Coconut Oil and Sea Salt Brownie Cookies (SRC)

And just like that it's Secret Recipe Club time again! Each month members are assigned a blog in secret to peruse and choose a recipe from, then we all reveal our posts at the same time. It's a lot of fun and I always look forward to reveal day.

This has been an interesting month for me, in terms of food, as I have decided to cut out gluten for at least 4 weeks to see if it helps my energy levels and thyroid symptoms. After just the first few days I noticed my brain-fog lifting and I'm nowhere near as tired as I have been, so it seems like the experiment is working. On the one hand, yay! On the other hand, no more decent bread?? :(

Anyway, being temporarily gluten-free meant I had to look more closely at the recipes on my chosen blog for the month, which is Our Table for Seven by Erin.

As you can tell by the name of her blog, Erin has a lot of mouths to feed! Erin says she only really got into cooking and baking when her eldest son developed some picky eating habits and she wanted to make the foods he would eat a bit healthier. Erin, I hear you! I have the same issues with my Mr 5.

I decided I wanted something sweet and simple this month and found loads of recipes to choose from that I could easily adapt to gluten and dairy free. Like this Flourless Chocolate Cake that looks so rich and decadent, these Walnut and Maple Syrup muffins and this Simple Homemade Caramel Corn which I am planning on taking to a Christmas in July party next weekend!

But when I saw these Coconut Oil and Sea Salt Brownie Cookies the search was over. We love our coconut oil in this house (in fact we love it so much I buy it in huge 5kg tubs!). It tastes amazing and it's a brilliant substitute for butter in baking.

So these cookies were in a word, AMAZING. The mixture was so rich and chocolatey and I couldn't stop sneaking little tastes as it rested in the fridge. Once they came out of the oven my boys were hovering and couldn't wait to try them. They were fascinated by the salt on top (which according to Heston Blumenthal helps balance out the bitterness in dark chocolate in case you were wondering).

I made very minor changes to the recipe, swapping out the flour for gluten free varieties, reducing the sugar slightly and using chopped dark chocolate instead of chocolate chips.

I've only included the Thermomix instructions here but it can easily be converted to stove top (you really just need to melt the coconut oil in a saucepan then mix everything else together) or just check the original recipe for Erin's instructions.

Coconut Oil and Sea Salt Brownie Cookies
Gluten and Dairy free
Adapted from Our Table for Seven

1/2 cup (100g) coconut oil
2/3 cup (130g) coconut sugar
3/4 cup (120g) buckwheat flour
1/4 cup (40g) gluten-free plain flour
3/4 cup (80g) raw cacao powder
1 ts vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 ts sea salt (plus extra for sprinkling on top)
1 ts bicarb soda (baking soda)
1 tbs very hot water
150g dairy-free dark chocolate, roughly chopped (I used Lindt 85%)
 
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper and set aside.

Melt the coconut oil (TMX 2 minutes / 50 degrees / SP 2). Add the coconut sugar and beat for 20 seconds / SP 4. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again for 20 seconds / SP 4. Mix the bicarb soda and hot water together and add to the mixture (4 secs / SP ).

In a small bowl whisk together the flours, cacao and salt.

Add to the egg mixture and mix for 10 seconds / SP 4.

Add the chopped chocolate and mix for 6 secs / REVERSE / SP 3.

Place the bowl into the fridge for 15 minutes to allow the mixture to firm up.

Roll spoonfuls of mixture into balls and place on the prepared trays. Flatten the tops very slightly then sprinkle with extra salt.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Leave on the trays to cool for 5 minutes before carefully placing them on a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 24


Thank you for a wonderful month, Erin! I so enjoyed getting to know you and your family :)

An InLinkz Link-up

Wholefood Banana Custard Slice (Gluten and Dairy Free)

Baking desserts has always been one of my favourite things - not only because I get to eat what I make, but also because bringing out a special dessert to the table always lights people up. I love it when people love my food!

Not too many years ago I was baking regularly and going through a staggering amount of sugar. Rather than beat myself up about that I choose to see that just by making it myself I was avoiding all the artificial additives you find in processed versions of desserts.

After quitting sugar and when food intolerances became an issue for the boys and me, I was worried  I wouldn't be able to bake anymore, or at least not anything that other people would enjoy. While I've had quite a few flops I am now at a point where I can quite easily convert a recipe to be free of wheat or gluten, dairy and refined sugar without any drama.

And the results can be spectacular!

