Oranges and Thermomix Pt 3

If you try my Orange & Poppyseed Glazed Varoma Chicken this is a great side dish to go with it.

Orange & Apple Cous Cous

Ingredients

Cous Cous

orange peel from 1 orange, (washed & preferably organic)
small handful of parsley
50 g Butter
1 tsp orange salt & pepper rub, (see recipe community, or use salt flakes)
1 green apple, cored and quartered
3 spring onions, cut in half, some of the green sliced and reserved for garnish
150 g cous cous
250 g boiling water
50 g freshly squeezed orange juice

Preparation

Put cous cous in Thermoserver (or other bowl) and pour over boiling water, orange juice and orange salt & pepper rub. Cover and sit for 5 minutes while you prepare the rest.
Chop parsley & orange peel, 10 seconds, speed 8. Scrape and repeat if there are any large pieces of peel left. Set aside
Add butter, spring onion and apple to TM bowl and chop for 3 seconds on speed 5.
Scrape down and cook on 100C for 3 minutes,  speed 2.
Scrape mixture onto cous cous, add the reserved zest & parsley, and stir through and fluff up with a fork. Cover for another 5 minutes if required.

Garnish with sliced spring onion and a little of the zest & parsley (optional)

Tip

You can add all sorts of extras to this cous cous. Nuts, raisins, cranberries etc

Citrus salt & pepper rub: http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/recipes/orange-salt-pepper-rub/110489

Oranges and Thermomix Pt 2

I love being able to whip up a marinade in the Thermomix, not wash the bowl and use some of that flavour to steam my meat or fish.

This one is another recipe just like that.

Orange & Poppyseed Glazed Varoma Chicken

Ingredients

Glaze

60 g orange juice
100 g honey
25 g balsamic vinegar
25 g Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp citrus salt and pepper rub, (see my recipe, or use regular salt)
1/2 tsp poppyseeds

Chicken

400 g chicken tenderloins

1000 g boiling water

basmati rice, 200-400g

Preparation

1.

Add all ingredients (except poppyseeds) to TM bowl and cook for 10 minutes, Varoma, speed 2. 

2.

Scrape contents into a glass or metal bowl, add poppyseeds and allow to cool in the fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes

3.

Put chicken tenderloins in a shallow dish and top with glaze and allow to marinade, covered in fridge, for as long as possible. You can skip the marinade waiting time if you don't have enough time, but it will taste better if you can.

4.

Fill TM bowl with 1L of boiling water
(no need to wash after the sauce)

Add rinsed rice to basket and put in TM bowl
Set chicken pieces on top varoma tray and place into position. Cook for 22 minutes, varoma temp, speed 2.

Alternatively serve with steamed quinoa, or some cous cous

Tip

You could try serving this with my Orange & Apple Cous Cous recipe and some steamed vegetabes too. Steam vegetables of choice with the chicken, in the bottom half of your varoma at the same time. Carrots go great with this as they get some of the sticky glaze on them during the steaming.

You can use this glaze as a marinade for chicken drumsticks, cooked in the oven, or on salmon steamed in the varoma

Orange & Apple Cous Cous: http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/recipes/orange-apple-cous-cous/110554

Citrus salt & pepper rub: http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/recipes/orange-salt-pepper-rub/110489

Oranges and Thermomix Pt 1

I'm exploring the world of citrus with my Thermomix at the moment...mainly oranges! Today I played with 3 ideas for recipes using orange and this is the first one...

Orange Salt & Pepper Rub

Ingredients

50 g rock salt
peel from 1 orange, (washed well, preferably organic)
1 tsp mixed peppercorns

Preparation (so incredibly simple for such a strong flavour hit)

Put orange peel in TM bowl and grate for 10 seconds, speed 9

Add salt and peppercorns and mill for 10 seconds speed 8

Scrape into a jar to store

And that's it!!

This can be used as a seasoning on meats, in marinades, rubbed into steak, chicken or fish etc.

I will be posting a few more recipes using orange over the course of the next few days.

Less prep time in the kitchen with your Thermomix

One of the things I love about my Thermomix is WAY less time PREPARING FOOD for cooking/eating. Did you know you don't even need to take the leaves off your strawberries before making a sorbet? There are great health benefits to incorporating the leaves, as I read here.

Here are some of the things we save time on:

Pumpkin soup - no need to peel or de-seed your pumpkin (butternut pumpkin)
Soup - no need to peel potatoes
Salads, CADA etc - no need to de-seed your apples
Chopping onions - only need to peel and cut in half
Peeling garlic - you can peel up to 30 cloves of garlic at once in your Thermomix! I have tried this and it is amazing! Just store the peeled cloves in the freezer

Mashed potato - some people don't even peel potatoes for their mash!

What do you do in yours? Join the conversation on my Facebook page

Nat's Breakfast Smoothie | Thermomix

I love any excuse not to wash up....so I made up this smoothie to make straight after we make our daily porridge. It helps wash the bowl at the same time as not wasting any leftover oats by incorporating them into your smoothie.

Make porridge, leave a few good spoons in the bottom of the TM bowl and don't wash
Add 500g milk
Add a good dollop of honey
Add 2 bananas
Add a handful of berries
Add 2 teaspoons of chia seeds
Add a handful of ice, or a handful of coconut milk/cream ice cubes
Mix on speed 9 for 1 minute

The ice helps bring the temp of the drink down after cooking the porridge and also helps break down the 'bitty-ness' of the oats and berries

Change the ingredients around to suit you! I'd love to hear if you try it, come and say hi on my Facebook page