Minggu, 06 Oktober 2013

Quick & Easy Pancakes - 3 Ways



Someone mentioned to me the other day that they love my Blender Batter Pancakes recipe, but that sometimes they're in too much of a rush to do the whole 'prepare the night before' thing, and they needed a simple pancake recipe for times like that. I agree - I don't always soak the grains the night before, because pancakes are sometimes a spur of the moment thing. Like last night.

We arrived home from our road trip to Mackay in the afternoon, and I managed to scrounge through the fridge and freezer to find mince and veges for a quick dinner. But by 8pm I was hungry again. That's when it dawned on me that while I was away my mum had stocked up the big freezer with half a pig (homegrown by a friend and butchered locally). AND I had just bought a litre of organic pure maple syrup from Sprout in Townsville. Perfect. Pancakes, bacon and maple syrup, coming up! (Yes, I know, soup for breakfast and pancakes for supper... I'm weird like that.)




I used to work at a roadside cafe for a Canadian lady when I was 18, and she found it very strange that I didn't know how to make pancakes just off the top of my head. It made her quite impatient when I'd ask her 'How much flour was that again? How much milk?' So I soon learnt, and nowadays I don't usually measure, just chuck in a bit of this and a bit of that until they look right. But just in case you are like my 18 year old self and need a recipe, I've written out the measurements for you. Feel free to tweak to taste - more milk for thinner pancakes, less milk for thicker. And I've added a few variations, so you can pick between spelt, gluten free and grain free coconut flour pancakes. If you need an egg free or nut free variation, check out the notes below the recipes.

Enjoy!




Quick & Easy Pancakes

250g spelt flour (white and/or wholemeal) or 220g plain gluten free flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
300g rice-almond milk or coconut milk (or alter amount depending on preferred thickness)
30g macadamia oil or soft butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg (optional - see notes)
coconut oil for cooking pancakes

Place dry ingredients into mixing bowl and blend 5 sec/speed 5.

Add remaining ingredients (except oil for cooking) and blend 10 sec/speed 5.

Heat a heavy based frying pan over medium-high heat and add 1-2 Tbsp coconut oil. Once it melts, pour in 10cm circles of pancake batter, and turn heat down slightly to make sure the pancakes don't burn.

Cook until bubbles are forming and popping in the batter, and edges are becoming crisp. Turn over and cook until lightly browned.

Remove pancakes to a plate, add another 1-2 Tbsp coconut oil, and continue cooking pancakes until batter is finished.

Serve hot with butter (opt) and pure maple syrup, or sprinkled with Rapadura or coconut sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Leftover pancakes can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days and served with jam as pikelet, or reheated under the grill.

This batter also works well for waffles.

Notes:

To make these egg free you can use egg replacer, or chia eggs (1 Tbsp chia seeds + 3 Tbsp water), or half a mashed banana, or just add a little extra milk.

For nut free, use olive oil, coconut oil or butter, and coconut milk instead of rice almond milk.




Coconut Flour Pancakes

5 eggs
170g almond milk or coconut milk
70g coconut flour
30g macadamia oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp baking powder

Place all the ingredients into the mixing bowl and blend 10 sec/speed 6. Scrape down sides of bowl and reblend briefly on speed 3 if needed.

Cook as above.

Notes:

To make almond milk, just mill 100g raw almonds 10 sec/speed 9, add 500g water and blend 
1 min/speed 9. No need to strain the milk for this recipe.

Coconut flour really needs the eggs to work, although maybe banana would work instead. 
I haven't tried that yet - let me know if you do!

For nut free, use soft butter or coconut oil instead of the macadamia oil, and coconut milk instead of almond milk.

Selasa, 10 September 2013

Coconut Vanilla Sorbet



Spring is here, and the weather is finally beginning to warm up, yippee! At least, it is here, up in the mountains in Far North Queensland. 

For the last couple of months I've been putting off testing ice cream recipes for my book, as it's just been too cold. But today was absolutely gorgeous, and the sunshine encouraged me to get started. I decided to begin with a coconut sorbet, and it turned out so delicious I just couldn't wait to share it. (Don't worry, I have way too many recipes to fit in my book anyway, so I can afford to pop one on the blog instead.) :)



Photo taken this evening on our street ~ Spring is here!