You know how you always have a soft spot for the sweets from your childhood? For me it's custard - think vanilla slice, custard tart or just plain custard with sliced bananas. So with that in mind I decided to create my own version - something that would be free of gluten, dairy and refined sugar, something that would be sweet and luscious and feel a bit special.

I had the opportunity to bake it when we had family over for morning tea during the school holidays and I had some time to play in the kitchen. I find a slice is always a crowd-pleaser and it's certainly easy to do a big tray of something and slice it up to feed everyone.

We all LOVED this slice. Perfect for morning or afternoon tea, but special enough for dessert.

Wholefood Banana Custard Slice (Gluten and Dairy Free)

Base:

1 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup almond meal
2 tbs coconut sugar
150g coconut oil

Custard:

400ml coconut cream
300ml rice milk
4 egg yolks
2 tbs arrowroot flour
125g rice malt syrup
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (save the bean for something else)
2 tbs gelatine (I use Great Lakes - the red one)

Topping:

3 bananas, thinly sliced
1/2 lemon, juiced
fresh nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease and line a 20 x 30 cm slice tray with baking paper and set aside.

To make the base, mix all ingredients together (TMX - 6 secs / SP 4), then tip into the prepared tin and press in firmly with your hands or the back of a large spoon.

Bake for 15-20 minutes - when done it will be  evenly golden brown and still a little soft, it will firm up as it cools.

Remove from the oven and place the tin on a wire rack to cool completely.

While the base is cooking, start to prepare the custard.

If you're using the Thermomix, place all custard ingredients into the bowl and cook for 9 minutes / 90 degrees / SP 4.

No thermomix? Place the coconut cream, milk and vanilla into a medium pan over medium heat until it starts to steam. Meanwhile, use a whisk to beat together the egg yolks, arrowroot and syrup until smooth. When the milk is steaming pour it over the egg mixture and whisk together. Place a few tablespoons of the mixture into a small bowl, sprinkle over the gelatine and stir to dissolve. Pour all the custard mixture back into the pan, add the gelatine mixture and cook over low heat until it starts to thicken, stirring constantly with a large spoon or spatula. This could take 20 minutes so be patient!

Leave the custard to cool for 10 minutes before pouring over the cooked base, then place in the fridge to chill until set (at least 4-6 hours or overnight).

Just before serving, slice the bananas into thin rounds and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle over the lemon juice and toss gently to combine, making sure all the banana gets the juice. The lemon stops the banana going brown but also adds a lovely flavour.

Using the baking paper on each side as a handle, carefully lift the slice out of the tin and place onto a serving board. Gently slide the paper off and discard.

Layer on the banana pieces and dust the top generously with nutmeg.

Cut into 12-16 pieces and enjoy!

What was your favourite childhood sweet treat?

Chocolate Beetroot Cake

We're coming to the end of 2 weeks school holidays here and while I've been baking up a storm I've taken a bit of a break from blogging. I do have a slew of awesome recipes lined up for the next few weeks though! 

Having all 3 of my boys for 2 weeks has been wonderful and they've been very willing guinea pigs for my baking experiments. Some hits, some misses ... but they've devoured the lot!

This recipe was an unexpected hit with my boys - they LOVED it! I had a couple of beetroots leftover at the end of the week and rather than make juice or a beetroot dip as I normally would I decided to make something sweet.

As you know I love boosting the nutrition of my baked goods by using spelt instead of wheat, adding nuts and seeds and of course, adding vegetables. Carrot, pumpkin, sweet potato and zucchini all work brilliantly. I wondered if the earthy flavour of the beetroot would be too much for the kids but I needn't have worried, they just saw it as a chocolate cake and each had seconds, and then thirds!

The boys had theirs with butter and then the next day I had a piece toasted and topped with my homemade roasted strawberry chia jam. SO delicious.

You can increase the chocolate flavour by replacing 1/4 cup of the white spelt flour with 1/4 cup raw cacao powder.

Wheat-free, Dairy-free Chocolate Beetroot Cake

120g coconut oil
80g dark chocolate (Green and Black's 70%)
2 beetroots, finely grated (mine was 286g peeled)
2/3 cup coconut sugar
1 cup white spelt flour
1/2 cup wholemeal spelt flour
3 ts baking powder
pinch salt
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

Grease and line a loaf pan with baking paper and set aside.

In a small pan, melt the coconut oil and chocolate together over low heat, stirring until it is smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Place the coconut sugar, flours, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and stir with a whisk until well mixed. 

