Vanilla Coconut Pine Lime Sorbet

Well the weather's finally starting to warm up. I'm so ready for spring, summer and SORBET! This is just a quick post to try out my new laptop (yay!) and share my new favourite flavour of sorbet. It's so refreshing, a perfect intro to the warmer weather.

These flavours were inspired by what's been in my vege box lately. Creamy and tropical, this is a great one for those of us who need a dairy free replacement for ice cream... you'd swear it has cream in it! I'm so addicted to coconut cream ice-creams. I hope you like it too. :)

Note: You will need to freeze the pineapple pieces and the coconut cream ahead of time!

1. Grind vanilla, rapadura & lime zest on speed 9 for 30 seconds, or until finely ground:

- 80g Rapadura (or to taste)

- 1 vanilla bean, snipped in a few pieces

- Zest of 2 limes

(If you don't have a vanilla bean, just use a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract in the last step.) 

2. Add the ice cubes and grind on speed 9 for 10 seconds:

- 350g ice cubes

3. Add the frozen coconut cream and grind on speed 9 for 10 seconds:

- 450g coconut cream, frozen in ice cube trays (either tinned, or make your own from fresh or dried coconut)

4. Add frozen pineapple pieces, the two whole 2 limes (without skin), and the egg white. Process on speed 9 until creamy, pushing mixture down with spatula as needed.

- 2 limes, skin removed
- 300g frozen pineapple pieces

- 1 egg white (optional)

Pecan-Orange Milk (Dairy Free)

Okay, don't die of shock, but here's another recipe - two in two days!! This is just a little one... I was going to post it on my Quirky Cooking Facebook Page but sometimes my 'little recipes' get a bit lost over there, never to be found again. A bit like yesterday's recipe, which was nearly lost in my handbag, and I've been strongly encouraged by Helene of Super Kitchen Machine to use 'post-it' notes for my scribbles, not scraps of shopping lists, so that doesn't happen again! (You've got to see her hilarious video here; so funny!)

This is a 'juice' I've been making for years, with many variations. Change it around with:
- raw cashews or blanched almonds or a handful of fresh coconut (or dry shredded coconut) instead of pecans;
- fresh pineapple or grapefruit or tangellos instead of the oranges;
- a raw egg added for extra protein;
- a big handful or two of raw baby spinach or other greens.

It's a great way to start off the day - the enzymes and vitamin C in the fresh fruit and the minerals and protein in the nuts make a great combination! It's thick and creamy like a smoothie, but without the dairy. If you like it sweeter, add a little raw honey or agave syrup. If you want it thinner, just add a little more water. Hope you like it!

Toss into your Thermomix bowl:
- 3 or 4 peeled oranges, depending on size (or grapefruit, or pineapple)
- a couple of handfuls of raw pecans (or raw cashews, blanched almonds or fresh coconut)
- a couple of handfuls of ice cubes
- 100g water

Whiz it all up on speed 9 for 2 minutes. Add some more water if you want it thinner, or a little honey or agave syrup if you want it sweeter.

Enjoy! :)

Pecan Bread (Grain Free)

I've been meaning to try pecan bread for a while now, ever since a friend who can't eat any grains told me about it. So last week when I got a big bag of local, organic pecans through my co-op, I decided the time had come. I made it and loved it! It has a lovely texture, with a crisp, almost buttery, crust.  Have I ever mentioned how much I love nuts? Yeah. I do. So I'm really sorry if you have a nut allergy, but I can't cover all bases at once, and this bread is gluten free, grain free, dairy free, sugar free, low salicylate (with tweaks), high protein, low carbs, and... okay, it's not egg free, but we're running out of ingredients here, guys! 

Anyway, I googled 'pecan bread' and found this amazing blog, "Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried" (the quirky title immediately catching my attention), which has delicious SCD recipes (which means 'grain free' for the uninitiated!). Naomi is a homeopath and nutritionist in London who is herself a coeliac and coaches people through "the process of healing their gut and learning how to eat without gluten". A worthy cause. So I decided to try her Gluten Free Pecan and Apple Bread because it looked so good, and I loved her blog title. :) And here it is, with a few Thermomixin' tweaks of my own. Enjoy!

