Hi Guys,

So here is one for all the mums out there! Who doesn’t love a good tuna patty! Great for all ages and a perfect finger food for the bubba’s as you can just taylor the recipe to what stage bub is up to. Oh and not just bub – this is one of my hubby’s favourites too! We like them on some turkish bread with some salad and tzatziki or Mayo. Really who can go past a good tuna patty!

INGREDIENTS: 

250g Potatoes (peeled and chopped)

200g Pumpkin Peeled and Chopped

500g Water

Handful each of the follow veg (as a rough guide)

Broccoli

Cauliflower

1 Carrot (Roughly cubed)

Peas

Corn

Baby Spinach leaves.

1 Med – Large sized Tin of Tuna (or Salmon)

2 Slices of Bread (not fresh if possible)

80g Hard Cheese (We Used Tasty)

1/2 bunch of parsley

1 egg

Oil for the fry pan.

METHOD:

1. Add water to the TM bowl and add the basket. Peel and cut up roughly the potato and pumpkin and add to the basket. Cook for 20 minutes on Varoma temp Speed 3.
2. While the Potato is cooking place the varoma steamer in place and chop Veggies adding them to the varoma as you go. Add the lid back on after each time you add some more. Start with the harder veggies i.e. Carrot first. Leave the spinach leaves until there is only a couple of minutes left.
3. Once finished take the varoma off, take basket out and tip contents into the varoma to cool. Allow to cool slightly before proceeding with the next step.
   

   The veggies with the potato / pumpkin on top cooling.

4. In a dry TM bowl add the parsley, cheese (Cubed) and bread. Blitz on speed 9 for 8 seconds. Should be a good ‘crumb’.
   

   The crumb mix set aside to coat the patty's

5. Set half of the crumb mix aside to coat the patties. Leave the other half in the tm bowl add to it the egg, the cooked veggies and tuna, Mix together on speed 5-6  for about 20 – 30 secondswith the aid of the spatula until the mixture is well mixed together. Test that the mix is not too sloppy should be able to form a loose patty.
   

   Mixture ready to form patty's.

6. Heat oil in the fry pan. Form mix into a patty shape and roll through the left over crumbs. Place into the fry pan for a few minutes each side so that it is golden brown.
7. Serve with a salad or a tzatziki or a yogurt dipping sauce.

   TIPS 

• Leave out tuna for a vegetable patty.
• Use any combination of veggies that you like.
• You could also add some sesame seeds to the left over bread crumb mix to coat the outside of the patty’s.
• For those health conscious and wanting to know about sustainable fishing and which Tuna is dolphin and sea creature friendly check out the greenpeace website HERE for the Canned Tuna rankings.

OK – this is not ground breaking, but sometimes people just want to know that someone out there is making the same kind of food that they are.  Or that the basic things that they make, are able to be converted in to a TMX version.

This was a risotto that I used to make the “traditional way,” using a pan and a wooden spoon……and 20+ mins of long, long stirring.  But not anymore!  I used the EDC guide for Mushroom Risotto, and made some basic changes and additions to do this Chicken, Pumpkin & Pea version

Ingredients:

1 whole onion

1 clove garlic

handful parsley

50g Olive Oil

400g Arborio rice

2 Tbsp Vege Stock

1100g water

20g butter

50ml cream

200g cubed pumpkin

1 chicken breast (sliced into bite size pieces or around 1cmX3cm)

handful of frozen peas

Method:

1. Put garlic, parsley and onion in the bowl and chop for 4 seconds on speed 6
2. Add oil & butter and saute for 2 minutes at 100C on Speed 1 with MC off
3. Insert butterfly and add rice, then saute for a further 2 minutes at 100C on Reverse Soft Speed
4. Add stock, chicken & water
5. Add the cubed pumpkin to the Varoma and place on top of the TMX
6. Cook with butterfly on Reverse Soft Speed 1 for 12 minutes.  Check the pumpkin and if still very firm, change the temperature to Varoma and cook for a further 5 minutes on Varoma, Reverse Soft Speed 1
7. Add pumpkin and cream and stir on Speed 1 Reverse for 1 minute
8. Turn out risotto into Thermoserve and add in a handful of green frozen peas.  Stir it in to combine and let the risotto sit for 5 minutes before serving