Pour in the cooled chocolate mixture, grated beetroot and eggs, and fold together with a spatula until just combined.

Thermomix - roughly chop the beetroot then grate for 4-5 seconds / SP 6. Tip out the beetroot into a small bowl and scrape down the sides well. Add the chocolate and chop for a few seconds / SP 6-7. Add the coconut oil and melt for 3 minutes / 37 degrees / SP 3. Add the coconut sugar, flours, baking powder and salt, followed by the beetroot and eggs. Mix for 10 seconds / REV / SP 3. Scrape down the sides and repeat if needed.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 50 minutes or until the top springs back when pressed and a skewer comes out clean.

Leave in the tin to cool for at least 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Have you tried hiding vegetables in cakes and muffins? Do you have a favourite recipe you could share? I'm always looking for inspiration!

~ Susan

Dairy-free Jaffa Hot Chocolate

I don't want to start by talking about the weather but boy has it been cold! Winter has well and truly arrived here finally and we've been enjoying being all rugged up with coats and scarves and eating lots of yummy warming soups and casseroles.

We've also been having a lot of hot chocolate lately, and I've started experimenting with different combinations of milk to find just the right one. This is the best one yet!

As a kid Jaffas were my favourite chocolate and I got a bag every time we went to the movies (I'm sure I must have been delightful after all that sugar!). To me the combination of chocolate and orange is always a winner. In fact I made myself a Choc-Orange birthday cake last year, have you seen it?

This jaffa hot chocolate is rich and creamy and oh so flavourful. My boys absolutely loved it and ask for it every morning. I can see this becoming a bit of a family tradition!

Dairy-free Jaffa Hot Chocolate

3 cups rice milk
1 cup coconut cream
2 tbs raw cacao
2 tbs coconut sugar (or sweeten to taste)
3 strips of orange rind (use a peeler to peel off nice wide strips)

Place all ingredients into the thermomix and heat for 6 minutes / 60 degrees / REV / SP 2.

No thermomix? Just place all ingredients into a medium pot and stir over low-medium heat with a whisk, until the cacao and coconut sugar have dissolved and it is hot enough for you.

Serves 4

Do you have a favourite Winter drink?

Best Ever Dairy-free Macaroni and Cheese

I gave up dairy cold-turkey in December 2013 and honestly it was really hard. Not just giving up a food I loved, but the fact that dairy hides in so many foods that you wouldn't expect!

It was the right thing to do for the sake of bub's reflex and dairy intolerance (and for my health too) but I was completely addicted to dairy and ate loads of it - milk, cheese, cream, ice cream, you name it.

At first I just completely avoided it and didn't look for alternatives but as time went on, I started really missing the creaminess that only dairy gives. I  perfected dairy-free ice cream and dairy-free lasagne a while ago, which brought macaroni and cheese to the top of the list. It's one of my husband's favourite meals and he has mentioned it often over the past few years.

After a bit of experimentation, mac and cheese is back on the table!

So while this is not exactly the same as the original it is creamy, full of flavour and has a delicious cheesiness from the nutritional yeast. It is the ultimate comfort food and the kids will never know there are hidden veggies.

We LOVE this dish and it's become a regular feature on our meal plans.

If you're dairy free give it a go and let me know what you think!

Best Ever Dairy-free Macaroni and Cheese

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
375ml rice milk
3 tbs spelt flour
2 tbs nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 ts garlic powder
1/2 ts onion powder
1/2 ts turmeric
140 diced sweet potato
140g diced pumpkin
500g macaroni, cooked per packet instructions
Crispy bacon and fresh parsley to garnish

Put the water on to boil for the macaroni. Add the macaroni and cook as per packet instructions while the sauce is cooking.

Place the sweet potato and pumpkin into the bowl and chop for  8 secs / SP 8 or until very finely chopped.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add all remaining ingredients. Cook for 12 minutes / 100 degrees / SP 4.

The sauce should be smooth but if it's not, puree for 30 secs / slowly increasing from SP 3 - 9.

Drain the macaroni and return to the pot. Pour over the sauce and mix well.

Serve topped with crispy bacon and fresh parsley.

Serves 4-6

Garlic Chicken with Polenta (SRC)

Well, where has June gone?? I didn't mean for the blog to become a ghost town this month but between exams and assignments and just daily life with 3 children I've been really stretched this month!

