Creamy Garlic Prawn Risotto | Thermomix recipe

I know this certainly isn't the only garlic prawn risotto recipe on the block, but when I went searching for a recipe to try I couldn't find one just right, so I thought I'd make my own up and see how it turned out. 

See my tips below for how to use the The Basic Cookbook's guided recipe on the in-built recipe chip.

Creamy Garlic Prawn Risotto             by Nat's Thermomixen in the Kitchen

INGREDIENTS 2-3 garlic cloves handful of flat leaf parsley (leaves only) 40g butter 40g olive oil 2 Tb TM veggie stock concentrate 320g arborio rice 720g water 60g wine 300-400g fresh raw peeled prawns (I prefer tails off, up to you!) 2 Tb creme fraiche 40g parmesan (optional) juice of 1/2 lemon PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS If using, grate parmesan on speed 10 for 3 seconds, set aside, rinse bowl Add garlic & parsley, speed 6 for 3 seconds. Scrape down Add butter and oil, cook 3 minutes, 120c (varoma if using TM31), speed 1 Insert butterfly whisk Add rice, cook 1 minute, 120c, reverse, speed 1.5 (put dial in between 1-2 on TM31) Add wine, cook 2 minutes, 120c, reverse, speed 1.5  Add water and stock and cook for 13 minutes, 100c, reverse speed 1.5 Add prawns, creme fraiche and lemon juice. Cook for 3 minutes, reverse, speed 1.5 Transfer risotto to Thermoserver, top with parmesan and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Tips If using Thermomix Model 5, you can loosely follow the built in recipe for mushroom risotto. Just leave the prawns out entirely until the end of the recipe as they only need 3 minutes. At end of the final 13 minute cooking time press the back button, add the prawns, creme fraiche and lemon juice and then drop the timer down to 3 minutes and cook again. Best served immediately Serve with a teaspoon of creme fraiche on top and garnish with additional parsley DISCLAIMER This recipe was provided to you by a Thermomix ® customer and has not been tested by Vorwerk Thermomix ® or Thermomix ® in Australia and New Zealand. Vorwerk Thermomix ® and Thermomix ® in Australia and New Zealand assume no liability, particularly in terms of ingredient quantities used and success of the recipes. Please observe the safety instructions in the Thermomix ® instruction manual at all times.

Strawberry Fruit Jelly | Thermomix recipe

Home made strawberry jelly! Gosh I was proud of how this turned out  I think I've done just about every strawberry recipe possible now after we went strawberry picking last week. 

I had about 9-10kg of strawberries and I paid $9. I've made jam, coulis, cordial, jelly, raw cheesecake, raw fudge, strawberry 'bread', frozen 4kg in 400g bags for jams, frozen 1kg for fruity berry dream...and probably more things that I've forgotten!!!

INGREDIENTS 250g strawberries, hulled 120g fresh orange juice (approx 1 orange) 125g hot water from the tap 40g raw sugar (optional or to taste) 3 ts gelatine powder (or equivalent agar agar)

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS Prepare moulds, ramekins or cups by rinsing with water Blend strawberries and orange juice for 30 seconds, speed 9 Add water, sugar and gelatine Warm on 50c for 2 minutes, speed 3 Immediately pour into moulds and set in fridge (approx 2 hrs) Fill TM bowl with warm water to clean Tips To turn out of moulds, run under a warm tap then turn into a bowl I used the Tupperware jelly moulds, they work really well as the tops and bottoms come off for easy release

DISCLAIMER
This recipe was provided to you by a Thermomix ® customer and has not been tested by Vorwerk Thermomix ® or Thermomix ® in Australia and New Zealand.
Vorwerk Thermomix ® and Thermomix ® in Australia and New Zealand assume no liability, particularly in terms of ingredient quantities used and success of the recipes.
Please observe the safety instructions in the Thermomix ® instruction manual at all times.

Dairy Free Cauliflower 'Cheese' Soup

I've finally gotten around to converting one of our family favourite soup recipes to use in the Thermomix. I used to make this with a 250g block of cream cheese added, but recently 2 of our 3 girls have had to exclude dairy from their diet, so I tried to see if I could replicate the flavour, minus the dairy. I think I succeeded! I hope you let me know if you try it

INGREDIENTS 1 onion 1 garlic clove 30g olive oil 1 tin (400ml) coconut cream 800ml water 350g roughly chopped cauliflower (can use some stem and inner leaves) 2 Tb TM veggie stock paste concentrate 2 bay leaves 1/4 ts curry powder (or to taste) 1 ts nutritional yeast (optional)

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS Chop onion and garlic for 3 sec, speed 4.5. Scrape down Add oil and cook 4 mins, 120c (Model 5) or Varoma (TM31), speed soft Add coconut cream, top up tin with water to wash out and add another 800ml water Add all other ingredients Cook for 20 minutes, 100c, speed 1 Check cauliflower is soft, cook for longer if need otherwise proceed Remove bay leaves. Puree on speed 8, turning speed up very gradually, for 40 seconds Tips Recipe can increased by 50% to make 1.5 x batch Nutritional yeast gives this the 'cheesy' flavour without the cream cheese.  By all means add a 250g block of cream cheese if you like. It will taste superb!