Hints & Tips

• I didn’t add wine simply because I didn have any, and to be honest, it didnt really need it
• You can leave the cream out if you like.  It was always in the other one I cooked, but could quite happily do without it
• Don’t make the chicken too big or long.  If you do, it will throw the butterfly off
• You could also use left of BBQ chicken (YUM!) and add it in at the same stage as the pumkin or a little before

Hi Guys,

Just had a super yummy quick and easy lunch. I always say something is never a “left over” Meal so long as you can give it another name! For example we had Risotto for dinner last night… Then comes “What’s for lunch Babe”? “Stuffed Capsicums” “Oh nice, we should really just eat that left over Risotto” See not left overs, a whole new meal! In fact for all he know’s we only had risotto last night for stuffed capsicums today… But in all seriousness this is a great way to get rid of that left over risotto!

We had the Pumpkin, Bacon and Onion risotto – Recipe here

I used it straight out of the fridge and just added a touch of cream to mix it through and give it a good sauce in the capsicum.

INGREDIENTS:

Risotto

Capsicum (When you choose these at the market, look for ones that will stand on there own.)

100g Cheese (Tasty used in this recipe)

1 Clove of Garlic

3 Slices Bread

Handful of Parsley

Olive Oil

METHOD:

TOPPING:

1. Add Garlic, Parsley and Cheese to the TM bowl and Blitz on Speed 6 for 5 Seconds.
2. Add Bread and set bowl to a closed position, Blitz 2 or 3 times on Turbo. It should have a nice bread crumb like texture.

ASSEMBLING:

1. Cut the tops of the capsicums and empty all the seeds. Should look like this:

2. Mix a little cream through the risotto mix and then fill the capsicum cups almost to the top – leave enough room for the topping.

3. Add the bread crumb mix to the top and squeeze down to make a nice firm topping.

4. Add to a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. I used a loaf tin as it was the perfect size for them.

5. Bake for 45 minutes at 180 degrees.

Oh and a sneak peek at the insides… mmmm nom nom!!!

I used the Risotto straight out of the fridge. You could reduce cooking time if the risotto was pre-warmed but you will still need to give it a good while to soften up and sweeten up the capsicum. Great served with salad! Makes a great Vegetarian meal too!

So what are some of your “Left Over Meals” ???

My sister in Melbourne had a Facebook update at the start of the week, saying she had made the Pasties that are on the free Coles handout this week.  It is a Curtis Stone recipe and it looks as yummy as he does!!  Can I say that??  Oh well, I just did!

You just can’t get pasties anymore, and the thought of eating one was bringing  back lots of childhood memories.  So I made sure I picked up the recipe when I was at the shops, and set about Thermo-mixing it up!  I was missing a few of his ingredients, had to change the cooking times and method, and Bingo! Bango! a new recipe is born.  It was a hit with the kids and the hubby, so this one is on the winners list.

Ingredients

1 batch of EDC Short crust pastry

350-400g Mince beef

1 small onion

2 garlic cloves

1 medium carrot peeled and cut into 1cm cubes

1 small potato, peeled and cut in 1cm cubes

1 medium tomato cut into small pieces

1/4 cup parsley

1/4 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup frozen corn

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp parmesan cheese

30ml oil

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 200 degrees
2. Place Onion, garlic and pasley into the TMX bowl and chop on Speed 9 for 3 seconds
3. Scrape down and add oil, cooking for 3 mins at 100degrees on Speed 1
4. Add Mince and cook on Reverse Soft Speed for 7 minutes
5. Add carrot, potato, tomato and tomato paste, the cook on Reverse Soft Speed for 3 minutes
6. Check for seasoning, add salt & pepper if needed 
7. Roll out you EDC Short crust pastry and cut into rounds.
8. Place a couple of spoonfuls of the meat mix onto the centre of the round, then fold up edges to meet in the middle and crimp the edges to seal.
9. Place on baking paper, brush with an egg wash and sprinkle parmesan cheese
10. Bake in oven for 20 minutes
11. Serve wih your favorie sauce – tomato of course!

