Shredded chicken in your Thermomix

{ Money Saver!! }

Still 'irks' me seeing how much I used to pay for certain things before Thermomix. Like this shredded chicken at $20/kg!! And almond meal at $40/kg, and yoghurt which I make for $1.20/L


Shredding Chicken in your Thermomix

Cook chicken in small pieces in your basket, 20 minutes, Varoma, speed 2
Drain liquid and keep as stock - don't waste it!
Return chicken to TM bowl and shred on speed 4 for 4 seconds

Add to salads, pizza, soup, casseroles, sandwiches...anything! Freezes and defrosts really well too!

Thermofest

This week we had the launch of Thermofest 2014 to find out where we are all aiming for as our incentive destination as Thermomix consultants.

I was VERY excited to hear it is going to be in SUN CITY, SOUTH AFRICA!!

Last year I was awarded the Social Media & Recipe Community Award...such an honour and it came as a complete surprise. If you have ever been thinking about becoming a consultant, now is the time!

Here is my interview below:

What was the biggest highlight for ThermoFest ’13?

Meeting Grace, and seeing the thought and attention to detail that the ThermoFest team put in to make ThermoFest a truly rewarding experience for us all there made me all the more motivated to ensure I get there every year! We lacked for nothing and everything was planned out to give us just the right balance of leisure and learning. It gave me motivation to come back and keep my business firing so I can come again, this time with my partner.

Describe ThermoFest ’13 in three words

Amazing, Inspiring, Rewarding

What is your top tip for qualifying for ThermoFest ’13?

Don’t underestimate yourself! I didn’t think I would qualify and wasn’t planning on ‘trying’, I had only been a consultant for one full month before the qualification period began, but my GL believed in me and told me I could definitely do it even though the numbers looked scary. Thanks to her spurring me on, I pushed myself for the final two months and got over the line by 2 extra sales. All your hard work will pay off, you just have to have a plan, a goal, and keep doing the demos and believe the sales will come.

You were awarded with the Social Media & Recipe Community Excellence Award, please share how this made you feel. 

Well that came as a complete shock to me as I feel there are so many people out there doing a fantastic job in this area already, people I admire. But it was a very humbling experience and I felt like my hard work had been recognised, which was a huge thing for me being a relatively new consultant. And it meant I could tell my husband that there was a GOOD REASON I spent so much time on the computer and Facebook!

Any social media or recipe tips to share?

Social media is an extremely valuable tool to use to network and stay connected. Ensure you use it to your advantage. I find a lot of potential customers I meet at my demos will reconnect with me through my Facebook page.  Create recipes for Recipe Community and don’t be afraid to promoting them! By sharing your knowledge and delicious creations, you are helping customers on their journey and enhancing the lives of their families.

Purple Carrot & Date Muffins | Thermomix recipes

My 3 year old gasped when she saw purple carrots the other day when we were shopping, so we grabbed some to have some fun with and came up with these beautiful purple carrot muffins. The mixture just looks so beautiful. And I just so happened to have some purple gingham print muffin papers, and I do like to be a little matchy-matchy!! Let me know if you make them, drop me a line on my Facebook page.

Ingredients

250g purple carrots (approx 3-4)

140g dried pitted dates

70g brown sugar

120g olive oil

150g self raising flour

60g almonds

2 eggs

30g milk

1/2 ts cinnamon powder

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180C and line a muffin tin with patty pans or silicon muffin cases

Mill almonds in TM bowl for 15 seconds speed 9 (set aside)

Chop dates in TM bowl for 15 seconds speed 9 (set aside with almonds)

Grate carrots in TM bowl for 10 seconds speed 7 (set aside with above, no need to wash bowl)

Mix eggs, sugar, oil and milk for 10 seconds speed 5

Add almond/date/carrot mixture and mix for 10 seconds speed 4

Add self raising flour and mix for 3-4 seconds speed 4 - Only mix until flour JUST disappears (look through the hole in the lid and turn off once flour disappears. Over mixing will make your muffins less light and fluffy)

Spoon mixture into muffin pan

Cook for 20 minutes and allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes before turning onto a cooling rack

*yes, this can be made with regular old orange carrots!

Look at that GORGEOUS colour!!

Cooking a steak in your Thermomix

Think you can't cook an awesome steak in your Thermomix? Between your Thermy and your BBQ...well according to Heston you can make THE most succulent steak ever!! Sous vide steaks are on the menu!! (cooking in a 'water bath'...by vacuum sealing your meat)

We finally have invested in a vacuum sealer, after hearing about this concept some time back. I've been asking my demo guests about their vacuum sealers and decided its time! 

All you need to do is:

• Marinade your steak and vacuum seal
• Fill your TM bowl with enough water to cover your basket and vacuum sealed package of steak
• Cook on 60C, speed 2 for 25-60 minutes depending on your personal preference for rare/medium etc
• Remove from vacuum sealed bag and sear for a few seconds each side in a hot pan or on the bbq and DONE!!

If you are interested here is another link to the technique on Why is There Air which is where I got my inspiration.

Would love to hear if you try it! Leave a comment on my Facebook page

Breakfast outside the box....porridge in the Thermomix

We've recently given boxed cereal the flick in our house. My husband LOVES to make porridge for the kids in the TM and now we have a "porridge-off" and compete to see which one of us can come up with the best recipes! 

We've made:
'Apple & Custard', Nutty porridge (no oats, all nuts and spices), Apricot porridge, Blueberry & Cacao, Raspberry, Almond Date Vanilla, Banana & Maple, Vanilla, Apple & Cinnamon...so many combinations!

What have you tried?

Porridge recipe on Recipe Community

Tortilla Wraps

For a great flat bread or tortilla recipe you can't go past the 'Indian Flatbread' recipe in 'Traveling with Thermomix'. We use this recipe all the time. It makes a lot! My tip is to sit them in a tea towel so that they don't dry out as they cool, that way they are still pliable enough to roll them or use them as wraps.

Here I used them with leftover shredded roast lamb (cooked in the varoma), homemade tzatziki sauce with fresh mint from my garden, and Indian style roti breads....yum!!