DISCLAIMER
This recipe was provided to you by a Thermomix ® customer and has not been tested by Vorwerk Thermomix ® or Thermomix ® in Australia and New Zealand.
Vorwerk Thermomix ® and Thermomix ® in Australia and New Zealand assume no liability, particularly in terms of ingredient quantities used and success of the recipes.
Please observe the safety instructions in the Thermomix ® instruction manual at all times.

Sticky Date Custard and other great custard ideas | Thermomix

I think we've made about every flavoured custard possible...it was one of the things that sold my husband on the Thermomix. So why hadn't I thought of this flavour yet?? 

Sticky Date Custard             by Nat's Thermomixen in the Kitchen

INGREDIENTS 100g dates, pitted 1 MC (100ml) water 500g milk (any kind will work, if you are dairy free) 2 eggs 50g flour 1 Tb brown or dark brown sugar

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS Add dates and water, cook on 100C for 4 mins, speed 2 Blend on speed 4 for 5 seconds, scrape down Add remaining ingredients on 90C for 7 mins, speed 4 Try not to eat the whole bowl. Recipe can be halved and doubled. Increase cooking time to 12 minutes when doubling. Decrease to 5 minutes when halving.

Other great flavours to try:

• vanilla custard
• lemon custard
• orange custard
• chocolate custard
• jaffa custard (same as lemon, but use orange peel instead of lemon and add 2 Tb of good quality cocoa powder)
• pink 'princess' custard (make vanilla, and had a handful of raspberries in the last 1 minute)
• bounty custard (coconut chocolate)
• banoffee pie custard
• mocha custard  
• coconut caramel custard
• caramel custard

I could go on and on....

Find more of my recipes on Recipe Community or pin this one to find me again!

Love creating surprises every day with this awesome machine!


DISCLAIMER
This recipe was provided to you by a Thermomix ® customer and has not been tested by Vorwerk Thermomix ® or Thermomix ® in Australia and New Zealand.
Vorwerk Thermomix ® and Thermomix ® in Australia and New Zealand assume no liability, particularly in terms of ingredient quantities used and success of the recipes.
Please observe the safety instructions in the Thermomix ® instruction manual at all times.

Thermomix Tikka Paste

Ohhh the smell of this tikka paste is incredible! I think I should have asked a friend to make a batch of another paste and done a jar swap. Do you ever do that?

Who knows what to do with Tikka Paste?  

One of our favourites is Tikka Salmon and Veggies done in the Varoma. We also love making a cheat's version of the Chicken in Yoghurt recipe from the Indian cookbook, by stirring 3-4 tablespoons of the tikka paste into the yoghurt and cooking as per rest of recipe. Such a quick tasty meal!

I also asked the question on my Facebook Page and this is what we came up with

• Bombay potatoes - par boil potatoes, in a bowl,mix couple tbsp each of tikka paste, mango chutney, olive oil - coat potatoes, place on baking tray, sprinkle with sea salt, finish off in oven until cooked. (Thanks Ali!)
• Chicken Tikka Masala
• use small pieces of chicken and cook up the Tikka Masala, then once cooled use in sandwiches
• Butter Chicken
• marinate chicken, fish or meat to bbq 
• add to fish cakes
• flavour meat for curry puffs
• add to meat for spicy sausage rolls
• marinate a lamb shoulder then cook in slow cooker
• add to pumpkin soup

Would love to see you making some of this up and posting your creations on my page!

{ Free Printable } New Recipe Planner - Recipes to try and where to find them | Thermomix

Over on my Facebook page I asked would anyone be interested in a free printable download to keep track of recipes you would like to try one day, and where to find them? Sort of like an inspiration sheet?

The result was a resounding YES PLEASE!!

I find I have so many recipes on my 'to try' list, and when it comes time for me to get creative or try something new I feel like I have to start all over again finding where the recipes are that interested me!

So I whipped this up quickly for myself, and am happy for you to download and print it. Please keep in mind, I am just a regular mum of three kids 6 and under, thermomixen in my kitchen...so forgive my lack of graphic design prowess, but it's just a simple printable, right?

Please, if you wish to share it can you please use the link to this blog post so I can see how useful it is and how many people use it? That may help me decide if I should do more sheets like this in future.

Click image above or here to go to PDF file and print for yourself

I'd love it if you leave a quick comment if you use this!

Quinoa Salad with Mango Salsa | Thermomix Cooking for Me and You

Quinoa Salad with Mango Salsa 

from the new ‪Cooking for Me and You‬ OH MY!!! Totally my new BBQ bring-a-plate recipe! An easy one to increase/decrease quantity too. Winner!!!