Hints & Tips

• The original Curtis Stone recipe said to drain off the cooking liquid, but I found that I didn’t really have any excess liquid, so it wasnt a problem for me.  If you have too much liquid, just tip it off after step 4
• You can replace these vegies wih anything in the fridge – parsnip, pumpkin or turnips.
• I used a saucer to cut out the pastry rounds for this, which worked out to be a good size.  If you go any bigger than this, it gets a bit too big.

CHICKEN AND VEG SLOW COOK CURRY.

Hi Guys,

Meg’s and I have just picked up from scoopon a cooking class and meal at an indian kitchen. So I have been looking for a curry the last couple of days to get me in the mood. I have called this one the boring name of Thermy + Slow cook curry because there really are not limits for the protein you can use. It is a mild balanced curry and would go brilliant with Prawn, Fish, Lamb, Beef, Chicken or Chick pea and of course just simply Vegetable. For tonight I have done a Chicken and Vegetable version. So that is the recipe below but from the sauce base you can add anything you like to the slow cook part of it. So it’s really a pantry staple recipe.

INGREDIENTS: 

SAUCE:

1 Onion

3 Cloves Garlic

1 Red Chilli (or 1tbsp fresh chilli paste)

30g Ginger

2 tsp Cummin

2 tsp Ground Coriander

Fresh Coriander Leaves (about a handful + garnish)

1/2 tsp Tumeric

1 tsp  Salt

1 tin Chopped Tomato

1 tin Coconut Cream

SLOW COOK PROTEIN:

500g Chicken Breast (Diced or Sliced)

1 Medium Sweet Potato

2 Medium Potatoes

2 spring onions

1/2 Cup Broccoli Florets

Handful Baby Spinach

1 Cup frozen Peas

TZATZIKI 

1 Lebanese Cucumber

150g Plain Yogurt (Greek or normal)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 Clove of Garlic

SERVE OVER BASMATTI RICE AND WITH NAAN BREAD (SEE EDC BOOK FOR RECIPE) 

METHOD:

1. Add Onion, Garlic, Ginger and fresh Coriander Leaves to the TM and blitz for 5 seconds, Speed 6.
2. Scrape down sides of bowl and repeat  if required.
3. Add Oil and Sauté 5 minutes, Varoma temp on speed 1. Leave the MC off.
4. Add dry spices and salt and cook again for 5 minutes, Varoma temp on Speed 1. Again leave the MC off.
5. Add Tomato and Coconut Cream and cook again for 5 Minutes, Varoma temp on Speed 1 - This time have the MC in place.
6. Whilst the sauce is cooking prepare slow cooker. Add the Chicken, and chop and add the sweet potato, potato and spring onion. If you want you can brown off chicken first but it’s not essential.
7. Pour the sauce over the chicken and veg into the slow cooker and cook On HIGH for at least 4 hours. 
8. After about 2 hours cooking time add the Broccoli heads.
9. Once you turn off the slow cooker add the Frozen Peas and spinach and stir through. (The heat of the slow cooker and mix will be enough to cook the Peas and wilt the spinach)

SIDE DISHES:

TZATZIKI:

1. Chop the cucumber down the middle and into quarters - You can de-seed it or leave it whole.
2. Add the garlic, cucumber and yogurt to the TM Bowl and blitz for 5 Seconds on Speed 7.
3. Scrape edges of the bowl and repeat if required.
4. Taste the mix and season as required. Pop it into a serving dish. You can also pop a drizzle of olive oil over it to finish.