I got the idea for this recipe a few weeks ago, when I saw a coconut sorbet in the freezer section of the grocery store. The ingredients were: coconut water (60%), cane sugar, coconut cream and flavour, desiccated coconut, dextrose, natural stabilizers (xanthan, guar gum, carrageen, maltodextrine). I figured I could make my own with less ingredients, no highly processed sugar, no flavours, and no carrageen. For less money. So that was my challenge... I hope you'll let me know what you think of the outcome! I haven't actually tasted the one from the grocery store so I have no idea if mine is the same sort of flavour, but I love this one and am very happy knowing it's healthier and costs less.

This sorbet actually took me right back to my childhood, when mum would make ice cream for us from fresh snow. Have you ever eaten 'snow ice cream'? When I was 4-5, we were travelling around the USA in a camper van for a year. When it snowed we would go outside and scoop up the clean snow, take it back into our warm camper van, and Mum would mix in some sugar and vanilla. We thought it was the most amazing treat ever. It's funny, I haven't thought about snow ice cream for years, but with my first mouthful of this sorbet, that's all I could think of! So I popped some into a bowl and dashed down to mum's house to give her a taste, and mum and dad agreed - just like snow ice cream. Great memories.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 



Coconut Vanilla Sorbet
(dairy, egg, nut, gluten, and cane sugar free)

Makes just under a litre.

800ml unsweetened coconut water (eg. Natural Raw C coconut water)
100g thick coconut cream, preservative free (eg. Ayam)
60-80g pure organic maple syrup
1/2 - 1 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (to taste)
dessicated coconut to serve (preservative free, available at health food shops) OR fresh coconut, grated

Freeze the coconut water in ice cube trays until frozen solid.

Place 400g of the coconut water ice cubes into the Thermomix mixing bowl, and blend
5 sec/speed 9, or until it becomes 'snow'.

Add remaining 400g frozen coconut water and blend 10 sec/speed 9, until 'snow'.

Add coconut cream (the thickest part from top of tin), maple syrup and vanilla, and blend 
1 min/speed 9, using the spatula to help it along. Remove lid and scrape down sides, reblending until sorbet is smooth and creamy, approx. 30 sec/speed 9.

Serve immediately, sprinkled with a little dessicated coconut.

Note: If you need to freeze some for later, freeze in ice cube trays and reblend when ready to serve.

Variations:

If you have fresh coconuts on hand, freeze the coconut water, and grate up the flesh to make coconut cream (see this recipe for instructions), saving a little of the freshly grated coconut to sprinkle over the finished sorbet. Delicious! (And dirt cheap!) 

Sweetener can be reduced to taste, or changed to a 1/4 tsp green stevia powder for a sugar free version.



Jumat, 23 Agustus 2013

Gooey Flourless Fudge Brownies {with Video}




Okay, I'll keep this short and sweet.

You guys want brownies. Grain free, dairy free, nut free brownies. At least I'm pretty sure you do, because when I posted the above photo on my Facebook page it got 181 shares, 1014 likes, and 229 comments!

So here it is. Your weekend treat. Enjoy :D

[Note: This is a Thermomix recipe - see end of page for tips for making this without a Thermomix.]





Gooey Flourless Fudge Brownies

- 200g dark, dairy free chocolate (I use either Green & Black's 70% cocoa chocolate which 'may contain traces of dairy', or Loving Earth dark chocolate which is completely dairy free)
- 130g raw Medjool dates, pitted
- 180g organic cold-pressed coconut oil
- 30g coconut flour
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 190C. Line a 22cm square baking dish with baking paper. I use 'If You Care' baking paper, which is non-toxic.

Place the chocolate (broken into pieces) into the mixing bowl and mill for 10 sec/speed 9.

Add the dates to the bowl and chop 15 sec/speed 10.

Add the coconut oil and cook 5 mins/60C/speed 2.

Add remaining ingredients and mix 20 sec/speed 8. Scrape down lid and sides of bowl and mix another 10 sec/speed 6.

Scrape mixture into a lined, square baking dish. Bake in preheated 190C oven for 18-20 mins. Be careful not to overcook or they won't be gooey! Just until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Cool, cut into small squares, and refrigerate until cold.

