Marinated Chicken Skewers

Years ago, I used to love the marinated chicken skewers that you can get from the supermarket deli's.  Though since become more aware of what I put into my body, I stopped buying the pre-prepared skewers and started making my own - and they are so easy to make.  The marinade is my hubby's recipe and it is one of my fave marinades.  

Ingredients (makes 12 skewers):
You will need 12 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for approximately 20 minutes
600g free range chicken thigh fillets, cubed
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 small chilli's, deseeded, finely chopped
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp pure honey
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp tamari (wheat free soy sauce)
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

Method:
1.  Thread the cubed chicken onto the soaked bamboo skewers and place into a large glass dish

2.  To make the marinade, combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and stir together until the honey is dissolved

3.  Pour the marinade over the chicken skewers, cover and put into the fridge to marinate for at least 6 hours.  Turn the skewers every couple of hours if possible.

4.  Preheat oven to 180 degrees and bake the chicken skewers for around 25 minutes or until cooked through.  Serve with stir-fried vegetables.

(To stirfry veggies in the Thermomix, I did this: add a clove of garlic, a thumb of ginger and if you can find it a thumb of fresh turmeric root to the bowl.  Chop 5sec/sp9.  Add 3tbsp of cooking fat and cook 2min/Varoma/sp2.  Add 4 cups of chopped veggies, placing harder veggies at the bottom of the bowl, and cook 5min/Varoma/rev+sp1).

Bliss Balls

I love the idea of eating a clean diet, and try as much as I can to do so.  For me, buying organic wherever possible is a big part of my life.  I've made these bliss balls with mostly organic ingredients.  You could use whatever dried fruit you have really, just make sure that your ingredients are additive free. 

Ingredients (makes 8 balls):

2 handfuls dried organic apricots, soaked in water for at least 20 minutes

2 handfuls fresh Medjool dates, pitted

1 handful cacao nibs

1 handful nuts (I used walnuts)

1 handful organic dried fruit (I used white mulberries)

1 tbsp cacao powder

1 tbsp sweetener (I used coconut nectar)

1 tbsp Superfoods for Kidz Berry Choc Chunk

1 tbsp linseeds

1 tsp vanilla essence

Pinch of sea salt

Organic dessicated coconut, for rolling the balls in at the end

Method:

1. Drain the apricots and put into food processor or Thermomix.  Add the pitted dates.  Process for about 20 seconds or until finely chopped (20sec/sp6 in Thermomix)

2.  Add the remaining ingredients and process for a few more seconds until the nuts are chopped (but still chunky) and the mixture has come together (10sec/rev+sp2 in Thermomix).

3.  With wet hands, shape the mixture into 8 balls and then roll in coconut.  Store in the fridge.

Anzac Biscuits

Better late than never!  I must admit, I haven't made a lot of biscuits in my time so it took a couple of tries to get this recipe to work!  And they taste great!

Ingredients (makes 8 biscuits):
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup rapadura sugar
1 cup organic dessicated coconut
1 cup light spelt flour
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 cup organic dried fruit (I used sultanas and currants)
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp pure honey
100g coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp water

Method:
1.  Preheat oven to 200 degrees and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

2.  Add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl and stir to combine

3.  Add remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix with your hands.  Ensure the mixture is sticky enough that it holds when pressed together.  Add a little more water if needed.

4.  Shape into 8 biscuits and pop onto lined baking trays.

5.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until biscuits are golden.  Take out of the oven and let the biscuits cool on the baking trays.  They will firm up as they cool.

Strawberry Ice Cream

On the odd occasion, I can't resist making some gourmet homemade ice cream for the fam.  Especially because it isn't easy to find additive free ice cream.  And nothing beats the flavour of real fruit in this recipe!  I even resisted the urge to use my fave ingredient in this recipe (coconut) and make it with coconut milk... though next time I might do just that...  

Ingredients (makes about 1.5L):

600ml pure cream

350ml milk

3 free range eggs

250g raw sugar

Pinch of sea salt

2 tsp vanilla essence

Juice of half a lemon

250g strawberries, washed and hulled

Method:

1.  Into a medium saucepan on low-medium heat, add all the ingredients except lemon juice and strawberries.  Whisk continually for around 10 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture coats the back of a metal spoon.

(In Thermomix, add all the ingredients except lemon juice and strawberries and cook 10min/80deg/sp3)

2.  Blend the hulled strawberries and stir into the ice cream mixture along with the lemon juice.

(Add washed and hulled strawberries, and lemon juice to ice cream mixture in Thermomix and blend for 30 seconds, slowly turning the dial to speed 6)

3.  At this point, if you have an ice cream machine, churn the mixture through the ice cream machine.  Otherwise, pour ice cream mixture into a large container and put into the freezer for 2-3 hours.   