TIPS:

• Like I said earlier your imagination is the only limit for this curry! If you were using prawn I would probably do the veg and curry sauce and then just pop the prawns in towards the end so that they aren’t over cooked.
• I wish I had a can of Butter Beans in the pantry – they would have been included – so if you want to add a bean but butter bean on top of the list/
• Serve on rice with the tzatziki, a sprinkle of fresh coriander and Naan bread. I cheated and purchased a pack of naan, but next time I will make my own!
• Hubby just informed me it’s even BETTER for lunch the following day and has given it a massive thumbs up!
• Don’t chop the sweet potato, potato and spring onion too small you want it to maintain it’s shape as best as it can after 4 hours in the slow cook.
• Is definitely one you can batch cook and freeze the left overs for quick little meal in the freezer!
• When you are making the tzatziki you will have to judge the amount of yogurt to the size of the cucumber. You may need a little more or less than the 100g.
• And of course if you didn’t want to slow cook this you can add the protein and veg to the TMX and cook on a reverse + speed soft setting for the amount of time required to properly cook the protein. I just love the way the flavour develops when it’s left to slowly cook.
• I didn’t have a chilli on hand but I always have some Chilli paste from the squeeze tube and works just as well.

Chilli Paste – Plus you can add extra when you serve for those that like it a little more fiery!

Thermy all ready to chop Onion, Garlic, Coriander and chilli!

The mix ‘Before the slow cook’

ENJOY!!!

Make sure you come back and let me know how you mixed it your way!!!

This is a quick and easy recipe for a Pastry-less Quiche.  I had this hand written on a scrap of paper in the cupboard for years and always pulled it out when I needed something easy, with just a few ingredients.  It’s great for lunch or an afternoon tea when someones drops around, and you can use any ingredients you have in the cupboard – nothing special required.

From memory, this one came from the trusty CWA (Country Women’s Association), but I never had the cookbook, so I can’t direct you to the page.  Anyway, thanks to the CWA, we can now make this simple Quiche even easier with the Thermomix! 

Ingredients:

4 Eggs

100g SR Flour

360g milk

Half an onion

1 cup Cheese

Optional ingredients:

Bacon, spring onions, feta, cherry tomatoes, capsicum, pasley….the list is endless

Method:

1. Place half an onion in the TMX bowl and chop on Speed 8 for 2 seconds. 
2. You want the onions chopped loosely with no large pieces.
3. Add other ingredients that need chopping.  Today I used Spring onions, parsley and bacon pieces.  Chop again on speed 8 for 2 seconds.
4. Add salt and pepper, grated cheese (previously done in the TMX), SR flour, eggs and milk.  Mix on Reverse Speed 5 for 5 seconds
5. Pour mixture into a greased Quiche dish.  If you are adding tomatoes or feta, at them straight to the dish at this stage
6. Bake in a 180 degree oven for 30 – 35  mins

Hints and Tips

• Use whatever ingredients you have in the cupboard
• Can be served warm or cold (I prefer cold).
• Team it with a salad for a nice lunch or dinner on a warm summers day

Roasted Capsicum, Onion and Garlic Salsa 

We have a couple of sure fire winners in our house. You know those meals you fall back on when you know the little people in your house love them? And one of them is Mexican. Ruby is a nacho’s freak! And they will eat anything wrapped in a pita, flat bread or tortilla! However I am really not much of a fan of the shop bought salsa. I find it hard to find one mild enough for the kids and the preservatives and just that artificial flavour. So I have tried a few times with a salsa and today I have come up with the winner!! Was beautiful and would make an amazing dip with wedges of flat bread!

So here is the Recipe – I’ll add the dip and then add the post about the great mid-week healthy meal!

