Chick Pea, Avocado and Lime Salad

I am trying to include more pulses in our diet; They are cheap, easy to cook if you think about it in advance and so good for you!

This salad happened on Mother’s Day, the day that I should not have been cooking, but any hoo, if I wanted to eat something yummola, it was always going to be up to me! SO, cued the BBQ, and husband…made salads, and this was just one of them…all good, well received. Thinking I would add a little char grilled chilli next time, so go ahead and give it a burl with or without the chilli….(How hot are you??)

NEED:

150g chick peas, dried

Water for soaking and steaming

Generous handful coriander leaves and roots

1 small chilli, deseeded

1/2 red onion, sliced thinly

100g baby spinach leaves

3 avocadoes, peeled and cubed

2 Lebanese cucumbers, diced

2 tsp Murray River pink salt flakes

Juice 3 limes, or to taste

EVOO as desired

DO:

Soak chick peas overnight. Drain and place into steam basket. Insert into Thermo bowl, cover with water to 1L mark and cook 45 min/100ºC/speed 3. Drain and cool.

To make salad, place coriander and chilli into Thermo bowl and chop 3 sec/speed 7.

Toss with all ingredients, including chick peas and allow flavours to marinate for 30 minutes before serving.

The timing for cooking chick peas can vary based on how long you have had them in your pantry. They can easily be replaced with tinned chick peas.

Soy Marinated Pork Fillet with Quinoa Tabbouleh

Well yes, this is delicious…but then delicious is my mantra…why eat it, if it doesn’t blow you away? I love quinoa and have been finding so many ways to use it lately. On this occasion, I used black quinoa, but white would have looked more traditional tabbouleh…but it is so pretty, don’t you think? We do eat with our eyes after all.

I have just finished Dairy Judge Training and in fact have been invited to become the Top Cheese in WA…(in a manner of speaking!) The Internationally Acclaimed (note capitals!) Russell Smith is going to mentor me through some training to get me to the point where I can hold my own in a room full of reknowned, spitting dairy judges…oh the joy! Cheese judging is very complex, as opposed to judging other dairy, but as an eater and a lover of cheese, and a lover/tourist of all cheese producing countries, I say; Bring it on!

But I digress, I was about to tell you, (as discussed in Dairy Judge Training!!) that we eat with our eyes first, so when we get the whole beautiful meal in front of us, we should salivate and be enticed to eat, and then of course, flavour must deliver and never disappoint, as our palate has a long memory and may never recover from disappointment.

No disappointment here I trust…don’t be tempted to overcook the pork, remember this is the other white meat and perfectly fine and safe to eat when medium rare….in most countries anyhoo!

NEED:

2 pork fillets

200-300g soy sauce

2 tbsp brown sugar

4 cloves garlic

150g black quinoa

Water for soaking and steaming

Handful Italian parsley

Handful mint

Lemon juice to taste

Finely grated zest 1-2 lemons

1 punnet grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 burpless cucumber, diced

Fini EVOO as needed

Good pinch Murray River pink salt flakes

DO:

Place pork fillets into long flat ceramic dish.

Place soy sauce, brown sugar and garlic into Thermo bowl and blend 10 sec/speed 6.

Pour over pork fillets. Cover and refrigerate.

Meanwhile, soak quinoa in a large quantity of water for at least 30 minutes.

Drain quinoa and place into steamer basket and insert into Thermo bowl.

Pour enough water over to reach the bottom of the steamer basket.

Line Varoma dish with a piece of wet baking paper. Remove pork fillets from marinade and place into Varoma dish. Drizzle a little of the marinade over, but reserve the rest.

Place Varoma into position and steam quinoa and pork 20 min/Varoma/speed 3.

Remove pork and cover.

Drain quinoa and finish tabbouleh.

Place herbs into clean, dry Thermo bowl and chop 3 sec/speed 7. Combine this with all remaining ingredients, finally stirring cooled quinoa through. Set aside.

Sear rested pork fillets in a hot fry pan, (Induction 7) drizzling with reserved marinade to taste, being cautious not to burn the marinade. Slice pork and serve over tabbouleh. Reduce the remaining marinade if desired and drizzle a little over the pork prior to serving.

ENJOY!

