'Quirky cooking'

My youngest son is currently on a VERY resticted diet - no wheat, yeast, any form of cow's product, any sugars (including fruits), mushrooms, potato, onion and the list goes on!  So that he doesn't feel he is missing out, we are all eating the same - so there have been a fair few TM risotto's, TM chicken fried rice, TM soups, polenta crumbed fish and TM rice, TM hommous and guacamole, Chinese style drinking porridge (EDC cookbook) among other dishes.  I was concerned at first that it would be a difficult diet to follow, but with the Thermomix it really has not been hard at all. 
Bless him, he asked if he could 'break the rules' today and have an orange - and he is hanging out for his 4th birthday in 5 weeks so he can have some sugar in his cake!

Due to this diet, I have recently discovered Jo Whitton and her fantastic blog with lots of delicious recipes:
 quirky cooking

I made her fried rice the other night which went down really well with everyone.  She is in Perth this week and I am off to her Allergy Free cooking class on Friday, which I'm looking forward to.  The recipes will be on her blog.

Spiced Kumara Soup

I had lots of Kumara (orange sweet potato) in the pantry that needed using up and made this the other night - very good. (a variation of the chickpea soup from the Varoma demonstration)

100g dried chickpeas, milled for 30 seconds in TM on speed 9
Olive oil
1 onion, quartered
1 clove garlic
1tsp ground coriander
2tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground chilli, or to taste
600g kumara, peeled and chopped
150g carrots, peeled and chopped
1-2 tblsp TM vegetable stock
1000g water
1/2 small lemon
Natural yoghurt to serve

Chop onion and garlic on speed 7 for 4 seconds.
Add 30g oil and saute at 100 C for 2 minutes on speed 1.
Add spices and cook for 1 minute at 100 C on speed 1.
Add vegetables, stock, water and dried chickpeas and cook for 25 minutes at 100 C on speed 1.
Check vegetables are cooked, then puree by slowly turning speed dial from speed 1 to speed 9 for 30 seconds.  Add lemon juice and blend for 10 seconds on speed 5.
Serve and add spoonful of yoghurt, if desired.
Serve with parathas (from Indian cookbook)

Easy-peasy ice cream!

Try this very quick to prepare, very rich ice cream

Place 600ml of cream, 400ml (1 tin) of condensed milk and some vanilla extract to taste in TM bowl with butterfly.  Whip for 40 seconds on speed 4. Transfer to a 2L bowl and place in freezer overnight. 
Add some cocoa powder if you wish to change the flavour.

Very quick and easy!

February host reward - TWO thermoservers!

For February, any purchases wil receive not one, but TWO thermoservers!  What a great time to buy a Thermomix, these are so handy and impossible to buy!

Coffee in the Thermomix?

I have been saying for ages that I will post the recipe for coffee made used the Thermomix, and finally here it is!

Use 10g of coffee beans per cup (to a maximum of 8 cups).  Grind the beans for 30-40 seconds on speed 9-10.
Add 100g of water per cup and heat for 7 minutes at 80 degrees on speed 2.  Turn off as soon as the 80 degree button lights up (otherwise it will be bitter) (7 minutes is for 8 cups, you will need to reduce the time accordingly for less cups of coffee, but ensure you turn off as soon as the light reaches 80 degrees).
Plunge the coffee in a plunger, or strain through filter paper to remove coffee grinds.  Clean the bowl and return the coffee back to the bowl. 
Add 100g of milk per cup (reduced fat gives the best froth) and heat again for 7 minutes at 80 degrees on speed 2.  Once again, turn off as soon as it reaches 80. 
Froth on speed 9-10 or use butterfly on speed 4 until you get desired frothiness.
Enjoy!

Using the scales whilst cooking

Did you know that you can tempoarily halt the cooking process to use the scales without affecting the preset cooking functions.  Whilst cooking, simply turn the speed control to off (unlocked lid) and press the scale button.  When you have finished using the scale, turn the speed control back to the speed you were previously using and cooking will continue where it left off!

cooking classes

Back to Basics Cooking ClassesLearn the faster, healthier, easier way of cooking at a Thermomix 'Back to Basics' Class! During our fun class you will see the wide variety of foods that can be prepared quickly and easily using Thermomix. From sorbet and soup to salad and steaming, we cover all the basics plus lots of hints and tips for saving time and money in the kitchen.

In addition to seeing the revolutionary Thermomix in action, our 'Back to Basics' class will feature:

    * Quick, tasty and nutritious meals for the family!
    * Fruit Sorbet in less than 1 minute
    * Juice, Homemade Bread and Butter, tasty Dip and Salad in seconds
    * Plus Soup, a Hot Dish, and Cake with Custard
    * Seasonal produce that is available, affordable & in abundance!