But there is no way I would miss out on my Secret Recipe Club post! Each month members are assigned a blog in secret to peruse and choose something to share on the reveal day. This is my second month as a member of Group C and I am loving discovering all these new blogs!

This month I was assigned Where is my spoon? by Adina. Adina is Romanian but has lived in Germany for the past 10 years with her husband and 2 young children. Her recipes really reflect this European heritage and I spent many happy hours on her blog. There were literally dozens of very European recipes I would love to make - German Schnitzel, Transylvanian Yeast Cake and Linzer Torte just to name a few. But then I also loved her kid friendly recipes like homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter and the delightfully named Magical Soup for Children.

As Winter has finally arrived here I was looking for some serious comfort food and Adina's Garlic Chicken with Polenta ticks all the boxes. A simple but intensely flavourful meal, nothing fancy or complicated but so delicious that everyone is licking their fingers and asking for seconds. Adina describes it as a typical Romanian dish and something that her grandmother would have made. Perfect.

These photos really don't do it justice (it was pouring rain and very dark) but this was SO DELICIOUS! I made a few small changes to the sauce, just reducing it down a little and cooking out the garlic a little more to suit my kids' tastes.

I love simple food like this that when cooked with a little care become so much more than the sum of its parts.

Garlic Chicken with Polenta
Slightly adapted from Where is my spoon?

For the chicken:
8 chicken drumsticks
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 cups chicken broth
1 ts sweet paprika
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, divided
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbs butter
salt and pepper to taste

For the polenta:
1 litre water
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
250g polenta
1 ts salt

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy based frying pan.

Fry the chicken pieces until browned on all sides.

Pour over the chicken broth, sprinkle on the paprika and half the chopped parsley.

Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer with the lid on but just ajar slightly to let some of the steam escape. Turn the chicken in the broth several times while cooking for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

(Start the polenta now).

Remove the chicken pieces to a dish and cover with foil to keep warm while you prepare the sauce.

Add the crushed garlic to the pan, increase the heat and simmer rapidly with the lid off for about 10 minutes or until it has reduced by half. Add the butter and stir to combine. Strain the sauce through a sieve into a jug, then return the sauce to the pan along with the chicken pieces.

Coat the chicken in the sauce, sprinkle over the remaining parsley and serve with polenta.

To make the polenta:

Bring the water and salt to the boil in a large heavy based pot. Once boiling add the polenta in a steady stream, along with the oil and cook over low heat, whisking often for 30-40 minutes or until cooked through.

Thank you for a wonderful month, Adina – this recipe is a keeper!

An InLinkz Link-up

One-bowl Banana Bread

When I first got into cooking again as an adult I was all about trying new things, sourcing new ingredients and making every meal spectacular. I now have 3 young children and while I still want delicious food, my priorities have definitely changed!

What I look for now is - how long is this going to take me to make when I have a dozen other things I need to do right now? how many ingredients do I need to search for in the supermarket when I have a fussy, whingy toddler in the trolley trying to grab everything off the shelves? will my kids actually eat this or am I wasting my time?

One-pot dinners and one-bowl bakes - those words are music to my ears!

While I have made a hundred different banana breads this one is my simplest yet. Real ingredients, nothing fancy and just one bowl. Hallelujah.

I did this in the Thermomix (which to me is the epitome of one-bowl cooking) but a large bowl, a fork and a spoon will do the job just as well.

My husband scored a 15kg box of bananas for just $7 on the weekend so we have bananas coming out our ears at the moment. Most of these have been peeled and frozen so I am down to the last couple of bunches which are getting nice and brown and spotty, perfect for banana bread.

So here you go, the simplest wholefood banana bread around. This recipe is a keeper!

One-Bowl Banana Bread

3 ripe bananas (250g peeled)
2 extra large eggs
1/3 cup oil (coconut, macadamia or olive oil)
1/3 cup sweetener (rice malt syrup, honey or maple syrup)
1/4 cup milk (rice, almond or coconut)
1 1/2 cups wholemeal spelt flour
3 ts baking powder
1 ts cinnamon
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius / 150 degrees fan-forced. Grease a loaf pan and line with baking paper.

In a large bowl mash the bananas, then add the eggs, oil and sweetener and beat together until smooth (TMX - 10 secs / SP 6).

Add the remaining ingredients and fold together until just combined (TMX - 10 secs / SP 3 - scrape down the sides and repeat if you need to).

Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until it is golden brown and the tops springs back when you press lightly.

Remove from the oven and leave in pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Delicious still warm from the oven or cold in lunchboxes.

Have you scored any amazing fruit and veg bargains lately?

What would you do with 15kg of bananas??

~ Susan

Meal Plan Monday (30th May)

Is it cold where you are? Winter weather has well and truly arrived which means one thing around here ... comfort food! But winter warmers don't have to be heavy and loaded with carbs. Slow cooked meats, soups and hearty vegetarian dishes packed with warming spices all hit the spot perfectly.

Last fortnight was cheap for us as we used up some of our stash of freezer food. This turned out to be a good thing because we had a bit of a disaster and discovered our chest freezer in the shed had been accidentally turned off after a power surge and we lost bags full of food. So frustrating! Not to mention costly.

We're still keeping things simple this fortnight and our only meat purchases are a whole organic chicken (bought from Woolies for just $15 on special), 2kg of gravy beef and some bacon. The mince and sausages are from our freezer stock we buy in bulk every few months (luckily we hadn't gotten around to transferring all this meat to the outside freezer or we would have lost the lot).

Have you ever had a freezer disaster?

On the menu ...

Monday - Vegie-loaded Spaghetti Bolognaise with zucchini and beans

Tuesday - BLTs on homemade spelt rolls

Wednesday - Slow-cooked Beef Madras with veg

Thursday - Vegan macaroni cheese

Friday - DIY

Saturday - Pumpkin soup and hash browns

Sunday - Spelt Pizza

Monday - Lasagna (gluten and dairy free)

Tuesday - Sausage and veggie bake

Wednesday - Dhal with rice and greens

Thursday - Chicken and sweet potato bake

Friday - Brinner

Saturday - Veggie soup with foccacia

Sunday - Roast chicken with veg

What's on the menu for you this week? Do you have some favourite winter-warmers?

Curried Tuna Mornay (and how to choose the best tuna!)

We're going retro with this one! Is there anyone who didn't eat tuna mornay sometime growing up int he seventies or eighties? It was a staple at my house but mum always made it with canned cream of celery soup in it which is not something I choose to eat these days.

(If you're interested Rachael Ray has a delicious homemade cream of celery soup recipe - it is loaded with dairy though - must experiment with a dairy free version!).

I haven't made mornay for the kids for ages so it was high time to bring it back into the rotation.

How to choose the best canned tuna

But before we get to the recipe, let's talk about tuna.

Do you have canned tuna in the pantry? And importantly, do you know how that tuna was caught?

According to Choice there are 2 things to think about when buying tuna.

1. Look for a sustainable species of tuna:

Read your labels carefully and look for skipjack tuna, which may also be called Katsuwonus pelamis. Avoid the commonly seen yellowfin tuna which is considered by Greenpeace to be 'near threatened.'

2. Look for sustainably caught tuna:

You want to look for 'pole and line caught' tuna, which should be noted prominently on the label.

Check out this Greenpeace guide to tuna brands in Australia. While I have never seen the number one pick (Fish 4 Ever), it is nice to see Safcol and Coles brand tunas rounding out the top 3. Are you surprised about which one is in last position?

So check your pantry. What brand is your tuna? Have you ever actually read the label on a can of tuna?

Oh and make sure you choose tuna in spring water, in order to avoid the vegetable oil most tuna is packed in. Because even the brands that mention olive oil on the front of the tin also contain a large proportion of vegetable oil. Yuck.

Back to the mornay and I decided to mix things up a bit and add some curry powder. This was largely to please my curry-loving husband who also happens to hate 'mushy' food (and yes he would include tuna mornay in that category).

The result? An easy and delicious dinner that (just about) everyone gobbled up in record time. Still can't convince Mr 5 to have either tuna or any sort of sauce on his pasta but ... 

My Curried Tuna Mornay

1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 carrot
2 zucchinis
100g butter or extra virgin olive oil
50g white spelt flour
350ml rice milk
1-2 ts curry powder
1/2 ts salt
425g can sustainable tuna in springwater

Place onion, garlic, carrot and zucchini in mixing bowl and chop for 4 secs / SP 6.

Scrape down the sides, add the butter and cook for 8 minutes / 100 degrees / SP 1 / measuring cup off.

Add the flour, milk, curry powder and salt and cook for 6 minutes / 100 degrees / SP 1.

Puree 20 secs / SP 8.

Add the tuna and cook for 3 minutes / 90 degrees / SP 1 / Reverse.