Of course, you probably won't be able to wait, but they really do taste so much more AMAZING when they're cold and gooey and fudgey! Trust me.

Can be dusted with some raw cacao powder, or if you want to be really decadent, top with this dairy free ganache, or some dairy free dulce de leche!

PS It might be best to 'share the love' and invite a friend over for a cuppa and brownies... these are RICH, so don't eat them all yourself! Lol!!

Have a great weekend xx




This one was quite popular with the taste testers!!


* Note: If you don't have a Thermomix, you'll need to finely chop the chocolate and dates (in a food processor if you have one) and melt together over a double boiler with the coconut oil, whisking until smooth. Then stir in the remaining ingredients with a wooden spoon. 

Weekly Highlights & a Video!



Hey everyone, how's your week been? Just hanging in there, waiting for Friday? Or was it HAPPY?

Here's a few things that made me happy this week...




Watching my daughter enjoy the neighbourhood tree swing on a misty Monday morning {Video here}...




This pretty, layered, chocolate coconut chia pudding... Recipe here.




A big box of Natural Raw C Coconut Water arriving on my doorstep - thanks Raw C! [gifted]
(My fave - no sweeteners or nasties added like lots of others! 
Check it out - it's on special this week for 25% off!)




Oh, and this chia pudding too... leave out the cacao, add vanilla and cinnamon, and top with fresh pineapple, passionfruit, goji berries and macadamias, with a dash of pure maple syrup. Such a lovely breakfast.




 And cooking, recipe testing, and sharing my experiments with some cute taste testers!








My kids keep me humble... "Mum, what IS this???"
Thanks Miss C. ;)

 All good fun. So here's the big news on my Facebook page - this week we hit 40,000 likes, and I promised to post a video as a big THANK YOU!! So here it is, my Green Chocolate Smoothie video... keeping it real, forgetting ingredients and embarrassing my kids as usual. Woo hoo!





I hope you enjoyed that, because tomorrow I'll be posting the Gooey Flourless Fudge Brownies video too. :D

Here's a few more highlights from my Facebook page lately ~ enjoy!


FOOD



Quinoa Salad: I love how much this meal makes! And so yum.

Introducing the 'Other Half' to Healthy Eating: How does your other half react? Funny story here!

Cooking on a Budget: Tips for cutting costs on your grocery bill.

Lamb Shanks: Delicious ideas for cooking lamb shanks.

Healthy Muesli Bars: Recipes that aren't full of sugar here.

Yoghurt Help! A reader asked here for help with her yoghurt, and then later in the week I found this blog post by Nourished Kitchen on 'Why Your Yoghurt Isn't Working Out'.

Dinner Party: What would you make for an allergy friendly dinner party? Question asked by a friend when I was going to their place for dinner ;)

Leftover Ganache? What's that??

Paleo/Primal Breakfast Ideas for Kids: Bit of a spirited discussion here, with lots of ideas!

Snack Ideas for Pregnant Mums: Busy mums that are expecting a new arrival need good, nourishing snacks! Ideas here.

Foolproof Mayonnaise! The lovely ThermoSisters share their mayo recipe.

Travelling Meals: What to make in your Thermomix while travelling, and what pantry staples to take with you.

Healthy Party Food: Amazing party food ideas from Hot Pink Chilli!!

Chocolate Mud Cakes: Really yummy recipes.



HEALTH

Have any of you, like me, found that the Thermomix revolutionised the way you eat? Carla wrote to ask this question. She says, "I'm keen to hear if anyone has purchased a Thermomix with the intention to make (nearly) everything from scratch, but found it was not revolutionary. The reason I ask is that I'm becoming quite obsessed with them, and I'm determined that it would change our busy family's culinary existence. However, I'm wondering if I'm over-estimating the impact it would have."

I know for me it has made my 'back to basics, from scratch, allergy friendly' cooking so much easier. I thought I already cooked that way, but now I cook MUCH more 'from scratch' than before. I love having the power of choosing what is in my food. Here's some things I use my Thermomix for:

- grinding grains and making wheat free and gluten free breads;
- making dairy free milks and creams and custards;
- whizzing up juices and fresh fruit ice-creams and sorbets;
- baking cakes and desserts with wholesome ingredients and natural sweeteners;
- making nut butters, sauces and spreads without additives;
- and for quick, healthy meals.