P.S. Even though it has apple in it, that is more for moistness than sweetness - this is not a 'sweet' bread like banana bread - it's a bread that can be used for sandwiches or toast or just eaten happily on its' own.

P.P.S. This also has almonds in it. In fact it has more almonds than pecans. So I'm not really sure why it's called pecan bread without any allusion to almonds, but it is. And also, if you are on the *Failsafe diet, you can cut down the salicylates by using hazelnuts instead of pecans. Of course, then you might like to call it hazelnut bread or it could get confusing. Okay. On to the recipe...

* For more Failsafe tips, see the comment from Naomi below!

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C. Line a bread tin with baking paper and set aside.

1. First you need to make some coconut butter. (I loooove this stuff!) This is what gives the bread that buttery crispness. You could use creamed coconut (which is what the original recipe calls for), but if you have a Thermomix, coconut butter is much cheaper and so quick and easy. It only takes 4 minutes, and the only ingredient is shredded coconut. So just pop over to "Super Kitchen Machine" and get the recipe, then pop back here. Thanks. :)

2. Now, after you've scraped the coconut butter out of your Thermomix into a dish, place the almonds in the Thermomix bowl (no need to wash the bowl) and grind up on speed 8 for 10 seconds:

- 200g raw almonds

3. Add the pecans and chop on speed 5 for 6 seconds:

- 120g raw pecans (or use hazelnuts for a low salicylate version)

   Remove the ground nuts to a bowl and set aside.

4. Place in the Thermomix bowl the following ingredients, and mix on speed 6 for 10 seconds:

- 1 apple, quartered (no need to peel)

- 5 large free range eggs

- 50g macadamia oil (or grapeseed, or other light oil)

- 1 tbspn lemon juice (or 2 tsp apple cider vinegar)

- 3/4 tsp bicarb soda

- pinch of fine sea salt

- 60g coconut butter

5. Scrape down sides and add the ground nuts back in to the mixture, mixing for a few more seconds on speed 6.

6. Pour into the lined tin and bake for an hour or so, until risen and browned; a skewer poked down into the centre of the bread will come out clean when it's ready. (I know the original recipe says 40 mins, but mine took over an hour - may depend on the oven, or I may have used less nuts than she did - I was kind of guessing amounts. Never mind, it worked!)

7. Let the bread cool for 10 minutes before removing carefully from the tin. Pull it up with the paper so you don't break it. It will firm up as it cools.

We ate it warm with naturally sweetened apricot jam, then had it the next day toasted. It makes lovely toast! It's great for sandwiches too. I really wanted to try it with grilled strawberries and Rapadura, but the strawberries were all gone. Next time.

If you won't use it within a day or two, it can be sliced thinly, frozen in loose layers, then when completely frozen, wrapped and kept frozen to use a slice at a time.

Hope you like it!

And thanks Naomi. :)

Garlic Quinoa

We love quinoa! It's healthy, delicious, quick to cook, high in protein, contains all the amino acids (so is great for vegetarians), contains no gluten, is low G.I., high in fibre, packed with nutrients, is grown organically... what's not to love?

Quinoa is not a grain - it's actually a kind of grass seed from a leafy, green plant that's related to spinach and chard! There's a bit of argument over whether you should eat it if you're on a grain-free diet - personally, I would. But that's up to you. You really should soak it first, overnight if possible, to get rid of the saponins on the outside of the grain (which taste bitter and are not so good for you) then rinse it... but if you don't have time to soak it, at least rinse it really, really well under running water, or dry roast it in a dry frypan for a few minutes. That will get rid of most of the saponins. Soaking is best though.

The quinoa in these photos is a mixture of three types - red, white and black. White is the most common, and you see red fairly often too, but this mix I bought recently through my co-op also contained the rarer black quinoa, which I thought was pretty cool! By the way, it's pronounced 'keen-wah', in case you were wondering. :)

Here's an easy, tasty way to cook quinoa in your Thermomix. Garlic quinoa is a great side dish. Serve with curries, chilli or stew; use it instead of mashed potatoes, rice, couscous or pasta. It's delicious in salads too. (For example, you know that delicious 'Warm Chicken, Pumpkin & Couscous Salad' from the Thermomix Varoma demo? Try it with garlic quinoa instead of couscous! Yum!)