Beetroot Salad with Honeyed Walnuts

I have been wanting to make a Balsamic Reduction in thermomix since I first got mine over 4 years ago…but it took the wonderful Helene at SuperKitchenMachines to nudge me into action. I used raspberries as flavouring as this salad needed a little sourness. The honey was a natural choice to add and as you will read in Helene’s recipe, there are so many flavour options with a reduction that you will be spoilt for choice. Go ahead, choose whatever floats your flavor boat and reduce away. This version only makes enough for this one salad and may end up quite sticky. But personally…I am not afraid of sticky…just ask anyone!

NEED:

2-3 large whole beetroot

1L water for steaming

150g walnuts, shelled

2-3 tbsp honey

Pinch Murray River pink salt flakes

200g bocconcini, torn into halves

50g thinly sliced red onion

Handful mixed salad greens per serving

Raspberry Balsamic Reduction to taste (see below)

Fini EVOO to taste

DO:

Place whole beetroot into simmering basket and insert into Thermomix bowl. Add enough water to come half way up the sides of the simmering basket. Cook 35 min/100ºC/speed 3. Remove basket and drain water. When beetroot are cool enough to handle, peel and slice thinly.

Meanwhile, place walnuts onto paper lined baking tray and drizzle with honey. Place into cold oven set to 200ºC and cook for 8 minutes or until nuts are toasted and honey has caramelised. Sprinkle with the salt whilst still hot. Set aside.

Arrange greens on serving platter, top with sliced beetroot, nuts, bocconcini and onion. Drizzle with Balsamic Reduction and EVOO to taste. Serve immediately.

Raspberry Balsamic Reduction

NEED:

160g great balsamic vinegar

20g honey

45g raspberries

Pinch Murray River pink salt flakes

DO:

Place all ingredients into Thermomix bowl and cook 10 min/Varoma/speed 2 with MC off.

Pour through a sieve to remove raspberry seeds and use immediately.

Chorizo Pumpkin Salad

I admit I am throwing posts together these days like nobody’s business…I have been a bit busy! We have launched For Foods Sake, and are in a mad panic about how to get the book out as quickly as possible to all the fans out there who are ordering like there is no tomorrow. Its great, but rendering me sleepless in Perth again…as I crazily rush from project to project….bear with me if we take a couple of days to get the book to you. So far so good! DO YOU LIKE IT??? (let me know either on here or facebook!) We are loving it! The other thing that is going gang busters is our little app, which rated a mention in both the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age papers. Hope you have that organised. Dinners never were so easy as they are with Spin-A-Dinner…the app that could! Of course, if you are iPhone-less, you can always order the book as a combo with For Foods Sake and get over 100 recipes, all with full colour pics…a Thermomixer’s idea of heaven, I would have thought!

Another dinner, this recipe is hardly rocket science; easy, quick and delicious with minimum fuss for hot weather. If you don’t want to turn on the oven, just leave the pumpkin out. You can change it up by adding more or less of anything, to suit your family size…I did a large salad, and we had it for lunch the next day. This is my idea of delicious…hope you like it.

NEED:

70g cubed pumpkin per serving

Honey and oil to taste

Sea salt

2 chorizo sausages, sliced

1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced

200g baby spinach leaves or as needed

400g tin butter beans, drained

200g bocconccini cheese(s)

1 small Lebanese cucumber sliced on the angle

Few fresh oregano leaves

Olive Tapenade;

150g kalamata olives, pitted

1 clove garlic

30g Fini EVOO 

40g lemon juice, fresh

Pinch sea salt (optional)

DO:

Roast pumpkin in hot oven (220ºC+) drizzled with honey and a little oil and salt for about 25-30 minutes or until golden and caramelised.

Place chorizo into Thermomix bowl and saute 20 min/Varoma/Reverse + speed 1. Remove from bowl and retain the oil from the sausage in the thermomix bowl.

To make tapenade place all ingredients into Thermomix bowl with chorizo oil and blend 10 sec/speed 6. Taste and add salt if needed.

Assemble salad with all ingredients, topping with cooked chorizo, pumpkin and then drizzling with tapenade. Serve immediately.

