Friday 14 March 2014

LEMON THYME AND CHIVES SALMON WITH CHARGRILLED ASPARAGUS SALAD













 This super quick, super easy meal took no time at all and tasted DELISH! It isn't really a thermomix recipe as such (although I did use the thermomix because I have become somewhat lazy having it now!) I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!!

Enjoy!














Ingredients
2 x Salmon Steaks
1/4 Cup Whole Egg Mayo (homemade in TMX)
Large Handful Lemon Thyme
Large Handful Chives
Garlic herb salt

2 x Bunches Asparagus
Rocket and Spinach Mix
Spray Oil
Garlic herb salt
Honey Mustard Salad Dressing (or any thermomix made, paleo salad dressing)

Method
1)  Put thyme and chives into TMX bowl and chop for 6 seconds on speed 9 before reducing speed to 5 or 6 for another 15 seconds or until herbs are chopped up.

2) Add 1/4 cup mayo and garlic herb salt and mix for 30 seconds on Reverse + speed 6 until combined.

3) Place salmon fillets on an oven tray lined with baking paper, skin up, and spread with the mayo paste (divide herb mayo evenly between two steaks).













4) Place salmon into a preheated 230 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes.

5) Meanwhile, spray a large non-stick frypan with oil and char grill the asparagus spears for a few minutes or until a deep green. Sprinkle with garlic herb salt while cooking and tossing.













6) Toss the honey mustard dressing throughout the leaves.

7) Once salmon is cooked, serve with the rocket and spinach leaves, topped with asparagus and with a couple of lemon wedges.


SO YUM!! Dig in!!


Sunday 29 December 2013

PEACH, BANANA AND STRAWBERRY SMOOTHIE

PEACH, BANANA AND STRAWBERRY SMOOTHIE













I whipped this up this morning with fruit I already had at home and the result was a blend of creamy delicious goodness!! You want to have all of your fruit and milks in the fridge beforehand so that they're chilled when you make your smoothie. This is a perfect summer smoothie and really filled me up! Makes 2 decent sized smoothies.

Ingredients

Almond Milk
Equal part Coconut Milk
1 Banana
1 large Peach
1/2 - 3/4 Punnet Strawberries (tops removed)
Tbsp Honey
Tbsp Chia Seeds


Method

Place all ingredients in to the Thermomix and blend for 40 seconds on Speed 9.


***Please note, I haven't stipulated how much milk to use as this is down to personal choice and how thick you like your smoothies. I used approx a cup of each milk and it made it nice and creamy!!***


Paleo Meatloaf

PALEO MEATLOAF













Apologies for how long it has taken me to add a new recipe to my blog. I made this beef meatloaf tonight for dinner and it was YUMMY! I have found most paleo meatloaves come out dry and tasteless. This one is moist and full of flavour!! I hope you enjoy as much as we did!!! (adapted from paleonewbie.com)

Happy eating!!


Ingredients
900g mince beef
3 eggs
60g almond meal
1/2 brown onion
1 pack frozen spinach (thawed and drained of water)
1/2 large red capsicum
2/3 cup my paleo ketchup (see previous post)
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp paprika
40g olive oil



Method 
Preheat oven to 230 degrees 

1) Place Onion, Garlic and Capsicum into Thermomix Bowl and chop for 2 seconds on Speed 6.

2) Add oil and saute with the measuring cup half placed on for 2 minutes, Varoma Temp, Reverse + Speed 1.

3) Add all of the remaining ingredients except the ketchup and stir for 1 minute, Reverse + Speed 3 with the aid of the spatula or until all ingredients are combined. 

4) Divide the meatloaf mixture between two loaf pans and flatten out with the spatula. Now pour 1/3 of the ketchup over each meatloaf and spread with spatula.

5) Bake in oven for 1 hour. Remove and let sit for 15 minutes.

6) Serve with more ketchup over the top. 



Sunday 18 August 2013

YOGHURT PASSIONFRUIT PANNA COTTA

YOGHURT PASSIONFRUIT PANNA COTTA 
Serves 4
3 WW ProPoints













As per my previous post, I have been researching the use of Agar-Agar in desserts. I saw this one on TV on 'Good Chef, Bad Chef' and have modified it slightly. I know this is a TMX blog but I didn't need it for this one. I guess you could heat the almond milk and agar-agar in the TMX then add the other ingredients. But I just did this by hand.

This dessert is delicious and is SO much healthier than your standard Panna Cotta. It uses sheep's yoghurt and almond milk instead of your full cream milk, cream and eggs.

I love it! It is an acquired taste and if you aren't a fan of the taste of natural yoghurt,you can always add more agave nectar to sweeten it even more.

Ingredients
1/2 cup almond milk
1 vanilla pod deseeded
2 tsp Agar-Agar
1 1/2 cups sheep's yoghurt (unsweetened)
2 Tbsp passionfruit pulp
1 Tbsp agave nectar/syrup

Method
1) In a small saucepan add the almond milk and vanilla beans. Slowly heat and add the agar-agar. Keep at a low heat and stir frequently until the agar-agar dissolves (approx 10 min). Set aside to cool.

2) Once cooled, add the yoghurt and agave nectar. Whisk together until smooth.

3) If you find you have some chunks in it or bits of agar that didn't dissolve, you can now strain it through a sieve.

4) Pour into ramekin dishes and refrigerate overnight. Once set, pour passionfruit pulp over the top and serve.

YUM!!!!


HEALTHY VEGAN FRUIT SUNDAE

HEALTHY VEGAN FRUIT SUNDAE 
Serves 4
0 WW ProPoints




These amazing fruit sundaes are absolutely perfect if you are looking for a healthy sweet treat or dessert and they are 0 ProPoints!! These aren't paleo however because they contain tofu (you could take that whole section out and they would then be paleo, but the tofu layer is my fav!!)