I usually cook my quinoa in the rice basket in my Thermomix, just the same way I cook rice - same timing, same amounts - easy. As you can see in the photo below, the slits in the rice basket are small enough that it shouldn't fall through.

Garlic Quinoa in the Thermomix

Prepare ahead: Soak 350g quinoa overnight first; drain & rinse. Or at least rinse really well before preparing.

1. Chop garlic on speed 7 for 3 seconds:
- 3 cloves of garlic (more if you like)

2. Add oil or ghee and saute for 3 minutes, Varoma temp, speed 4:
- 50g olive oil or ghee

3. Add water & salt:
- 900g water
- 1 tsp sea salt

4. Take pre-soaked or rinsed quinoa and place in rice basket, put basket into bowl, then fit on the lid.
- 350g dry quinoa, soaked or rinsed

5. Cook on Varoma temp for 15 minutes, speed 4. Remove lid, stir quinoa with a fork, and taste to make sure it's salty enough. Season to taste and replace lid.

6. Cook another 5 minutes on Varoma temp, speed 4 - or until quinoa is soft, translucent, and the little 'tail' is visible. (Only the white quinoa will look translucent - see photo below.)

7. Empty basket into Thermoserver and fluff quinoa with a fork.

Serve as a side dish. Feeds at least 6, probably more!

Strawberries on Toast

This isn't really a recipe... but I just wanted to share it because it's so yummy! It sounds very simple - 'strawberries on toast' - but it's so much better than plain old 'jam on toast' for breakfast... especially if it's on toasted Artisan bread!

First you'll need some Spelt Artisan Bread, or Gluten Free Artisan Bread. Slice some nice, thick slices and toast under a grill.

Spread with butter, or butter spread.

Add some sliced strawberries.

Sprinkle liberally with Rapadura.

Place back under the grill and toast it 'til the Rapadura starts to bubble.

Enjoy.

Getting lots of great Artisan bread recipes from this book!

Banana & Pomegranate Custard Crumble

I had two very exciting things happen today - my Quirky Cooking Facebook Page reached 1000 followers (thank you lovely people!!), and I received a special package in the mail - a gigantic, beautiful pomegranate from Royal Pom! 

I noticed a week or two ago that Royal Pom were offering free samples, so I eagerly took them up on it. I don't remember ever eating fresh pomegranate before - maybe I have, since my mum loves them - but I can't imagine that I'd forget that mouth-watering, tangy, juicy, burst of flavour! Wow!

I hadn't had time to check out pomegranate recipes yet, but I couldn't wait! I cut it open and tasted it, and decided to make a quick banana custard with crumble topping, with some pomegranate arils sprinkled over the top to jazz it up. The tart, juicy arils remind me of shiny, red jewels that 'pop' in your mouth. They are a perfect foil for creamy bananas and custard, and crunchy crumble topping. Such a simple dessert, yet very satisfying. :)

First make the crumble topping.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

1.  Mix together in the Thermomix on speed 5 for 10 seconds:
- 250g gluten free flour
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 110g butter or macadamia oil
- 100g Rapadura (or less if you like)
- a handful of raw almonds (optional)

(Or for a very simple crumble topping, mix equal amounts of flour, oats/quinoa flakes, and butter/macadamia oil, plus some Rapadura to sweeten.)

2. Crumble the mixture onto a baking paper lined tray and bake for 10-15 minutes at 180C, until lightly browned and crispy. Set aside to cool.


While the crumble is cooking, make the custard. You can use whatever custard recipe you prefer, but here's two options for dairy free, gluten free custards. The banana-chia custard is also egg-free.

Rice-Almond Milk Custard:

Place all ingredients in the Thermomix and cook at 90 degrees, 7 minutes, speed 4:
- 500g rice-almond milk
- 60g Rapadura
- 30g cornflour or arrowroot
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
- 1 egg yolk + 1 egg (or 1 or 2 eggs, depending on size)*
- You can also add a tablespoon or two of butter (if you can have it) to make it creamier

Egg-Free Banana Chia Custard:

Grind together for 15 seconds on speed 9:
- 100g raw cashews
- 30g white chia seeds
- 30g gf cornflour

Add and blend for 1 minute on speed 9:
- 550g water

Add and blend 20 seconds at speed 8:
- 50g honey
- 1 large banana quartered

Cook at 90C for 7 minutes, speed 4.


