Author: nzthermomixmum

Soft buttery rolls and mushroom soup

~ nzthermomixmum
Soft buttery rolls
Soft buttery rolls
Mushroom soup
Mushroom soup

What’s for lunch. While I took miss 8 to the park and miss 14 went cycling with her Dad, the dough for these buttery rolls ( guided thermomix recipe) was proving for an hour  in the thermomix. The second proving after the rolls are placed on the tray makes all the difference to a softer texture and smoother shaped bun. The first few times we made the buns we couldn’t wait for a second prove and put them straight into the oven but now after waiting for a second prove it’s definately worth the wait.   The dough makes quite a large batch, probably around 20 buns, so it’s better halved after the first prove and the dough can be saved in the fridge for use another day.  I had to substitute light milk for buttermilk because I had no buttermilk.  ( I have  substituted milk for buttermilk in all the thermomix recipes tried so far too with no detrimental effect to the recipes)  And yah, pleased to say the these buns were still excellent with this substitution. They also seem to stay fresher and softer for longer than after a single prove.  The smell of these buns baking in the oven is mouth watering and while the buns were baking in the oven threw the ingredients into the thermomix for mushroom soup which was ready in 10 minutes. Hot butter rolls and creamy mushroom soup served ..yum yum.

Last night we had takeaways, not by choice,  and straight after miss 8 said ” I don’t like this food  can’t wait for tomorrow when we can eat thermomix food”. That’s pretty amazing to hear from a child. I think the freshness of the food,  and just knowing it’s come straight out of the oven and onto the plate, gives them such a sense of wellbeing. The thermomix is helping us establish  healthy food habits of a lifetime.

Apple and Chia Seed Porridge

~ nzthermomixmum
Apple and chia seed porridge
Apple and chia seed porridge

http://changinghabits.co.nz/recipes-1/apple-spice-chia-porridge

Made this apple and chia seed porridge for me and my husband and it was delicious, slightly too sweet so will only use 2 medjool dates next time. Ticks the gluten free,  refined sugar free boxes and one serve was enough for both of us. Quite amazing only 3 tablespoons of  little black chia seeds, topped with natural yoghurt was so filling and full of energy.  Just a few seconds blending apple and dates (added a few feijoas from the garden too)  then  two to three minutes heating with the chia seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut milk,  in the thermomix. The link for the recipe is pasted above.

Also copy and pasted an excerpt  from the web ;information about chia seeds so we know what we’re eating. ….

“What Is Chia? Chia is an edible seed that comes from the desert plant Salvia hispanica, grown in Mexico dating back to Mayan and Aztec cultures. “Chia” means strength, and folklore has it that these cultures used the tiny black and white seeds as an energy booster. That makes sense, as chia seeds are a concentrated food containing healthy omega-3 fatty acids, carbohydrates, protein, fiber, antioxidants, and calcium. Chia seeds are an unprocessed, whole-grain food that can be absorbed by the body as seeds (unlike flaxseeds). One ounce (about 2 tablespoons) contains 139 calories, 4 grams of protein, 9 grams fat, 12 grams carbohydrates and 11 grams of fiber, plus vitamins and minerals. The mild, nutty flavor of chia seeds makes them easy to add to foods and beverages. They are most often sprinkled on cereal, sauces, vegetables, rice dishes, or yogurt or mixed into drinks and baked goods. They can also be mixed with water and made into a gel.” …

The nutritional benefits sound great, now just have to convince the children to try this porridge. The prospect of Easter eggs makes it a hard sell today.

Torta caprese (Gluten free chocolate cake)

~ nzthermomixmum
image
Torte caprese

We tried this gluten free chocolate torte at the last thermomix course and it was delicious and decadent. So it was definately on the list to make. It is an almond flour based chocolate torte and another simple another guided thermomix recipe. Was a little sweet, should reduce sugar next time. Chocolate ganache not set because  we couldn’t wait for the cake to cool so it was spread into a hot cake. A lovely cake for afternoon tea and kept in fridge for lunchbox treats.

Bagels

~ nzthermomixmum
Homemade Bagels
Homemade Bagels

Yah… Homemade bagels made for Sunday brunch. The dough was  mixed and kneaded in the thermomix within 3 minutes then left to prove. Then shaped into doughnut shapes and dunked in boiling water and then baked for 15 minutes. Note: we just added some boiling water to a bowl and dunked both sides of each bagel in the water for 30 seconds alternately. 480 gm of flour in the recipe made 8 bagels. Texture fantastic. Eaten fresh from the oven with ham, cream cheese, and salad. The recipe is from the a thermomix recipe app, “robo gourmet thermomix” But have found a recipe on the super kitchen machine blog which is almost the same except for the addition of a small amount of butter 25gm in the blog.

http://www.superkitchenmachine.com/2012/17644/how-to-make-bagels-recipe-thermomix.html.