Lentil Salad with Basil and Lemon

Its Australia Day, and what is more Australian than lentils….well lots of stuff actually…but as you may be aware, I have been home from a cruise for less than a week, and talk about struggle with being home and getting back into the swing of it all! Can’t even bring myself to go to the shops, and so this was one of those; Must blog, have stuff in the cupboard, fridge that will do, and actually turned out quite delicious. So it is accompanying us to our BBQ and swim in a little while.

I wanted to add quinoa, but fresh out…need to order some from Honest to Goodness, as they stock an Aussie grown variety, that is nutty and delicious and un radiated….

So if you have it, add it…and actually, this lends itself to adding or subtracting just about anything that takes your fancy…Happy Straya day!

NEED:

200g lentils (I used green and red)

1200g water

Zest 1 lemon, finely grated

Juice 1 lemon

60-70g Fini EVOO plus some more as needed

Good pinch Murray River salt

1/4 red onion, diced

3 spring onions/shallots, sliced on the angle

1/2 red capsicum, diced

2 stalks celery, sliced

Good handful basil leaves, shredded (any variety, I used Thai as I have a garden abundance at the moment, adding a nice anise flavour)

300g cabbage, red or green, shredded

Other salad greens of choice

pistachios, pepitas, sunflower seeds to taste

DO:

Place lentils into simmering basket and pour water over.

Cook 30 min/100ºC/speed 3. Remove lentils and place into insulated serving bowl with lemon zest, juice, EVOO and salt. Stir and cover to marinate whilst you prepare the rest of the salad.

Prep remaining ingredients as directed and place all in large bowl. Stir through lentils and add more oil or seasoning as needed. Serve warm or cold.

Christmas Stollen

I cannot believe it; I have blinked and Christmas 2011 is here! Phew, what a year…can I just recap?

• Turned 50, but don’t tell anyone! I went to Phuket with the whole family (and that in itself is a story!)
• Went to Dubai and worked with George Calombaris, as my alter ego Candy Liscious the failed beauty queen.
• Thermomix in Australia launched the Asian cookbook, which I had been working on for a long time.
• Went to Melbourne and spent a couple of days with the amazing Dani Valent on the In the Mix shoot.
• Then went to Germany and Switzerland as part of the International Jury for a beautiful new Vorwerk Cookbook, out soon.
• Completed the recipes and photo shoot for the Thermomix in Australia 2012 Calendar available now.
• My number four child went to the States to study.
• I LEFT THERMOMIX in Australia! (Phew, thats a biggie, so deserved capitals!) July 4th, need I remind you, Independance Day, was my last day at head office and if you thought I was busy thus far, can I just mention…things then went into overdrive.
• Had a 3 part skype interview with Super Helene from SuperKitchen Machine, arguably the most prolific and up to date blogger on all things Thermomix. (Which interview served to press the fast forward button on a number of things! Seriously, if you want the thermomix world to know about something, just mention it to Helene, she probably knows it already, but she can spread the word faster than anyone.)
• Created a Dinner Spinner, a small book consisting of 21 recipes that you can create yourself in a Thermomix, which in one week, sold 700 copies …and many more to go yet!
• I also got all jiggy and wrote, and styled a cookbook called For Food’s Sake which has 160 pages, full colour pictures for every recipe (80 of those) and is so gorgeous, that I can scarcely stand the excitement. It will be available on here really soon, as well as in good bookstores and also online at Hub and Spoke or at my cooking classes!
• Speaking of which; I started running my own advanced cooking classes using Thermomix. These have been held in Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, Perth and Mandurah to sell out crowds of amazing lovely people. It has been my pleasure to meet some fantastic people who are truly as passionate about the Thermomix and making great food as I am.
• Started importing a chocolate product called Crio Bru to Australia which is the most amazing healthy yummy product around and if I can put it into food or recipes, I will…but perhaps you know that already? I totally love it, and so do thousands of other happy customers. We will be in retail outlets just as soon as I can take a minute to help my very valuable marketing guru business partner more than I am at the moment!
• I opened two online shopping carts…(HUGE! When I say ‘I’, I mean the royal ‘we’…) Thanks honey!
• Have plans in place for another exciting project to be launched hopefully before December 25th…but you never know! Stay tuned…
• Started working for Kleenmaid in Australia, and am truly impressed by their new range of products which are about to get installed into my kitchen Monday. We have already had some successful sales as a result of my running classes in their amazing Sydney showroom, so thank you for that, and for believing that I would not get involved with anything that was less than excellent!
• I have been approached on an almost weekly basis by other appliance companies and I am still considering some offers…when the travel options to Italy and Germany are secured, so will be the deals! (hahaha)
• I have happily welcomed Heilala vanilla, Margaret River Chocolate Factory, Fini Olive Oil, Lighthouse Flour, and fantastic branding from Braincells to the Cooking with Tenina team.
• The other team Tenina members that I have to mention are Hub and Spoke publishing and Scott Print. I just love getting the phone calls from Hub and Spoke and mentioning casually in conversation, ‘just talking to my publisher’ or ‘please hold for a second, my publisher is calling’…you get the idea…still makes me smile/downright grin!
• And last but not least, the guy that got all this web stuff started for me, made me join Twitter when it was still something that only birds did, and now screens my calls because there is always something new I need him to add, remove, fix from any and all of my sites, the very patient, Luke Holder, nephew, son, dad, inspirational Tech guru!

