Menu Plan - 24th January

I'm not doing too well with getting recipes posted lately, am I!  Sorry about that :)  Although if you go to my Facebook page, you'll see some 'mini recipes' posted there, like Chicken Stock Paste and a 'Green' Sorbet... 

Today, being the first day back at school, was very busy - lots of organizing to do, as well as teaching and reading to the kids - so I'm only just getting around to organizing this week's menu.

This morning I was up really early, so I decided to make pizzas, partly for my dh's lunch, and partly because we like a hearty breakfast - it keeps the kids energized longer for their schoolwork!  So by 6am I had three pizzas made - a fruit pizza for those who like a sweet breakfast (topped with berries, rapadura and lemon juice, and maple syrup) and dairy free savoury pizzas for those who don't (topped with tomato paste and herbs, flavoured tuna, olives, sun dried tomatoes, and dairy free 'melted cheese').  The 'melted cheese' is really yummy - I'm hoping to post the recipe soon.  Here's a couple of photos of the fruit pizza - the bases were just made from spelt scone dough (quick and easy).  (The photo's not real great, as it was too early and the light was low...)

Oh, and don't forget there are only five days left until the winner of my Blog Birthday Giveaway is announced!!  So if you haven't entered yet, you still have time - all you have to do is leave a comment on this post: "Happy Birthday to Quirky Cooking!".  

Here's my plan for this week - if you'd like some breakfast ideas, this menu plan has breakfasts as well as lunches and dinners.  And there's more breakfast ideas here.  There's also a post here about how to begin planning a weekly menu, if you need some help.  Hope you have a great week :)

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

Monday:

(lunch) Creamy Chicken and Brown Rice Soup (tmx) with Spelt Bread (tmx)

(dinner) Chicken & Vegetable Biryani (tmx) on Spiced Basmati Rice (tmx) (a little bit of chicken that needed using up, with lots of veges, and coconut cream & lemon juice instead of yoghurt.)

Tuesday:
(lunch) Raw Tomato Soup (tmx) with gluten free Pizza Bianca (tmx)
(dinner) Chunky Beef Chilli (tmx) with brown rice (tmx) & salad

Wednesday:
(lunch) Pasta e Fagioli (tmx) (with gf pasta)
(dinner) Salmon Rice Casserole (double batch) (tmx) with salad

Thursday:
(lunch) Out at demo
(dinner) Leftover Beef Chilli on baked corn chips with dairy free sour cream (tmx) and salad

Veges for a 'Chop Salad' made in the Thermomix

Friday:
(lunch) 'Fish Fingers' (homemade, cornmeal coatin) and Chop Salad (tmx)
(dinner) Baked potatoes with df sour cream (leftover), beef burgers (no bread) & raw vege sticks

Saturday:
(lunch) Fried Rice (tmx)
(dinner) Salmon Rice Casserole (from freezer) for family while I'm at a demo

Sunday:
(lunch) Roast Turkey & veges (I bought one after Christmas on special - yum!) (gravy in tmx)
(dinner) Leftovers :)

Menu Planning with the Thermomix

My Menu Plan for January 17th - 24th

Okay, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things this week - too much slacking off and not enough blogging! :)  I did find it hard to be excited about cooking and blogging last week, when so many people were suffering the effects of the floods here in Queensland.  It's been a bad week.  But it's wonderful to hear the stories of so many people who've been getting out and helping those who've suffered, sacrificing their time and money for (sometimes) total strangers.  Makes me proud to be Australian.

I do find, though, in times of stress, that cooking is very therapeutic! Things don't seem so bad when I'm creating something yummy in the kitchen...  I mean, how can you look at a perfectly chewy-crispy cookie, hot out of the oven, without smiling??  I can't!

(Almond Butter Choc Chip Cookies)

And if you can find someone to cook for who gets excited about what you're creating in the kitchen, that's even better!  I love cooking with my kids, especially when they get excited about creating masterpieces of their own...

(One of Miss C's recent masterpieces - she's seven, 

and loves inventing 'gourmet' dishes!)

And I love cooking for people whose eyes light up when you bring them their plate... I could cook for people like that all day long!

(Miss C, delighted with my Raspberry Lemonade!)