I love this cookbook. So many great recipes. I love that it has a sample menu planner in the front, and ideas for how to use any leftovers or special ingredients. Very clever! I am calling it my new 'date night' recipe book!

Using your Varoma Pt 4 | Tikka Salmon and Veggies

You've got to get your varoma out, people!!! Cooking in the varoma on a hot day doesn't heat up the house, and you can get a "one pot meal" on the table with less washing up. 

I've just cooked us some salmon with tikka paste, steamed baby potatoes, asparagus and carrot. So easy!

Start with some baby potatoes in your varoma basket, with 500g of water underneath. I had 1/2 kg of potatoes, I could have fit twice that in there.

Put your potatoes on Varoma temp, 15 minutes, speed 2. Put your MC on top for now.

While your potatoes are cooking, smear 2 teaspoons of home-made Tikka Paste on top of your salmon fillets. Tikka Paste recipe is also found in the Fast & Easy Indian Cooking recipe book. It goes a long way!

Leave a gap in between them for your veggies later if you are only cooking for 1-2 people. 

If you are cooking for more, fill your top tray with salmon fillets, and you can use underneath the tray of the varoma for your veggies later.

Then prep your veggies. Use any veggies you like! I had asparagus and tagliatelle carrots (shaved with a peeler) as they took the same amount of cooking time (5 minutes)

When potatoes have finished after 15 minutes, set your Varoma in place with just the salmon in. 

Set on Varoma temp, 12 minutes, speed 2. (No veggies in at this stage)

When timer goes off, add your veggies for 5 minutes (set timer again...Varoma temp, 5 minutes, speed 2)

Then enjoy your perfectly cooked salmon and tell yourself once again "how amazing is this Thermomix?"!!

TIPS:

• Use any kind of paste or marinade on your salmon instead
• Alternatively, make a sauce first, keep it warm while you make the rest of the recipe. No need to wash your bowl...just go straight onto the steaming part.
• You could tip your potatoes back into the TM bowl and mash them instead, with a little butter and seasoning, after cooking and draining.
• Swap potatoes for quinoa or rice (just alter cooking time

Let me know if you try it, on my Facebook page

Want more Varoma tips? Try here

Frozen Yoghurt in your Thermomix

How easy is this? Freeze some yoghurt in ice cube trays, then blitz it up with your favourite frozen fruit, a dash of honey and an eggwhite or a splash of milk to bind it together and make it creamy. Whip it up with your butterfly until it looks like soft serve. So good!

Doesn't it look pretty?

Make sure you try it

What do you do with lots of eggs and a Thermomix?

image via Pinterest

One of my friends has 4 little chooks who are supplying her with PLENTY of eggs! Lucky lady huh? She asked on my Facebook page: 

"So..... Say you had HEAPS of fresh eggs, besides quiche, what would you make?"

We came up with this list, what would you add?

• my favourite whole egg mayonnaise recipe by the Thermosisters - No fail, No fuss, No butterfly mayonnaise 
• good old boiled eggs recipe from the EDC
• Creme brûlée
• Bachelor Baked Beans with steamed eggs
• zuchini slice
• lemon butter
• mini quiches cooked in muffin tray and freeze for kids lunches
• use yolks for egg liqueur
• use whites for pavlova
• whites for macaroons - the coconut ones, not macarons
• use whites in fruity dream
• poached eggs with hollandaise
• The best rice pudding recipe
• whites in meringues
• yolks only in custards, use extra yolks for a richer and thicker custard
• Scrambled eggs and omelettes
• curried egg
• devilled eggs
• egg added to your pizza toppings (try it!!)
• lemon meringue pie
• egg rolls (thin crepey omelettes, rolls up like sandwich wraps)
• icecream
• sous vide eggs - sometimes called '60 minute eggs' for the ultra-patient people and if you feel like being 'cheffy'
• I could go on and on...

Tips

• whites freeze really well
• some egg white only tips and recipes on my previous post here
• keep your eggshells and use them in the garden - see here

Can you add to the list?

Snow cones in your Thermomix

Perth is getting HOT HOT HOT!! Snow cones for the kids!! Anyone wanna join me? If you don't know how already...and you have a Thermomix (and if you are here and you don't...you might need to get in touch with a consultant!) then read on...

{ Snow Cones }

2 trays of ice
50g syrup/coulis/topping

Add to TM bowl, speed 8 for 10 seconds, scrape down and repeat for 5-10 seconds
Add 50g of syrup/coulis/topping flavour of your choice
Speed 8 for 5-10 seconds

Scoop into cute little cups and enjoy! You can even shape it into cones if you are feeling extra fancy!

See more on my FB page

Guilt-free Chocolate Balls

{ Money saver!! }

I saw these little 'choc protein balls' selling at Boost Juice yesterday for $2 each!! See how much money we save with our Thermomix?

This is one of my favourite recipes on recipe community. But I roll it into a log and slice...too busy to roll balls 

Now I must say, I don't take any credit for this recipe....it is just one of my absolute favourites, which you can find on the Recipe Community

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