Sorry to put you through all that, but hey, what a year no?

I am looking forward to a great 2012 but before we can get there, we have the little matter of Christmas to attend to…so to the job at hand.

I would like to introduce you to some of the better Christmas recipes I have on here…there are now quite a lot, but here are my picks! (Well for this year anyhoo!)

ONE:

Pistachio Marzipan Christmas Trees

A little sneaky one from this year. Pistachio Marzipan, which I have to say has 100’s of applications and may just start showing up in all sorts of recipes from here on in…If you do not like marzipan, do yourself a favour and give this a go…it is not like any marzipan you have ever tasted.

TWO:

Toblerone Dip

Toblerone Dip…The fruit at Christmas in Australia is fantastic, so joosh it up a bit with this one. Simple enough to whip up in no time, and impressive enough to make your guests come back for more.

THREE:

How about a little tradition? I make this every year and this year I have made it and tweaked it, so essentially, this is a new recipe! Aren’t you lucky? Stollen is buttery, almond and fruit laden with just a hint of in this case, pistachio marzipan…there I go again with that marzipan…its the new Umami…for Christmas this year. All the good recipe blogs are wearing it!

FOUR:

Sugar Roasted Plum Salad

Well its all about sugar plums…so this had to make the cut. For me the lead up to Christmas is about eating yummy light meals that will get me through in between the myriad of parties and eating festivities that dominate the calendar at this time of year, so Sugar Roasted Plum Salad is delish, light and a great mid week lunch or an accompaniment to something more substantial on the weekend.

FIVE: Make a date with these rolls and you won’t be disappointed in love!! I enjoy a little sweetness with savoury from time to time and for some reason at Christmas time, we do that a little more often. (Think glazed ham, cranberry sauce etc) So these Date rolls go extremely well with Christmas Dinner, or lunch, or just after with left over sliced ham, turkey or both.

SIX:  I make these every year, without a doubt. They make the cutest presents ever and of course I can but for a fleeting moment, imagine that I am in Italy…that far away place that I still have never been to…is there anyone out there willing to send me? I pledge to bring back more than just a big smile, recipes and knowledge to share. Siena Cake originates from, well, Siena and  is sticky, fruity, and far nicer than anything you can buy.

SEVEN:

White Chocolate Christmas

When it comes to gifting food, I am not short on ideas and I did a post last year about just this, so not strictly a recipe on its own, but a great post that just may get you thinking about how clever you could be with a little prod, some cellophane, curling ribbon and a Thermomix…Gourmet Gifts couldn’t be easier…go on, go see.

EIGHT: Whilst we’re on the whole giving gifts from the kitchen routine (and white chocolate as well), these Minty White Choc Truffles were an instant hit at our house and I must say, I have had a lot of great feedback about them as well. Easier than running to the shop and fighting the crowds…prettier and more personal.

White Chocolate Minty Truffles

NINE: You can’t go past a great cookie recipe at Christmas and this is a bit of a grown up version of a Choc Chip cookie. Developed way back in my original Kleenmaid days, these are even easier in the Thermomix.