Here's my menu plan for this week - 'tmx' means it's prepared and/or cooked in the Thermomix. What are you planning on cooking?  If you need some more ideas, check out the Thermomix Recipe Community, the Forum Thermomix, and the many Thermomix blogs and websites, some of which I've listed in the side bar.  I hope your cooking this week brings lots of happiness - both to you and to everyone you cook for.  Have a great week! :)

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Monday:
(lunch) Lamb & vege soup (made in tmx with leftover lamb roast) and Spelt Challah (tmx)
(dinner) Gluten free pizza (tmx) with dairy free avocado & salad topping (tmx) 

Tuesday:
(lunch) Gemuse Eintopf (tmx) with leftover challah bread
(dinner) Spicy Chicken & Vege Sausage Rolls (spelt rough puff pastry & filling done in tmx) with salad

Wednesday:
(lunch) Corn & Cannelini Bean Patties (tmx) & raw vege sticks
(dinner) Sweet 'n' Sour Beef with Noodles (tmx) and salad

Thursday:
(lunch) Pasta e Fagioli (tmx)
(dinner) Fish (coated in cornmeal and shallow fried) with mashed potato & steamed veges (cooked at the same time in tmx)


Friday:
(lunch) Tuna salad sandwiches on spelt bread (tmx)
(dinner) Leftover spicy chicken & vege sausage rolls (from freezer to oven) with salad (for the family - I'll be cooking at a demo)

Saturday:
(lunch) Baked potatoes (in crockpot) with sun-dried tomato mayonnaise & vege sticks (for the family - I'll be cooking at a demo)
(dinner) Mum's baked chicken with gf cornbread dressing (tmx - recipe coming...) & veges

(Mum's baked chicken and cornbread dressing)

Sunday:

(lunch) Steak, baked potatoes & American chop salad (tmx)

(dinner) Sandwiches

(Note: I have new photos and recipes to post, but my laptop with the photos on is in the shop getting fixed... hopefully I can post them soon!! So please excuse me using photos you've already seen!)

Menu Plan Monday - 10th January

My mind feels blank today, and I'm having a hard time concentrating on planning this week's menu... so I'll keep it short and sweet.  We're having a few repeats from last week's menu, as I ended up with way too much food last week and didn't need to cook everything on the menu.  That's because I was also cooking extra things so I could take photos for the blog, and to practice for cooking demonstrations.  No one complained about the chocolate mousses filling the fridge, or having to eat Chicken and Cashews yet again... so that was all good.  And since I forgot to thaw out the lamb roast last Sunday (and had to make a quick Thermomix spaghetti bolognese instead), we'll try for that again this week!


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

Monday:
(lunch) Beef & vege stir fry with steamed brown rice (tmx)
(dinner) Lentil Bolognese (tmx) with leftover brown rice (warmed up in Varoma)

Tuesday:
(lunch) Tenina's Prawn & Chicken Laksa (tmx)
(dinner) Leftovers & sandwiches on spelt bread (tmx)

Wednesday:
(lunch) Baked potatoes with Sun-Dried Tomato Mayonnaise (tmx) and salad
(dinner) Spicy Fish steamed with Millet Couscous (tmx Varoma) and salad

Thursday:
(lunch) Tuna salad sandwiches on spelt bread (tmx)
(dinner) Pork chops with Orange & Ginger Sauce (tmx), mashed potatoes (tmx) and salad

Friday:
(lunch) Hamburgers on spelt buns (tmx)
(dinner) Buckwheat pasta (tmx) with Raw Pasta Sauce (tmx)

Saturday:
(lunch) Baked beans (tmx) on spelt toast (tmx)
(dinner) Roast lamb, roast pumpkin & potatoes and salad (tmx)

Sunday:
(lunch) Leftover lamb & veges
(dinner) Sandwiches

Before I go, I'm just wondering how often you all use your Varoma?  I use mine every day - sometimes three times a day!  As well as cooking meals in it, I also use it to heat up leftovers.  We don't have a microwave because I don't like to use them - it's much healthier to use the Thermomix for warming food.  I often cook something and warm up the leftovers at the same time - for example, soup or pasta sauce in the tmx bowl cooking on Varoma temp, and leftover pasta, rice, meat or veges in the Varoma tray on top.  If the leftovers are a casserole or have a sauce, etc, I put wet baking paper into the tray to stop them dripping through the holes.  I also use the Varoma for warming up yesterday's bread rolls or slices of cake that are getting a bit dry - they turn out nice and warm and steamy!  If you've got some great ideas for using the Varoma, leave a comment to share them with us all...

And don't forget to leave a comment on "Happy Birthday to Quirky Cooking" this month to go in the draw to win a great prize!!