INGREDIENTS:

•  1 Large Red Capsicum
• 1 Large Red Onion
• 3 Cloves Garlic
• Olive Oil
• 500g Roma Tomatoes
• 700g Water ( To Steam Tomatoes)
• Handful Fresh Mint
• Handful Fresh Coriander
• Juice of 1 Lime
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Chilli (optional)

Hi Guys,

I have to say first up I don’t buy into the ‘hidden vegetable’ debate. To me if I can get them to eat it them it’s a bonus. And I want my little ones to enjoy what they eat and hope that one day they are going to share my love for good yummy food! Plus if they love the food than dinner time is no longer a struggle. These are a winner and packed with veggies. I serve them with meat usually but you can just add some bacon or roast chicken to the mix or simply serve them as a vegetarian dish. I have written up what I have put into them but the beauty of this recipe is you just add in what ever you have in the fridge. And I like to serve with a fun dipping sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

50g Cheese (I use Cheddar or Tasty)

1 Small Onion (optional)

500g Mixed Vegetables (I have used 1x Carrot, 1/2 Zucchini, Pumpkin, Small Potato, Sweet Potato)

1/2 Cup Frozen Peas

1/2 Cup Frozen Corn

3 eggs

Oil

METHOD:

• Place cheese into TM bowl blitz for 6 seconds Speed 8. Remove and set aside.
• Place the mixed vegetables into the TM bowl (except the peas and corn.) Chop for 5 seconds speed 5. Check consistency and chop further if needed. Ensure there are no large lumps.
• Add a splash of oil and cook for 5 minutes, Reverse Speed 1 at 100 degrees.
• Allow to cool.
• Add eggs, cheese and frozen veg to mix and combine for 5 seconds, Reverse Speed 3. Mixture must be cool enough so that the egg doesn’t scramble when mixed.
• To fry the fritters you can spoon the mixture onto a lightly greased fry pan on medium heat. (Sort of like you would cook a pancake.)
• To jazz them up a little bit I love to use the cookie cutter shapes. (Or you can use an egg ring.) I grease the shapes and spoon the mixture in. I use a low/medium heat as they will need to cook through without burning on the outside. I made Rockets and Trains the other night and they were a great hit!

Hi Guys,

Following on from my last potato post, here is a beautiful easy recipe that you can tweak a hundred different ways to make it yours ! I made it with Garlic and Chives to go with the pepper steak we were having for dinner. You could alter it with Bacon, Cheese, Spinach, the possibilities are endless. How fancy would this be for breakfast with a Poached Egg on top with Hollandaise ? There goes my potato for breakfast love affair again…  I took the inspiration from MasterChef but have tweaked the recipe to make it a super easy thermo one !

Ingredients:

400g Potatoes (3 medium)

1 Shallot (Can substitute to 1/2 onion)

1/2 bunch of Chives (about 8 stalks)

1 Clove of Garlic

1 Egg Yolk

10g Oil

10g Butter

500g Water to steam potatoes.

Method:

1. Peel potatoes, cut into quarters and steam in basket. Add 500g of water to the TM bowl. Steam for 12 minutes varoma temp. Potatoes should be half cooked.
2. Remove Potatoes, set aside and discard water.
3. Add garlic, chives and shallot into the TM bowl and chop for 5 seconds speed 6.
4. Add oil and cook for 2 minutes at 100c speed 1.
5. Add potatos to the TM bowl and chop for 5 seconds speed 5.
6. Add egg yolk and salt and pepper to season to TM bowl and mix through for 5 seconds speed 4. The potatoes should be well combined but still have a good amount of texture to the mix.
7. Melt a small amount of the butter into a fry pan. I used a 12cm fry pan so I could use it to make a whole rosti. A 10cm pan would be perfect ! Otherwise you need a large pan with an egg ring. Fry for 3-4 minutes on one side.
8. A trick is to take the Rosti out of the pan and add some more butter and then return the Rosti uncooked side down. cook for a further 3-4 minutes.