TEN:  Time for a quick salad? Red and Green Salad will always look festive and is so easy, I can barely call it a recipe…it is more of a suggestion. Enjoy on a hot day pre Christmas, throw a steak (or a prawn) on the barbie and you’re away!

ELEVEN and TWELVE: I don’t think Christmas can be complete without a little gingerbread…am I right? So even though these just went up on here, you must agree, they deserve a mention in the twelve recipes of 2011…I am hoping at some point to contruct a gingerbread house out of this cookie recipe, but with the big day fast approaching, I am not confident it will be this year it shows up! The flavored sugar recipe is delish as a Christmas tweak to anything requiring a little sugar, so think whipped cream, coffee, Crio Bru, your partner….you get the idea.

So from me, to you; and from Cookingwithtenina on Facebook, I wish you all a Merry Christmas. May you all have the time to Celebrate and Bake, and to feel the spirit of the season and may you all look forward to a wonderful 2012. (Cue the Christmas carols here….)

 

Quinoa and Chicken Salad with Orange Balsamic Dressing

Its no secret if you follow me at all that I just love fruit in a salad. I have been a bit busy (and I hope you know why!!) and so haven’t written up a recipe in a week or so. Today was scorching hot in Perth and salad was the only option. Quick, painless, not a lot of heat involved and very filling. Gotta love that quinoa…My hungry son couldn’t finish a plate of this in its entirety…I have found the answer at long last, to hollow teenage legs. I was going to say this feeds around 4-5 adults…but I have revised it and think we could go 5-7…or 4-6 with lunch the next day. Enjoy!

NEED:

120g quinoa

1L water

2-3 chicken breast fillets

Fini EVOO as needed

Handful spring onions/shallots

Handful each basil, parsley and mint leaves

1tsp each ground paprika, cinnamon and all spice

2 stalks celery, cut on the angle

Handful dried cherries or craisins

Handful pine nuts, toasted

Sea salt to taste

Salad greens of choice

1 tin chick peas, drained

1 orange, peeled and segmented

Orange Balsamic Dressing

Finely grated zest 1 orange

Juice 1 orange

4og balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp ground cumin

80g Fini EVOO

DO:

Place quinoa into simmering basket and water into Thermomix bowl. Insert basket and steam for 15 min/100ºC/speed 3.

Set aside to cool.

Char grill chicken breast fillets on a grill pan, brushed with EVOO and on an extremely high heat. You could use a BBQ for this or induction max. Cover pan, turn heat down and allow chicken to finish cooking right through. Set aside to rest before slicing into pieces.

Place spring onions/shallots, herbs and spices into Thermomix bowl and chop 2 sec/speed 7.

Add celery and steamed quinoa and stir through 4 sec/Reverse + speed 2.

Place all ingredients except chicken into large salad bowl while you make the dressing.

To make dressing place all ingredients into Thermomix bowl and blend 10 sec/speed 10.

Toss through salad and serve immediately with chicken slices on top.

Chicken Mango and Noodle Salad

Perth has been having a mini heatwave…of sorts, and now it is all cloudy and threatening, but I do have the airconditioner in full swing. The first air conditioning day for the season in fact…here we go…summer is on its way!

So for a hot day, a quick and easy salad. Make the dressing. Chop the cabbage, fire up the barbie or the grill and dinner dilemma is solved…to everyones satisfaction I think.

Speaking of Dinner Dilemma’s being solved…VERY SOON…in my store (see tab above), I will have my first little self published project available for sale. Now let me just make a fuss…21 fabulous recipes, all main meals with lots of variety, whether you are carnivore or vegetarian, whether you enjoy Asian or Mexican food, spicy, salads, winter warmers, its a bit of a mixer and hopefully you will find that you have a new friend in the kitchen in this book. It is small enough to carry in your bag;  just call it a prehistoric app…bring it out at the shop to just check on a recipe ingredients and yes, dinner is sorted. It will be that easy…so hope to have a big SOLD OUT sign up really soon!

In the meantime, enjoy this…

NEED:
Dressing;

20g peeled ginger root

1 lemon grass stalk, white part only

1 kaffir lime leaf

1 red chili

2 cloves garlic

30g palm sugar

Pinch sea salt

40g fish sauce

100g lemon or lime juice, fresh

60-80g Fini EVOO

Handful fresh mint leaves

Salad;

One chicken breast fillet between 2 servings

1/2 Chinese cabbage

Few spinach leaves or other salad greens of choice

1-2 avocadoes

1-2 mangoes

1-2 pkts Changs fried noodles

DO:

Place all dressing ingredients into Thermomix bowl and blend 10 sec/speed 7. Remove from bowl and set aside.