Hamburger patties

~ nzthermomixmum
Hamburgers
Hamburgers

Never used a recipe for burger patties, but for my daughters, here is a guide for ours : blend one onion and a slice of bread or breadcrumbs  (red onion is best) on speed 7 for a few seconds until finely chopped, add a tray of mince (450-500g),an egg,  some tomato paste, Worcester sauce, salt and pepper. Blend on reverse speed 3 for a few seconds until combined. Test the taste by frying a tsp size patty. Shape into burger patties and pan fry a few minutes each side.

Found some similar recipes on the recipe community :-

http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/main-dishes-meat-recipes/rissoleshamburger-patties/57394

http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/main-dishes-meat-recipes/hamburgers/82665

Brioche bread

~ nzthermomixmum
Brioche
Brioche

The last time we ever tried brioche in this kitchen, miss 14 was dismayed to find it required overnight proving. And copious amounts of butter to be slathered over the buns. The result was less than perfect because there were so many elements to get right in making them by hand. So she gave on making them again. Considering the first attempt and the fact that patience is not a virtue  in this kitchen, we were dubious even the thermomix version would be successful. Most recipes we’ve seen require between 6 hours to over night rising usually in two separate sessions.

Just followed the guided recipe for brioche, and here’s the result. The dough was extremely soft and moist so wasn’t sure if it would turn out. But the cooked brioche is impressive, has a lovely soft buttery texture, slightly sweet, smells divine out of the oven.  Had to leave the dough to rise for three hours but it’s worth the wait. Would be lovely Sunday brunch food. Was supposed to leave the loaf for a second rise one hour but wanted it ready for kids afternoon tea so just stuck it in the oven after the first rise. Baked 30 minutes later, the loaf is ready to slice. I suspect the top may have been more smooth and rather than cracked if it had been left to prove for another hour. But we can’t complain, who would have thought we could produce a bread just like the French bakery round the corner  and better still it’s homemade.

 

Amazing Fish balls

~ nzthermomixmum
Fish balls
Fish balls

Never thought we’d be able to make fish balls this good ever.  Fish ball noodle soup  is something that brings back fond childhood memories. Whenever we went to Asia we would literally get off the plane and go searching for the most delicious fish ball noodle soup. For us it’s our favourite soul food. Eating it we would be grinning from ear to ear like Cheshire cats. When my mother made fish balls, it was a hugely labour intensive job. The fish would be filleted and then the flesh removed. Afterwards the fish meat  was chopped finely back and forth with a cleaver and worked into a paste. I always remember the constant mashing with the cleavers to get the perfect consistency.  The good fish ball has that springy texture and just the right amount of “squish”. The bought ones are full of chemicals and msg so to find an easy homemade recipe was high on the list. Having seen similar methods used in most of the recipes, making fish balls by hand was not something we have the time to do during the week.

Then I found this  simple recipe on a different thermomix recipe website :- ‘my.thermomixrecipes.com’. https://my.thermomixrecipes.com/recipe/lw2xht9g-17e62-674502-cfcd2-s78dv7bh

We’re beside ourselves with excitement eating these fish balls. They’re squishy and bouncy and delicious! And the best part is,  they were supremely simple to make with the thermomix, the recipe called for 500 gm fish, I used 550 gm of tarakihi,  cornflour, ice, salt and pepper, blended for 5 seconds then  kneaded for 3 minutes. So easy, the only messy part is forming into small balls by hand. Popped into boiling chicken stock in the thermomix. Cooked in around 5 minutes until they float merrily on the top.  Probably the best thermomix find so far! This is pure simple soul food…  And homemade. Joy.

Chicken and vegetable patties

~ nzthermomixmum
Chicken and vegetable patties
Chicken and vegetable patties

http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/main-dishes-others-recipes/chicken-vegie-patties/126799

Used this recipe (link above) just as a base, added some herbs and spices.  Didn’t have kale to add to the patties. Was great to have easy snack and dinner food after school before kids go off to sports. Added some breadcrumbs to the mixture as the consistency was a little wet as one member commented at the bottom of the recipe.  Super easy to make the patties in the thermomix.. Always test a small tsp in pan for seasoning before I make the lot.

Ham and cheese muffins

~ nzthermomixmum
Ham and cheese muffins
Ham and cheese muffins

http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/baking-savoury-recipes/cheese-and-bacon-muffins/17346

Ham and cheese muffins or Bacon and cheese muffins standard fare for kids lunch boxes. Excellent recipe from the recipe community ( link above ) used ham instead of bacon so skipped the frying stage. Whipped together in the thermomix in a 5 minutes. Used paprika instead of cayenne.  Taste great and will be following other members tips, adding carrot, capsicum, corn to the mixture before it’s blended. Makes about 1 and half trays, will be great frozen and popped into the lunchbox. Just don’t forget the eggs, because they’re on the ingredient list before the bacon, easy to miss them out as I’ve done!