Mix through cooked pasta and serve.

No thermomix? Prepare your sauce in a medium saucepan. Melt the butter and sauted the grated vegetables. Once tender, sprinkle over the flour and cook until it is dry, about a minute or so. Add the remaining ingredients, except the tuna, and cook stirring continuously for a few minutes until a smooth sauce forms. Add the tuna, turn down the heat to low and let simmer for a few minutes or until everything is cooked and warmed through. Add your pasta and enjoy!

Do you have a favourite dish from your childhood?

Top 10 things I make from scratch (and no longer have to buy) now I have a Thermomix

So unless you've been living under a rock you will have noticed a LOT of publicity lately regarding the Thermomix and some safety issues.

Without getting into that at all (although I will state for the record I have had mine for nearly 2 years without any problems) I thought I would share my experiences with a Thermomix.

First of all there have been very few days in the past 2 years that we haven't used it. On a typical day we use it for our breakfast (either porridge or a smoothie), perhaps make a batch of dough for bread, whip up a soup, mix something up for afternoon tea and make dinner with it.

Our record was the first Christmas we had when it and made 11 different things in a day including a sponge cake, jelly, lemon curd, custard, coconut cream, mayonnaise, gravy and quinoa!

I've heard a lot of people say it and it's totally true - if you want to get away from processed food and start avoiding additives, having a Thermomix will help you make food from scratch quicker and easier.

While I have always made a lot of things from scratch, having a Thermomix has allowed me to completely stop buying a number of products that I always just took for granted as being things that 'you just buy'.

Well not any more!

Top 10 Things I Make From Scratch 

(and No Longer Have To Buy) Now I Have a Thermomix

1. Bread

This is the biggie. After years of dabbling with bread making  I have finally made the switch and 100% of our bread is homemade. Sandwich loaves, wraps, focaccia, rolls, scrolls and pizza. You name it, I make it. The Thermomix does amazing dough and it is quick and mess-free. Not only that though I feel 100% happy about the ingredients. No nasty vegetable oil or preservatives here.

2. Nut milk

We've been dealing with dairy intolerances for years now and whichever way you look at it, nut milk is expensive. There are some brands that I like but really it is so easy to make your own and for a fraction of the cost. We buy nuts (usually almonds) in bulk and make a few litres of nut milk at a time. Fresh, delicious and cheap. Gotta love that.

3. Soup

Ok so you don't need a Thermomix to make soup. I've been doing it for years without one, but I like smooth soups and it was always a bit of a palaver to tip hot soup into a blender or risk a soup-cano with a stick blender.

Previously if there were some boxes of soup on special at the supermarket I would always grab a couple to stash in the pantry for a quick lunch, but not anymore. While I always chose ones with ingredients that looked good (no numbers), it was still a really long time since those vegetable were in the ground.

Being able to chop, cook and then puree all in one and have soup ready on the table in about 20 minutes is brilliant. I make at least 1 batch a week all year round (even in summer) and love that I'm getting so many veggies into all of us. 

4. Stock

Just like with soup, it was so easy to grab a box of liquid stock to have on hand. I always made my own chicken stock with leftover chicken bones but there was never enough to have in the freezer.

The very first thing you make with your consultant when the Thermomix is delivered is a vegetable stock paste, and it has become a staple at our place. Loaded with veggies and herbs, I always have a batch on hand in the freezer. It provides not only flavour but seasoning as well, and with its salt content it never freezes hard - perfect for scooping out a spoonful to add to soups, curries and casseroles.

5. Dishwasher powder

Yep that's right, we use the thermie for more than just food! The dishwasher powder is actually a recent addition to our repertoire, but we haven't purchased dishwasher tablets for 6 months now.

At first the difficulty was locating a cheap source of citric acid (the key ingredient in lots of natural homemade cleaning products).

You may know citric acid from those little containers in the baking aisle at the supermarket? Buying it that way will send you broke in no time, as it works out at about $34/kg. With some research I found a supplier selling 10kg buckets on ebay which works out at only $7/kg. Much better!

6. Washing powder

I've been making our own washing powder for about 3 years now, using a food processor to grate up the soap. The Thermomix of course does it better and faster! I like Dr Bronners soap bars and yes, our clothes are all perfectly clean with no chemicals!