Put it together: Slice up 2 or 3 bananas and layer them on the bottom of your dessert dishes. Pour the hot custard over the top so the bananas are completely covered, then crumble up some crumble mixture and sprinkle it over the top.

Top with fresh pomegranate arils.

That's it! So simple... enjoy!

Making Butter in the Thermomix

Homemade butter tastes so much better than bought butter! Most bought butters have additives and preservatives in them, some have colours, and non-organic butters also contain residues from the drugs fed to cows, and the pesticides in their feed. By using organic cream to make your own, you can have a delicious butter that's free from all the 'nasties' at a fraction of the cost. You'll get the best savings by buying your cream in bulk. We can buy cream in 2 litre bottles from our local organic dairy, and it works out much cheaper than bought butter. Some shops will also sell cream in 2 litre bottles, so ask around. Once you've made the butter, it can be frozen in smaller batches and thawed as needed.


With the Thermomix, making butter is a cinch. It usually takes about a minute, maybe two, to change from pure cream into butter and buttermilk. It costs less than buying pre-made butter, and if you make it into a butter spread (adding oil and water and whipping it up), it costs even less! I think most people know how bad for you margerine is, and since it's best to keep dairy to a minimum, (using it as a condiment, not a main part of your diet) this seems to me to be a good alternative to both margerine and pure butter. I can't handle too much butter, but I find if I mix my butter with olive oil and water (equal amounts of each), my body doesn't mind it so much. 


This spread works well in all recipes that call for butter - cakes, biscuits, scones, even lemon butter. My mum uses extra virgin, cold-pressed olive oil in hers, but some people find the taste too strong. I usually use macadamia oil. If you're nut free, you can use your preferred oil.


Here's how I make my butter spread in the Thermomix:

1. Insert the butterfly and measure in the cream:
- 600g pure cream (make sure it's pure cream - thickened cream may not work)

2. Whip on speed 4 until it separates into butter and buttermilk. It will start to bump around, so stay near your machine and turn it off after a couple of seconds of 'bumping'. It usually takes only a minute or two, but I have had older cream take up to 5 minutes.

3. Strain the buttermilk by pouring it through the strainer/rice basket into a bowl. Squeeze the butter well with the spatula (against the side of the bowl) to get out as much of the buttermilk as you can. The buttermilk is lovely to bake with in scones, breads, cakes and pancakes (if you can have dairy), so don't throw it out!

4. Remove the butterfly from the bowl and pour about 500g icy cold water over the butter. Mix it on speed 4 for a few seconds to rinse it. Strain the water off into the sink, pressing the butter against the side of the bowl with the spatula and pouring through the strainer/rice basket again. The butter needs to be rinsed twice, or until the water is clear (see below). If you leave any buttermilk in the butter, it will turn sour more quickly.

5. Give the butter a good squeeze to get rid of any remaining water. This can be done with the spatula, squeezing the butter against the side of the bowl; or you can wrap a piece of muslin around the butter and squeeze it; or you can just use your hands, like I do. :)

6. Now make sure the bowl is empty, and weigh the butter back in so you know how much you have. Then add in that much oil and water.
Eg: If you end up with 300g of butter, add 300g of oil and 300g of water. Also add a little salt if you like. I add a bit less than a teaspoon of salt to this amount of butter, oil and water.
- macadamia oil (or olive oil if you like the taste)
- filtered water
- sea salt/himalayan salt (opt.)

7. Insert the butterfly, and whip the butter, oil, water and salt on speed 4 for about 20 seconds, or until well combined. Pour into a container (preferably glass) and keep in the fridge.

(Notice I said 'pour' it into a container! It will be very sloppy at first, but don't worry - as it chills it will set to a spreadable consistency.)

This butter spread will last a few weeks if kept refrigerated, and is easy to spread straight from the fridge.