Hope you all have a good week.  :)  And to all you guys down south where the floods are - keep safe, and my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Jo xx

Chicken and Cashews with Coconut Satay Sauce and Coconut Rice

Don't you love recipes where everything is cooked all at once, in one pot?  Well, this is one of those all-in-one meals, except it's made in the Thermomix, not a pot - which makes it even better because you can do three or four different things at once!  So while the sauce is cooking in the jug, the coconut rice is steaming in the basket above it, and the chicken and veges in the Varoma tray on top!  This is one of our favourite quick-and-easy meals... when I don't feel like cooking, I can have this on the table in half an hour.  And everyone loves it :)  (Adapted from the Chicken and Cashews recipe in the Thermomix Everyday Cookbook - but with my coconut satay sauce!)

The first 3 steps, marinating the chicken, can be done ahead of time for more flavour - but if you're doing it at the last minute like I usually am, don't worry, it still tastes good!

1. Cut chicken into smallish cubes (about 1.5cm square) or slices and place in a bowl:

- 300g - 400g chicken breasts or thighs

2. Chop in Thermomix bowl for 5 seconds, speed 7:

- 1-2 cloves garlic

- 1-2 cms fresh ginger

  Scrape out with spatula and mix with chicken in bowl.  (Don't wash out Thermomix bowl.)

3. Add to chicken, mix in, cover, and set aside:

- a couple of tablespoons of tamari or soy sauce

- a splash of sesame oil

4. Pour into Thermomix bowl:

- 450g coconut cream (1 tin)

- 750g water

5. Sit lid on top of jug, and rice basket on top of lid. Set scales and weigh rice into basket:

- 400g basmati rice (or less if you don't want that much)

    Remove basket and lid, rinse rice under tap (in basket), place basket in jug, then replace lid and lock into place.

6.  Place Varoma tray on top of lid, tip chicken into it and spread out so there's holes open for the steam to come through.  Start cooking at Varoma temperature, 20 minutes, speed 4.

7. Meanwhile, chop up the veges and place them into the Varoma as it's heating up.  I start chopping the harder veges first and put them in as I get them chopped, leaving the ones like snow peas, capsicum and shallots until the end.  Make sure there's a hole in the middle for the steam to get through.  Here's a list of suggested veges - use what you've got:

- some thin wedges of onion

- 2 stalks of celery, leaves removed, thinly sliced

- 2 carrots, thinly sliced

- broccoli, small pieces

- green beans

- chinese cabbage, thinly sliced

- boy choy, thinly sliced

- red (and/or green) capsicum, thinly sliced

- snow peas

- shallots, sliced and sprinkled on top

8. Sprinkle over the top of the veges:

- some sesame seeds

- a handful of cashews (roasted or raw)

- a dash of sesame oil

- a dash of tamari (or soy sauce)

9. When the time's up, remove the rice (placing in the Thermoserver to keep warm), and stir the chicken and veges, breaking the chicken apart and making sure there are holes unblocked for the steam to get through. Cook for another 5 or 10 minutes on Varoma temperature, speed 2, checking that the chicken is cooked through.  You may need to add a little more water if there's not much left in the bowl.  Once cooked, remove Varoma tray while you finish the sauce.  (Tip: You can take the lid off the Thermoserver with the rice in it, and sit the Varoma tray on top so they both stay warm.)

10. To the juices and coconut cream left in the bowl, add the following ingredients and blend on speed 9 for 1 minute:

- a couple of handfuls of raw cashews

- 1 inch of fresh red chilli (or more if you like it hotter)

- a good handful of fresh parsley or coriander

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 1 inch of fresh ginger

- a couple of tablespoons of tamari (or soy sauce)

- 1 teaspoon of Rapadura (optional)

- a tablespoon of chicken stock paste (or vege stock paste)

(I don't measure - just chuck in what you think, blend it, taste it, and adjust if necessary!)

Serve immediately - rice, chicken and veges with cashews on top, and sauce drizzled over liberally!  

Hope you like it! :)

Spelt, Almond & Pistachio Cantucci

Here's a recipe I've been meaning to post for awhile... it's a bit of a favourite around here!  These are great dunked in a hot cuppa, are perfect for picnics (because they are kind of hard and don't crumble like a lot of biscuits do) and are not overly sweet - I find a lot of cookie recipes way too sweet for my taste.  I adapted these from a recipe in the Thermomix cookbook "My Way of Cooking," - I reduced the sugar drastically and used Rapadura and stevia instead, substituted spelt flour for the wheat flour (adding more, as spelt needs less liquid than wheat), and added pistachios because I love them!  If you want an aniseed flavour (also in the original recipe), you can grind up a star anise with the Rapadura at the start... I usually just use almond essence because I like the almond flavour.  Another idea would be to grind up a vanilla bean with the Rapadura and star anise - I think I'll try that next time! For a gluten free version, see the variation at the end.