7. Mayonnaise

Back onto food, this was another big one. Even though I knew the ingredients were less than ideal and it was a pain to make, I found it really hard to give up bought mayonnaise! That is until I discovered a cooked egg mayonnaise recipe on the recipe community site. Quick, easy and no stress about raw eggs.

8. Jam

Since going sugar free (or more accurately low-no fructose) back in 2012 we very rarely have jam. Mostly I will make a sweetener free chia jam but I do batches of 'real' jam sometimes as gifts and we always keep a little for ourselves. Making your own jam lets you control the amount of sugar and the quality of the ingredients. Get a great deal on a box of organic berries? Why not make some jam or a berry sauce for pancakes. Yum!

9. Nut butter

Have you seen the price of some nut butters at the shops? Outrageous! So much cheaper and healthier to just buy some organic nuts, roast them and grind them up. Smooth or chunky? You decide!

10. Curry

We love our curry in this house! The Thermomix is brilliant for preparing curry pastes in bulk which you can store in the freezer, and for simmering a curry for dinner even on a weeknight. Healthy and delicious and, as with just about everything you make in a Thermomix, I love that you aren't tied to the stove. You can walk away and do something else while dinner is cooking, confident that it won't burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. Love, love, love!

So that's it. My top 10 things I now make from scratch in my Thermomix.

Do you make any of these from scratch? Is there something from the supermarket you just can't give up?

If you are on the fence about getting a thermal cooker (and it doesn't have to be a Thermomix, there are a number of other brands available) and have some other questions please let me know either in the comments below or shoot me off an email! mywholefoodfamilyblog {at} gmail {dot} com.

I would love to hear from you!

Chocolate Pecan Pie (SRC)

I've been doing a lot of baking lately but it's been all muffins, bliss balls and breads. It seems like aaaages since I've made a proper dessert - something the kids get really excited over and that seems a bit special.

As this is my first month with Group C in the Secret Recipe Club (after moving across from Group D) I thought I would celebrate and choose something sweet and out of the ordinary!

This month I was assigned The Avid Appetite by Rachel who lives in Jersey City with her husband and gorgeous daughter Penelope (the cutest name ever). I loved spending time on Rachel's blog and   apart from a love of food (obviously), found we have a quite lot in common such as loving overnight oats for breakfast to being a fan of both Castle and Gretchen Ruben!

I was really spoilt for choice when it came to selecting a recipe and there were loads that I bookmarked for later. I love the sound of her Vanilla Cinnamon Quinoa for a protein-packed breakfast, I'm intrigued by the Pumpkin Butter and my boys would go crazy for these Banana Bars with Chocolate Frosting.

It was the Chocolate Pecan Pie adapted from a Paula Deen recipe that really caught my eye though (I have a bit of a soft spot for Paula Deen after reading her autobiography a few years ago).

(Does anyone else remember 'pecan pie' scene from When Harry Met Sally?)

I was prepared to make a few changes in order to fit in with our wholefoods way of eating, and just a couple of simple switches later we had the most amazing, but not too sweet, dessert!

We LOVED this. Perfectly short pastry, sweet nutty filling with little pops of dark chocolate. What's not to love?

Try as I might though I couldn't get a clean slice. I mean, is there a trick to slicing a pecan pie neatly without all the nuts smooshing out the sides? Still the taste made up for the messiness. DELICIOUS!

Chocolate Pecan Pie
Adapted from Paula Deen via The Avid Appetite

Shortcrust Pastry (my own recipe):

300g wholemeal spelt flour
2 ts coconut sugar
160g cold butter, diced
1/3 cup cold water, approx

Place all ingredients except the water into a food processor and blitz until it forms breadcrumbs. Add the water a little at a time until the dough comes together and forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough in between 2 sheets of baking paper, large enough to fit a 22cm tart dish. Either wrap the remainder of the dough and place in the freezer for another time or roll it flat and cut out cookies to bake at the same time as the pie. My boys love this!

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

Filling:

2 cups pecans
3 large eggs, beaten
3 tbs melted butter, cooled
1/2 cup rice malt syrup
1 tbs molasses
1/2 cup coconut sugar
100g dark chocolate, chopped (I used Lindt 85%)

Scatter pecans over the uncooked pastry shell.

Place the eggs, butter, syrup, sugar and chocolate into a mixing bowl and whisk together until well combined. Pour the mixture over the pecans.

Place the pie onto a baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 180 degrees and cook for a further 25 minutes or until set.

Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool completely.

Thanks for a great recipe Rachel! My family loved it.

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