4.  Pour cooled ice cream mixture into a blender or Thermomix and blend on high speed for around 30 seconds (speed 9 in Thermomix).  Pour back into container. 

5.  Put back into the freezer until completely frozen.  If possible, stir the mixture a couple of times during the freezing process.

Creamy Salmon Dip

Dips are one of those things that are generally pretty quick to whip up, but so many people buy them at the shops (myself included, back in the day before I saw the light!)... and yet the store bought ones are loaded with all sorts of additives and fillers and really not much that is actually nutritious and worth eating!  This dip is delicious and healthy.  Just remember to soak your cashews for a few hours before making this dip as it is the cashews that give it that creamy texture.  If you're OK with dairy, you could also use a block of Philly cream cheese (full fat) in place of the cashews.

Ingredients:

1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 6 hours, then drained and rinsed

1 clove garlic

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Juice of half a lemon

210g can pink salmon (wild caught), drained, bones removed

3 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes

2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp chopped fresh dill

Sea salt and pepper to taste

To serve - carrot and cucumber sticks

Method:

1.  To Thermomix or food processor, add the drained cashews, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice.  Process until finely chopped (10sec/sp5 in Thermomix).

2.  Add the remaining dip ingredients and process until all ingredients are combined and the desired consistency is reached (around 1min/sp4 in Thermomix).

3.  To serve, garnish with some fresh dill, cracked pepper and an extra drizzle of olive oil.

Carrot & Pineapple Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Icing

I have always loved carrot cake.  Though the addition of pineapple to carrot cake takes the flavours to another level I think!  I also had my 3yo "sous chef" helping me to make these!  Though next time I will leave out the nuts so that I can pop these cupcakes into the kids school lunchboxes.

Ingredients (makes 18 cupcakes):
3 carrots, peeled, cut into chunks
1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, cut into chunks
1.5 cups whole kamut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup rapadura (or raw) sugar
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup organic sultanas
2 free range eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla essence

Icing:
2 x 400ml cans coconut cream, refrigerated (to separate the cream)
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:
1.  Preheat oven to 160 degrees and line cupcake tins with cupcake cases.

2.  In food processor or Thermomix, grate the carrot and pineapple until finely chopped (5sec/sp6 in Thermomix).  Tip into a large bowl.

3.  To the carrot and pineapple, add the remaining cupcake ingredients.  Stir to combine.

4.  Divide amongst cupcake cases and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out almost clean.  Allow to cool completely.

5.  To make icing: open the cold cans of coconut cream and scoop the cream portion off the top and into a bowl.  Add the maple syrup and vanilla and whip with an electric mixer until creamy.  Tip into a bowl and keep in the fridge, icing the cupcakes as required.

(To make icing in Thermomix, insert butterfly into TM bowl.  Add cream portion of coconut cream, maple syrup and vanilla.  Whip 1min/sp4, tip into a bowl and keep in the fridge.  Ice cupcakes as required).

Tuna & Veggie Pie

This dish is great for using up all sorts of veggies that might be in the veggie crisper in the fridge!  Even my super fussy 5yo loved this and ate up all the veggies on his plate!

Ingredients (serves 6-8):
50g parmesan, cubed
400g can tuna in springwater, drained
Assorted veggies, diced (I used 1/2 green capsicum, corn off 1 cob, couple of handfuls of broccoli florets, 1 carrot, 1/2 eggplant, 1/2 cup frozen peas, 1/2 zucchini)

Mashed potato:
3 large white potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
1 sweet potato, peeled, cut into chunks
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk of choice (I used Bonsoy)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

White sauce:
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp cornflour (gluten-free)
500ml milk of choice (I used Bonsoy)
Sea salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste

Method:
1.  Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Grate parmesan cheese (10sec/sp9 in Thermomix) and set aside.

2.  Boil the potatoes until cooked.  Drain.  Add butter, season with salt and pepper.  Mash. 

3.  While the potatoes are cooking, flake the tuna and spread out along the base of a baking dish.  Sprinkle diced veggies over the top of the tuna.

4.  Make a batch of white sauce as per the recipe in the Thermomix EDC cookbook.  Or to make on the stovetop: in a saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter and whisk in cornflour.  Gradually add the milk, whisking the whole time.  Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and whisk until slightly thickened.  Pour the white sauce all over the tuna and veggies in the baking dish.   

5.  Spread the mashed potato out in the baking dish.  Top with grated parmesan.

6.  Bake for around 30 minutes or until the cheese is golden and veggies are cooked through.