Now, a lot of you would say 'but you can do most of those things without a Thermomix'. Sure, if you want to be in the kitchen all day. I'm a busy mum, homeschooling four kids and running my own business and a blog and writing a book. I really don't have time to be in the kitchen ALL day, which is what I was doing before I had a Thermomix. It's funny, back then I had a girl come in to help with the kids and housework, I didn't have a blog or book or homeschooling to deal with, and I STILL couldn't keep up! I know it's partly that my kids have gotten older and take less time in a lot of ways, but it's also that I don't have to hand grind my grains, hand knead my bread, hand stir every custard and milk and soup and meal on the stovetop, hand chop all the ingredients, and I'm eating better so have more energy.

What about you? Has the Thermomix helped you to make nearly everything from scratch? Has it revolutionised the way you cook and eat?

Check out how Quirky Cooking readers answered Carla's question here.

(If you want to know more of my story and why I cook the way I do, see my 'About Me' page on my blog.)

Fussy eating & sensory issues: A reader sent a message to say, "I have a child with sensory issues and probably mildly aspergers. Very very fussy eater and plain white food lover. I have tried everything with him to broaden his taste buds but he just slathers everything he does eat in tomato sauce. He is almost 10 and it is becoming a big issue." Read the discussion here.

Eczema: This has to be one of the most commented on posts ever on my page - how to get rid of eczema on a 17 week old baby. Very interesting comments.

Natural constipation remedies here.

Top 10 reasons coconut oil is so good for you!

Anxiety & Gut Healing: An issue close to my heart. Really big discussion here.




A random photo of me and Ruth, a friend's pet python :D

BITS & PIECES

I blogged about what my crazy mind looks like at midnight

I found out that Ford is giving me a brand new Ford Territory Titanium to test drive for 6 weeks (plus $400 worth of fuel) so I can let you all know what I think

We had a laugh over my son's question about how 'drinking milk' was discovered

The Thermomix Recipe Community has a facelift

I redecorated part of my dining room with some pretty pieces from Fixed Abode in Yungaburra, FNQ




I decide to run for Prime Minister, handing out free Coconut Caramel Custard to sway the voters... :D (Ok, that was just a joke, but you never know - it COULD work!!)

And I was the recipient of a random act of kindness that blew my mind! So lovely.

Oh, and Miss C proves she is related to me...


Ha ha!! 

Have a great weekend guys, and I'll be back soon with a new video and recipe for Gooey Flourless Fudge Brownies - yippeee!

Kamis, 08 Agustus 2013

Now. A Peep into my Crazy Mind at Midnight.





I should really be in bed, it's midnight. But I've been chatting with a friend, and then I made the mistake of looking at my messages before bed, and I saw this fun idea being shared around by Veggie Mama and Live it. Do it., and I impulsively jotted down what I'm doing right now, too. 

So here it is, a peep into my crazy mind at midnight, when I really should be sleeping. 

Making: A quirky cookbook!

Cooking: Mexican black bean chilli mole (Well, not right now, but that's what I cooked after dinner. I know, weird to cook dinner after dinner.)

Drinking: Black tea with honey

Reading: Old journals full of handwritten quotes and poems, with a friend




Wanting: To catch up on all the questions on my Facebook page - I'm soooo far behind!

Looking: Forward to bed

Playing: This little game instead of doing my work (or going to bed)

Wasting: Time looking at photos and chatting on Instagram

Sewing: Nothing now, a ripped apron was the last thing I sewed (badly)

Wishing: I could see friends and family that are far away

Enjoying: Coconut berry yoghurt with strawberries and chocolate fudge cake for a late night snack ;)

Waiting: For the weekend (not that I have less work on the weekend, but somehow it still feels different)

Liking: Having a friend here to help me out with the cooking, washing up, kids and schoolwork

Wondering: If I'll ever get this book finished

Loving: My precious children




Hoping: That tomorrow I can get more done

Marvelling: At the gorgeous weather, and how blessed I am to live in this beautiful place

Needing: Sleep

Smelling: Flowers (there's 3 vases full of fresh flowers in this room - blessed!)