The class is suitable for new owners and those who just want to have a look.  All welcome!Floreat
Date:    Wednesday 19th January
Time:    7.30pm to 9:00pm
Venue: St Nicholas Church Hall
               84 The Boulevard, Floreat
Cost:     $15.00BOOK NOW by emailing Belinda at belinda@providencewellness.com

Melville
Date:    Monday 24th January
Time:    7.30pm to 9:00pm
Venue: Melville Girl Guide Hall
               Corner Stock Rd and Kitchener St, Melville
Cost:     $15.00BOOK NOW by calling Joanna on 0431 744 932 or emailing jorusling.thermomix@hotmail.com

Iluka
Date:    Tuesday 1st February
Time:    7.00pm to 9:00pm
Venue: Beaumaris Sports Association
               6 Miami Beach Prom, Iluka
Cost:     $15.00BOOK NOW by calling Trisha on 0400 582 600 or emailing b.tburgo@bigpond.net.au

Duncraig
Date:    Thursday 3rd February
Time:    7.30pm to 9:30pm
Venue: Duncraig Community Hall
               47 Beddi Road, Duncraig
Cost:     $15.00BOOK NOW by calling Machelle on 0431 142 646 or emailing shellyagain@hotmail.com

Mandurah
Date:    Tuesday 8th February
Time:    7.30pm to 9:30pm
Venue: Uniting Church (opposite Mandurah Toyota)
               Pinjarra Road, Mandurah
Cost:     $15.00BOOK NOW by calling Sandy on 0429 311 341 or emailing swiftarrow@oceanbroadband.net

Manning
Date:    Thursday 10th February
Time:    7.30pm to 9:30pm
Venue: Manning Senior Citizen Centre
               3 Downey Street, Manning
Cost:     $15.00BOOK NOW by calling Elisabeth on 0417 945 098 or emailing elisabeth_higgins@wn.com.au
Balcatta
Date:    Tuesday 15th February
Time:    7.30pm to 9:30pm
Venue: Balcatta Head Office
               Unit 3/5 Stretton Place, Balcatta
Cost:     $15.00BOOK NOW by calling Helen on 0402 007 029 or emailing  lengov@tpg.com.au

Free cookbook for new owners in January!

For anyone who purchases a Thermomix in January and holds a demo before February 28th, the new Travelling with Thermomix Cookbook is a bonus gift (as well as the usual the 2.2L Thermoserver).  This is a gorgeous book which has recipes from 23 countries grouped into cuisine families - countires that show similarities based on their history, type of cuisine, social customs and geographical location.  There is a forward in each section which gives information on the traditional cuisine for the area and included are wonderful photos of each of the recipes and the countires they are from.

This is a beautiful book which is well worth buying the Thermomix this month for!

Date Choc Bar (Power Bar Alternative)

Again thanks to Jocelyn for this recipe, who is attempting the Albany to Perth Youth Focus bike ride this year and so needs lots of energy quick!  These are useful to have in your back pocket when doing strenuous training.

500 dates or other dried fruit eg apricots, prunes - soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, then drained
100g almonds
25g cocoa powder
2tbsp honey

Pre heat oven to 170C
Place almonds in TM bowl and mill for 7 seconds on speed 8. Set aside
Place dates in TM bowl and chop for 2-5 seconds on speed 6
Add almonds, cocoa and honey and mix for 5 seconds on speed 5. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix for further 3 seconds on speed 5.
Spread out on baking tray lined with baking paper and cook for 20 minutes.  Allow to cool on tray and place in fridge for at least one hour.
Cut into 12 bars and keep in fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Low GI Pearl Parley Risotto

Thanks to Jocelyn at the branch meeting last night for this recipe.  This is a low GI (Glycemic Index) recipe. Low GI basically means you will feel fuller for longer, hence if you are trying to lose weight, try eating low GI foods. If you'd like more information on this, see there are quite a few books available with recipes for low GI food. 

Christina, sorry there is no photo - I have not made it myself yet, just tasted it last night!

Arborio rice is a medium GI food, but there are a few ways to make it lower GI - eg by adding lemon juice which slows down stomach emptying due to it's acidity, thereby reducing the rate at which the carbohydrate is digested.
The other way is by reducing portion size of the rice and add steamed vegetables on the side to make the meal more substantial.

Here is a recipe for Pearl Barley Mushroom Risotto:  (Pearl Barley has a lower GI than arborio rice).

50g parmesan cheese
1/2 onion
20g olive oil
300g pearl barley (soaked overnight and drained)
100ml white wine
750g water
2tbsp stock concentrate
finely grated zest of one lemon
baby spinach leaves to serve
1/4 cup lemon juice

Place parmesan into TM bowl and grate for 10 seconds on speed 9.  Set aside.
Add onion and chop for 5 seconds on speed 6. 
Add oil and saute for 2 minutes at 100 C on reverse and speed soft.
Insert butterfly, add pearl barley and wine and saute for 2 minutes at 100C on reverse and speed soft.
Add water, stock, mushrooms and lemon zest and cook for 25 minutes at 100 C on reverse and speed soft.
Pour risotto into thermoserver with baby spinach, lemon juice and parmesan. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.