cook sliced potato in olive oil and water in the bowl, with the veges steaming on top - that works nicely too. 

Well, I hope you all have lots of great meals this week - aren't we blessed to live in a country where we need never go hungry!  So many times we are guilty of wasting what we have, which is why I find it useful to plan a couple of 'leftovers' meals into my menu plan, to make sure everything's used up.  I also find it helpful to write down any unexpected leftovers, or meals I've frozen, onto my menu list on the fridge, so I remember they're there - it's so easy to forget and end up with a fridge/freezer full of unrecognizable stuff that ends up getting chucked out after a week or two!  (Okay, so I don't clean out my fridge as often as I should - I'm working on it!!!)

Here's my plan for this week - for help with planning your meals, go to 'Menu Plan Monday' at 'I'm an Organizing Junkie'.  And if you're a Thermomix-er, you'll get plenty of ideas on the Thermomix forum!

[TMX = prepared in and/or cooked in my Thermomix]

Monday:

(lunch) Gemuse Eintopf (TMX) & sausages

(dinner) out at cooking class - kids are having taco salad

Tuesday:

(lunch) Baked chicken with cashew satay sauce (TMX) & steamed veges (TMX)

(dinner) Omelettes (TMX)

Wednesday:

(lunch) Salad & spelt bread rolls (TMX)

(dinner) Scalloped eggs with broccoli (TMX) & salad

Thursday:

(lunch) Pasta & egg salad

(dinner) Lamb chops marinated & cooked in crock pot with baked potatoes & coleslaw (TMX)

Friday:

(lunch) Raw pasta sauce (TMX) on zucchini strips

(dinner) Lentil bolognaise (TMX) & salad

Saturday:

(lunch) Salmon patties (TMX) & salad

(dinner) Balti chicken curry & rice (TMX - from Indian cookbook)

Sunday:

(lunch) Leftovers

(dinner) Steamed spicy meat filled chinese buns (in Varoma) (TMX)

Menu Plan Monday - 1st February

Uh oh - late again!  I have a plan, but I've been too busy to get it posted...  I'm in the process of making a Mocha Silk Pie, so while I wait for each of the four eggs to beat for five mintues each, I think I'll try and get my plan posted!

(My main meals are sometimes at lunch time, depending on my dh's work shift.)

For more menu plans, and help with planning in all sorts of areas, visit Menu Plan Monday at "I'm an Organizing Junkie."

[TMX = prepared with and/or cooked in Thermomix]

Monday:
(lunch) Corn & cannelini bean patties (TMX)
(dinner) Steamed fish with rice & peas (TMX - from the Thermomix Seafood Cookbook)

Tuesday:
(lunch) Crusty wholemeal spelt bread (TMX) & sweet chilli tuna
(dinner) BBQ with friends: steak, sausages, crusty wholemeal spelt rolls (TMX), potato salad, Mocha Silk Pie for the adults (TMX) (if it works with coconut oil instead of butter!) and berry sorbet for the kids (TMX).

Wednesday:
(lunch) Baked potatoes, dairy free sour cream & salad
(dinner) Spanish omelette (TMX)

Thursday:
(lunch) Chicken braised with red peppers (TMX - from 'My Way of Cooking' cookbook)
(dinner) Minestrone soup (TMX)

Friday:
(lunch) Shepherds's pie (TMX - never got around to this one last week)
(dinner) leftovers/sandwich

Saturday:
(lunch) Dairy free 'Carbonara' with spelt noodles (TMX) & vege sticks
(dinner) Mashed potatoes with steamed veges (TMX)

Sunday:
(lunch) Beef roast in crockpot with steamed veges (TMX)
(dinner) Spelt tortillas (TMX) with leftover beef

Corn & Bean Patties

These corn and cannelini bean patties are great for breakfast or lunch - they're high protein, so they're full of energy, and very quick to make.  I made these for lunch today, as there was no bread left and six hungry kids to feed!  They would probably make a good addition to kid's lunchboxes too, with a little tomato sauce to dip them in. 

The original recipe is from a wonderful cookbook, "Very Wellness," by Val Allen. This recipe book has some great recipes for the health conscious, and is allergy friendly.

1.  Mix in Thermomix for 10 seconds, speed 6:
- 100g rice-almond milk (or coconut milk or almond-sunflower milk)
- 420g can cannelini beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 teaspoon tamari
- 1 egg (or 2 tsp chia seeds soaked in 2 Tblspns water)
- 1 shallot/spring onion, quartered

2.  Add and mix on speed 3 for 10 seconds, or until well-combined:
- 60g wholemeal spelt flour, or 90g gluten free flour
- 100g frozen corn kernels
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3.  Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil into frying pan and drop in spoonfuls of batter, turning over when underside is browned.