Wearing: Long flowing skirt, shirt, sandals, and a long necklace

Following: A crazy conversation on FB about what the speed of darkness is... (ummm, yeah, I started it - ha ha!)

Noticing: It's midnight and I still haven't prepared for tomorrow's Skype interview

Knowing: I really should be in bed

Thinking: I'm going to have bags under my eyes tomorrow for all to see on the internet! Eek!

Feeling: Happy to be up when everyone else is in bed, because this is my quiet thinking time, and I love it

Bookmarking: A favourite quote in an old book, with a scrap of paper - yep, an old fashioned bookmark!

Opening: An email from my 92 year old Grandmother who lives in Texas (she wanted to tell me how much she loves my blog and that my food looks luscious, and how much her mother loved to cook and entertain and loved visitors no matter what time of the day or night they dropped in, and how much she misses her sister)

Giggling: At the look on my friend's face when she caught me dancing in the kitchen (doesn't everyone dance in the kitchen when they think no one's watching?)

Feeling: Grateful for the many blessings in my life


What about you? Want to join in with your 'Now'?

Link to your blog or page if you post a 'Now' post, or feel free to share what you're thinking in the comments below. :)

Sabtu, 03 Agustus 2013

Weekly Highlights & a Coconut Water Giveaway!



Don't you love my new bowl? 
My friend just brought it back from Venice for me - it's hand blown Murano glass! Gorgeous, huh. (And the gooey fudge brownies are pretty amazing too, but more on that another day.)


Okay, it's time for an update on what's been happening over on the 
Quirky Cooking Facebook Page!




Yeah, I know, I missed a week... my bad. Been hiding in my recipe testing cave.




But at least there's chocolate in there. 




And pizza. And pie. And pancakes. So no need to feel sorry for me. :)




Now if only I can focus long enough to get this blog post done... :D



Now, where was I? Oh yes, blogging...

Ok, the Weekly Highlights. 

But wait, there's a giveaway!! Want to hear about that first? Of course you do. So here it is:

I have 2 cases of 12 x 330ml cartons of Raw C Coconut Water to give away!
Want some?



I love coconut water in my smoothies and juices, or just on it's own, cold from the fridge. It's a great way to stay hydrated! Known as 'Nature's Gatorade', Raw C is popular sports drink alternative because it naturally contains electrolytes, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium and potassium. 

Raw C is 100% Pure Coconut Water - no sugar, preservatives or concentrates, and no funny stuff.

[Updated, due to such a great response!!]

To WIN some Natural Raw C Coconut Water, all you have to do is comment on this post, 
mentioning Raw C coconut water in your comment. The prize winner will be drawn on Wednesday 7th August at 5pm, via Random.org, and the winner notified. 
Winner's name will be posted on this page. 

(Competition open to Australian residents only)

And the winners are...

Kym - 1st Prize: 2 cases of 12 x 330ml Raw C Coconut Water
Healthy SA - 2nd Prize: 1 case of 12 x 330ml Raw C Coconut Water
Shaarn - 3rd Prize: 1 case of 12 x 330ml Raw C Coconut Water

How about you pop by the Natural Raw C Coconut Water Facebook page and say Hi? 
They'd love to hear from you!

[Note: If you are reading this on a mobile device, you will need to swap over to the web version to be able to comment. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click 'view web version'.]

I do have another giveaway to share with you, but will let you know about that one in another day or two. Now onto the Weekly Highlights - there's lots to share!


FOOD...


Local produce... do you know what all this is?

Cooking to impress! Need to cook for a dinner party? Here's some quick and easy dishes that will knock the socks off your guests...

What's in your green smoothie today? I love coconut water in mine, plus lots of other goodies... Readers share their favourites here.

Quick snacks: What snacks do you make to take with you when you only have 20 minutes before you need to dash out the door? Here's some of mine, and lots of reader's ideas.

Bake & freeze snacks: What about snacks you can freeze for when you need them?

New Thermomix? How to stock your pantry: Readers share their tips for what to stock up on when expecting your new Thermie to arrive! (Excitement!!) :D



Vegetable spiralizers: Wondering if you should get one, what to use it for, what brand to buy? Answers here.