It's a very easy recipe, but you need to work fast, as the dough gets really sticky the longer you take... so have your ingredients ready to go and keep the blades moving as much as possible so the dough doesn't 'gum up the works'.  If it does slow the blades down, just add an extra handful of flour and use your spatula to pull the dough off the blades, then spin them with the interval speed.  That should get it going again. 

Enjoy! :)

1.  Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

2.  Grind in dry Thermomix bowl on speed 9 for 30 seconds:

- 150g Rapadura

  (If adding a star anise and/or vanilla bean, you'll need to grind for about 1 minute)

3.  Add to bowl and mix on speed 5 for 40 - 60 seconds, until combined:

- 400g spelt flour

  (you can use part wholemeal, but it does get a bit crumbly)

- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp stevia powder

- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 2 eggs

- 1 egg yolk

- 1 tsp almond essence (or vanilla extract)

4.  Quickly add nuts and mix on interval speed for 30 seconds to a minute, until dough is well mixed and nuts are roughly chopped.  If the dough gets too sticky, add another handful of flour to get it moving.
- 120g raw almonds (skin on)
- 80g raw unsalted pistachios

A very sticky dough!

5.  Place dough onto a lightly floured silicon mat and quickly shape into a couple of 3 cm thick logs.  Place onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, making sure there's some space between them.  Cook in preheated oven for about 30 - 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

6.  As soon as they're cooked, remove from oven and slice into diagonal slices - this must be done while they are hot and soft, or they'll crumble! Leave them to cool completely, then store in glass jars.  They also freeze well.

Gluten Free Variation:  You can use this gluten free baking mix instead of the spelt flour, although you may need to adjust the amounts a little if the dough is too sticky.

Hazelnut Version: You can use 100g almonds and 100g hazelnuts too, for a change. :)

Menu Plan Monday - 3rd January

I've been pretty slack lately, and haven't gotten around to menu planning properly - must be because I'm in holiday mode!  So I've got to get back to it - I start to go a bit crazy when I don't menu plan, because everyone starts hassling me for food and there's nothing organized, no bread baked, no meat thawed out... yeah, not good.

I hope you've all had a nice holiday, with lots of good food and fun with friends and family!  We had a bit of a strange Christmas - an unexpected cyclone came through on Christmas morning, the power went out from 6.30am to 2.30pm, and the septic flooded so we couldn't use the toilet or kitchen sink, so we had no way to cook Christmas dinner, and had to wash dishes in a bucket... fun, fun, fun!  So much for the lovely Blueberry and Cinnamon Scrolls I had ready to pop in the oven for breakfast... and we didn't have much else to eat (no bread or cereal or anything), so the kids ate things out of their Christmas stocking, then we went down to Grandma's house and had breakfast there. Luckily I'd made her a loaf of fruit bread for her breakfast, so we went and shared it, as well as some scrambled eggs cooked on the camp cooker!  And a kind friend whose power was still on let us cook the slow baked bbq ribs in her oven for lunch (and the veges were cooked on the gas camp cooker), so we survived.  The ribs were really yummy (thanks Helene!!) and we had a lovely day after all. :)

This week I'm holding an "Allergy Alternatives Thermomix Demonstration" on Friday evening, if any of you locals are interested - I still have room for one or two more... the menu is below.  Please let me know if you'd like to come.  A few people in Perth have asked if I could possibly do one of these demonstrations over there when I visit in February; so if you're in Perth and are interested, let me know and we'll see if we can work it out somehow.

Anyway, here's my menu plan for this week - there's lots more menu planning ideas at "I'm an Organizing Junkie" on Menu Plan Monday.  Have a great week!

[tmx = prepared and/or made in my Thermomix]

Monday: 

(lunch) Gluten free steamed 'bread rolls' 

(cooked in tmx Varoma in silicon cupcake cups) 

with Mushroom a la King (tmx)

(dinner) Corn and potato chowder with chorizo sausages 

(tmx and crockpot)

Mushroom a la King (on baked potatoes)

Corn and Potato Chowder with Chorizo Sausages

Tuesday:

(lunch) Mushroom & sun-dried tomato risotto 

(tmx - similar to this recipe)

(dinner) Fish cakes (tmx) with creole mayonnaise (tmx), 

with baked potatoes and salad

Wednesday:

(lunch) Lentil bolognese (tmx) with steamed brown rice (tmx) and salad

(dinner) Spelt tortillas (tmx) with leftover lentils 

(reheated in tmx Varoma) and salad

Thursday:

(lunch) Never-the-same-curry with meatballs (tmx) 

on steamed basmati rice (tmx)

(dinner) Leftovers 

Friday:

(lunch) Salmon salad pizza (tmx)

(dinner) Allergy Alternatives Thermomix Demonstration

Menu: Berry & Nectarine Fruity Dream (honey sweetened)

     Macadamia 'Cheese' (served sprinkled on top of salad)

     American Chop Salad

     Spelt bread rolls or Steamed gluten free bread rolls

     Chicken and cashews with coconut satay sauce and rice
(3 in one meal, all cooked at same time)
Dairy Free Chocolate Mousse

     Naturally Sweetened Grain Free Pecan Cake (based on this recipe, but sweetened with dates and honey) served with Cashew Cream

Flourless Pecan Cake

Saturday:

(lunch) Lamb chops with braised lentils (tmx) and salad

(dinner) Tuna one-bowl gf pasta (tmx)

Sunday:

(lunch) Roast lamb & veges (gravy made in tmx)

(dinner) Leftovers & sandwiches

Dairy Free Chocolate Mousse

Happy New Year!

2010 is over, and the new year has begun!  I hope the past year was one you can look back on with fond memories - a year where you grew and learned and loved and lived a life worth living!  But if not, isn't it wonderful to be able to start a New Year today?  It's like opening a brand new notepad with clean, white pages, full of anticipation about what you're going to fill it with.  Did you love that feeling when you were a kid at school?  I did!  I was always determined to keep my book clean and neat, no smudges, no messy writing, no scribbling in the margins... but, human nature being what it is, that never lasted long. :)  So I'm pretty sure my New Year's Resolutions won't be kept perfectly - life may get a bit messy, and I might 'scribble in the margins' sometimes this year, but that's okay. When that happens I'll turn the page in my notebook and start a new one, reminding myself, "This is the first day for the rest of my life!"  I'm so thankful that it's not just on New Year's day that we get a chance to start over, it's every day. :)

So, what are your New Year's Resolutions?  I think most of us would say that eating healthier is one of them, and  I hope we can all encourage each other to do that.  If you're anything like me, you probably cheated a bit over Christmas and New Year's (and maybe you're regretting it now!), but just remember, what you ate between Christmas and the New Year is less important than what you'll eat between the New Year and Christmas!!!  :D  So start a new page, and let's work on it together!  Here's to a year of delicious, healthy food, in your house and mine!

*     *     *      *     *

We started off the year on a good note today, with lunch at Grandma's house, which is always a treat - Grandma is well-known for her wonderful cooking!  At Christmas, Grandpa and I surprised her with a Thermomix (she was very surprised - so much fun!) so she's having a great time learning to use it... She's already making up recipes and adapting the ones in the book to suit her, and we're enjoying the excitement of each new success.  Today she made cornbread stuffing (or 'dressing') in the Thermomix (for the Chicken and Dressing), as well as the gravy... it was sooo good... We didn't have a turkey at Christmas, so we had it for New Year's instead, as well as this lovely dish...

Grandma's Chicken and Cornbread Dressing Bake

I'll have to post her recipe for that cornbread dressing - it's so yummy - my mum's dressing is the only one I like!

Roast turkey, chicken and dressing, veges and gravy

For the gravy, I usually just tip all the meat juices into the Thermomix, add some cornflour and a bit of tamari (or soy sauce), and thicken on 100 degrees, speed 4 for a few minutes.  If you like, you can use your vegetable/meat stock concentrate to flavour it, instead of tamari.  So easy, and so delicious!

We also had some homemade bread - my spelt baguettes, and Grandma's bread (she's still amazed at how quick and easy it is in the Thermomix!)...

...and some Cherry Dream with Berry Nougat for dessert - yum!

Oh, and some of my Flourless Pecan Brownie Cookies with a cuppa...
I made this recipe up yesterday and they turned out so yum,
if I may say so myself - recipe coming!
 (Sorry, didn't get a good photo as the light was low - I'll have to make them again now, so I can take some photos! hee hee)

So that was our New Year's Day lunch - dinner was leftovers :) Hopefully next week I'll get back into my usual routine and get a menu plan posted!

Have a great weekend, and many blessings for the New Year,

Jo :)

P.S. Don't forget to leave a comment on my "Happy Birthday to Quirky Cooking" post, so you can go in the draw to win a Miessence Sample Pack, which includes organic chocolate perfume and coconut body lotion!!