Place up to 400g of cabbage at a time into the Thermomix bowl and chop 4 sec/speed 4. Remove from bowl and place on serving platter. Repeat with remaining cabbage until all is chopped. Place a few baby spinach leaves or other greens on top.

Meanwhile heat a griddle pan over a high heat on Induction 12. Oil it and then cook each chicken breast, until well charred and marked. Turn heat down to medium heat, (Induction 6), cover and cook until cooked through completely. Rest chicken,  covered in pan with heat turned off.

Chop avocado and mango and toss through the dressing.

Slice chicken on the diagonal and arrange over bed of greens, top with avocado, mango and drizzle with dressing. Garnish with noodles and additional sliced red chilies.

Voila, Summer is Served!

Ravioli and Mediterranean Veggie Salad

I love summer, my energy levels increase (watch out!) and the sun just makes me happy. We have had a few sunny days, evocative of what is to come later in the year and I got all inspired with summery food…hope you enjoy, and pull this recipe out on a hot day when you need it the most. Now I am mid edit of my upcoming book…and not a heck of a lot of blogging going on. SO; simple, delicious, quick and on here! (Which is the main thing right dear reader?)

NEED:
1 batch pesto

500g pumpkin, cubed

1 small eggplant, cubed

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 small zucchinni, sliced

EVOO as needed

Sea salt to taste

Enough spinach for your diners

1 punnet grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 large red caspicum, diced

Few basil leaves to garnish

500g ravioli, frozen

1L water

DO:

Prepare pesto and set aside.

Preheat oven to fan forced 180ºC. Line a large baking tray or two with paper.

Prepare vegetables, toss together and spread across the prepared trays, drizzle with oil and season. Roast for around 20-25 minutes or until caramelised and fragrant. Cool.

Place spinach, tomatoes, capsicum in large salad bowl.

Heat water in Thermomix bowl for 8  min/Varoma/speed 2.

Place ravioli into Thermomix bowl and cook as directed at 100ºC/Reverse + speed soft. (Check time to cook ravioli on package for time.) Drain and cool slightly. Toss with pesto and then roasted vegetables. Add to salad and serve warm garnished with basil.

Chorizo, Egg and Potato Salad

What a day I have had! Crio Bru Australia, my new foray into the wonderful world of retail has gone C.R.A.Z.Y. thanks to you dear readers! My partner in crime is on an overseas holiday and left me holding the phone…and it has been insane. I am still trying to get ready for the Big Important Food Photo Shoot starting next week, kids are on holidays, um….Paypal would like me to sign away my first born grandchild as collateral, should I perhaps abscond with someones money…and I can’t think of anything else right now…but happy in the knowledge I needed to eat and blog something other than Crio related food, I threw this together for you all…and damn delish it is too I might add. If you are opposed to charred sausage, you can cook it in the Thermomix without any danger of the charred effect, but I personally needed some flame grilled tonight.

 NEED:

6 eggs

600g baby potatoes, skin on, halved

1L water

300g snow peas

50g EVOO

Coarse sea salt to taste

300g chorizo sausage, sliced on an angle

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

40g lemon juice, fresh

Handful snipped parsley

DO:

Preheat oven to fan forced 220°C and line a baking tray with paper.

Place eggs into simmering basket and potatoes into Varoma dish.

Insert basket into TM bowl, add water to bowl, and place Varoma into position. Cook 15 min/Varoma/speed 4.

Place snow peas into Varoma tray and insert into Varoma. Cook 5 min/Varoma/speed 4.

Plunge snow peas into a large bowl filled with ice water.

Place potatoes onto prepared baking tray. Roast for 20-30 minutes until golden. Sprinkle with salt.

Fry chorizo in fry pan until charred to taste and oil is released. Add garlic and pour lemon juice over whilst still in the pan.

Toss all together, shell eggs, quarter lengthways and arrange over the salad. Garnish with snipped parsley.

Serve warm.