How to get turmeric stains out: Does your Thermomix lid, seal and butterfly look kind of odd from cooking with turmeric? Try these handy tips to remove the stain!

Quick & easy lunches: A reader who was 'falling back into bad habits' asks for ideas for quick, healthy lunches, and wow, so many great suggestions!

Grain free & dairy free lunchbox ideas: It's not always easy to think outside the box ;) but here's some tips.

Egg free breakfast ideas for little ones: Karen's 10 mth old has been diagnosed with an egg allergy, and she's stuck for new breakfast ideas. Here's lots of suggestions, including my egg-free pancake/waffle recipe.

Leftover pulp from making almond milk: Every wondered what to do with it? Here's some ideas.
And here's another one I spotted on Instagram - Superfood Nut Sprinkle.

Leftover ganache: What do you do with your leftover ganache? (Is there even such a thing??)

Matt Stone & Thermomix: Love the look of this raw cauliflower 'cous cous' salad Matt whipped up on the Morning Show - did you see it?




Friday night pizza: What's your favourite toppings?

Mandarine recipes: Are they dropping off your trees? Here's some ideas so they won't go to waste.

Naturally sweetened icings: Some ideas for icing cakes without refined icing sugar.

Pink party! What to feed a bunch of 6 yr old girls for a healthy pink party? Yummy ideas!

Diabetic friendly recipes: Thermomix friendly suggestions for diabetic recipes.

Breakfast ideas for a toddler with excema: Dairy & wheat free suggestions for an 8 month old.

What to make with egg whites? If you had 5 egg whites in the fridge, what would you make?


HEALTH & OTHER GOOD ADVICE...




What is the one small change you could make that would have the biggest impact on your health? Clare of Checks & Spots asks this question of 13 'bright sparks' who have a unique perspective on health, wellness and nutrition. (Including me!) :D

How to fatten pigs, and people: I found this article VERY interesting!!

Join a bulk food buying co-op! How? and Where?

How to boost iron levels naturally: A mum who is 30 weeks pregnant with low iron levels asks for advice - lots of great suggestions!

How to search on my page: I quite often have people puzzled about this, so if this is you, here's how... Just type into the search box the ingredient or subject you're looking for, and lots of links will come up that you can click on. Or you can go to the Recipe Index on the left of the 'Quirky Cooking' logo and click on that to get a drop down list of the labels you can search through. :)




What would you do? A reader asks for advice for how to get her family and friends to stop bringing junk food over as it's affecting her child's behaviour. Lots of discussion on this one!!!

How to get lots of housework done! Set a timer and FOCUS! Do you do this?

Do you love kitchen shops? What would you spend a $40 gift voucher on?


NEWS...

For those of you up here in FNQ (or visiting FNQ in August!), we'd love for you to join us for The Organic Experience food tour! Paddock to plate, meet the growers, tour the beautiful Atherton Tablelands, and gain a deeper appreciation for the way food connects our community, wellbeing and environment. I'll be cooking lunch with local produce on the 24th, it'll be heaps of fun and I hope to see you there! 



And that's about it for now... have a great week, and may it include homemade bread and lots of books. And chocolate. 

Jo xx



Miss C in her happy place - bread and books. :)

What could be better?

Senin, 22 Juli 2013

Weekly Highlights & some NEWS!




(Ummm, no, this isn't the recipe for my Cherry Delight 'Cheese'cake, so sorry. I just thought the photo might get your attention.) :D

Hello everyone. I know, my Weekly Highlights are very late, but I have an excuse!

I'm not sure if you've noticed that I've been a little bit absent from my blog and Facebook page lately. Well, there's a good reason for that. I promise it's not because I've been lazing around the house in my PJ's all day eating dulce de leche on fresh strawberries (as much as I've wanted to). It's just that I've been madly recipe testing and writing out recipes for the last couple of weeks because ... I have a publisher for my COOKBOOK!!!! EEEEK!!! (A bit exciting!!) Yes, a really real printed book, complete with really real photographers and stylists and all that fun stuff!