So this morning I was doing some research on agar-agar and thought I would experiment with a few recipes. This one is modified from the TV show 'Good Chef, Bad Chef'.

Agar is a good source of calcium and iron, and is very high in fiber. It contains no sugar, no fat and no carbohydrates and is calorie free!! It is known for its ability to aid in digestion and weight loss. It carries toxic waste out of the body. Other benefits associated with agar are its ability to reduce inflammation, calm the liver, and bring relief to the lungs.

The second key ingredient in this is the silken tofu. Tofu is high in protein, low in fat, and very low in saturated fat. Other healthy benefits of soy: Some studies show it can lower cholesterol and may even help prevent certain types of cancer, including breast and prostate.

The other part of this recipe I love is that it uses Agave Nectar/Syrup instead of sugar to sweeten the tofu.  What makes agave superior to sugar? Sugar is a processed sweetener that has no nutritive value, other than calories. And agave, as compared to other sweeteners, has a desirable low-glycemic index. This means that when consumed, it won't cause a sharp rise or fall in blood sugar.

And finally, we have fruit! A ton of fruit! I know this is controversial as far as the new way that Weight Watchers works (making fruit 0 points) but seeing as this is a dessert and a treat, I reckon we'll be ok!! And besides, it's got to be better than eating a slab of choc cake right?!

Ingredients 
2 cups apple juice (nuddie nothing but apples)
2 1/2 Tbsp Agar-Agar (not the powder, the seaweed form)
Pinch sea salt
Mango flesh, chopped (1-2 mangoes, depending on how 'fleshy' they are)
1 1/2 cups berries (I used strawberries)
125g silken tofu
1 Tbsp Agave Syrup
1 tsp organic Vanilla Extract
Extra berries to garnish

4 glasses 

Method
1) Begin by mixing your apple juice, agar-agar and pinch of salt in a small saucepan. Heat over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Then simmer for approx 10 min until the agar-agar has dissolved. Now pour into a separate jug and place in the freezer or fridge for 5 minutes to cool. It should thicken into more of a sauce.













2) Place mango pieces into the TMX bowl. Divide your apple sauce/syrup into 3 equal portions. Add one portion to the mango and puree for 8 seconds on Speed 3-4. (don't over process) Pour the mango mixture evenly between the 4 glasses.

3) Rinse the TMX bowl. Add the silken tofu, agave syrup, vanilla extract and another 1/3 of the apple mixture. Mix for 10 seconds on Speed 5 or until combined. Pour the tofu mixture over the top of the mango mixture (spread evenly between the 4 glasses).

4) Rinse the TMX bowl. Add the strawberries and the remaining apple mixture. Puree for 8 seconds on Speed 4. Scrape the sides and mix for a little longer if necessary. Pour the berry mixture over the tofu, spreading evenly between the 4 glasses.

5) Put into the fridge for approx an hour. Garnish with fresh berries and serve!!!

That's it! So easy and SO delicious!! Seriously addicted to these little treats! In fact they are quite large, you could probably make 6 smaller ones.

Enjoy!!!



Saturday 27 July 2013

PALEO PANCAKES WITH BERRY COMPOTE

PALEO PANCAKES WITH BERRY COMPOTE 
3 Weight Watchers ProPoints per serve
Serves 2 (4 pancakes) 



I LOVE pancakes!! And there are tons of great paleo pancake recipes out there. But this one takes the cake in my opinion. These are modified from my fav paleo foodies site- paleomg.com. If you would like more berry sauce, simple double the amount of ingredients shown below. YUM!! Enjoy!

Ingredients 

Pancakes
2 Bananas
3 Eggs
Vanilla Bean (one whole)
3 Tablespoons Coconut Flour
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
Sprinkle Cinnamon
Crack of Seasalt

Compote
1 cup Berries
2 Tablespoons Honey


Method
1) Place bananas in TMX bowl and mix for 5 seconds on speed 5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

2) Add eggs and mix for 8 seconds on speed 5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

3) Now scrape the beans out of the middle of the pod and add them to the TMX bowl. Add coconut flour, vanilla extract, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix for 10 seconds on speed 5. Scrape the sides and mix last little bits together with spatula.















4) Heat a large frying plan and add some nuttelex (or oil, I use nuttelex as it imparts a nice flavour into the pancakes). Pour batter in to the pan and spread out with spatula. (not too thin or too big as they will break when flipping) Cook the pancakes how you would normal pancakes- once they start to bubble you can flip them.

5) While cooking pancakes you can make the berry compote. Add berries to small saucepan and begin to heat. Once they begin to soften add the honey and stir. Cook until bubbling. Break down the berries and set aside until ready.













6) Plate up your pancakes and pour berry compote over the top. That's it! They are scrumptious!!!!!!!!


Sunday 14 July 2013

PALEO FRUIT PROTEIN BITES

PALEO FRUIT PROTEIN BITES
Makes 34 small bites















Ingredients 
100g dried strawberries/cranberries
80g dried pineapple
210g Paleo Granola (see previous blog)
3 tbs coconut butter
2 tbs Nuttelex
3 tbs honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 scoops of vanilla protein powder (or any flavour, I actually used choc flavour)
Pinch of salt


Method
1) Add dried fruit to TMX bowl and mix on speed 8 for 20 seconds (until you have small pieces)

2) Next add the Granola and mix on Reverse Speed 4 for 10 seconds.

3) Add remaining ingredients and mix on Reverse Speed 4 for 40 seconds or until combined.

4) Press mixture into a square, lined baked tin and put in freezer for an hour or more.

6) Cut into small pieces and refrigerate.

Enjoy!!!