And along with a publisher comes DEADLINES and SECRETS and eating, sleeping and breathing RECIPES! And as much as I'd love to, I'm afraid I can't share the recipe for my cherry 'cheese'cake yet, because I need it for my book. You do understand, don't you? I'll try not to tease you with any more photos that do not have recipes attached, okay? (Although now and then I might post a sneaky one on Instagram, so if you want to see some sneak previews that's the place to look.) :)

So although I haven't had as much time to chat, there were still quite a few subjects discussed on my Facebook page this past week. Here's the main ones, to keep you all up to date.


FOOD

My big girl turned 16 last week (yes, I'm feeling old!). She wasn't interested in going out for dinner or having a party, she just wanted a big, family, Mexican fajita feast with a cherry cheesecake to finish it off. So that's what we did...



Fajitas with the lot!

Spelt tortillas, Mexican rice (mum's recipe - another option is my Mexican Quinoa), marinated fajita beef & chicken, sauteed red peppers (capsicums) and onions, guacamole, and my dairy free sour cream. So good.

Oh, and some smoky chipotle chilli sauce to top it off. Woweee, love that stuff!

(Do you like my cow apron? Lol!)



Mmmmm... fajitas!

What healthy treats would you cook for a 16th birthday party? Here's some reader's ideas.




Coconut Caramel Custard: In case you missed this, I posted this quick and easy recipe on the blog last week. Warning: dangerously addictive!

Pandan leaves: Ever see 'pandan leaves' in an Asian recipe and wonder where to get them, how to use them, whether you can grow them yourself, and what to substitute for them if they're nowhere to be found? Wonder no more, answers here!

Date loaf/cake recipes: Do you have a favourite date loaf or cake you like to make? Here's some readers' favourites.

Grapefruit recipes: It's grapefruit season, our fruit basket is overflowing with them! Need some ideas?

Travelling with Thermomix: A reader asked for simple Thermomix meal ideas that don't need heaps of pantry stuff, as she wanted to take her Thermomix with them on holiday. With a 2 year old and a 7 month old, it's a lot easier to 'eat in' than 'out', and the room they were to stay in only had coffee/tea making facilities. Here's some ideas readers suggested for travel meals.

7 Ingredient challenge: A desperate plea for a quick dessert idea using the 7 ingredients available brought out some very creative suggestions!

Vegan dinners: Recipes and ideas for a meat free meal.

Traditional afternoon tea ideas: Except they need to be gluten, dairy, sugar, and soy free! No problem.

Free-from birthday cake! A reader needs a recipe for a birthday cake that's gluten, dairy and soy free - preferably something rich and decadent.

Passionfruit recipes: Ideas for using up all those passionfruits that are falling off the vine! (At least here in FNQ, anyway!)

Paleo and nightshade-free food: A reader needs some ideas for paleo meals/food that are also free from potatoes, tomatoes, chillies, eggplants, capsicum and most legumes. Some great ideas here.

Lactation biscuit recipe: Have you heard of these? I hadn't! Basically it's a biscuit containing ingredients that help with lactation. Lots of other ideas for helping to increase breastmilk production here too.

Soup weather: What soups are you making on these wintery evenings?




And just a quick tip for when you make your tortillas or wraps - this is how thin you want to roll them, then cook them quickly in a really hot, dry frypan so they don't dry out. Make sure you keep them wrapped up in a clean tea towel while you cook them, so they stay warm and soft. Enjoy!


AND MORE...

Boosting your immune system: A reader asked for help for immune boosting ideas, as her husband has Ross River Fever.

Making soaps in your Thermomix - yes or no? Some great ideas and discussions here.

New Thermomix Blog & FB Page! If you need some help meal planning with your new Thermomix, Thermonerd may be the blog for you. Being a work-at-home mum of a little boy and twin baby girls means this busy lady HAS to plan ahead to keep up! Meal planning is definitely the way to go for helping with time management and budgeting... if you haven't tried it, you should.

By the way, there's lots of menu plans on my blog, as well as some here on my Facebook page!

Favourite Thermomix recipe books: What's your fave?

What the rural life is really like. I loved reading this blog post by Rural Miss and seeing her beautiful photos. Have you thanked a farmer today?




So now I'd better get back to my recipe writing...

I might have to get Mr I to do a guest post for me this week, so my blog doesn't look so neglected. :D



Have a great week!