Raw raspberry cheese cake with chocolate crust

I have been meaning to give this recipe a try since I came across it a few weeks ago. My 12 year wedding anniversary today was the perfect excuse! I'm pretty happy with how much it looks like the photo from the original recipe too! It really is so quick and easy, give it a go :)

http://www.wholefoodsimply.com/raspberry-cheesecake-with-chocolate-crust/

Pumpkin seed power bars

Ingredients:

160g almonds

80g cashews

100g pumpkin seeds

100g sunflower seeds

100g water

Pinch of salt

2tbsp raw honey

90g apricot jam (thermie made)

50g chia seeds

40g dried cranberries

50g sultanas

Preheat oven to 160C.

Place almonds and cashews in TM bowl and pulse once or twice on turbo to roughly chop. Set aside.

Place pumpkin and sunflower seeds in TM bowl and pulse on turbo once. set aside.

Place water, honey, salt and jam in bowl and heat on 100C for 6 mins speed 2 with MC off.

Place remaining ingredients in bowl including nuts and seeds. Mix on reverse, speed 4 for 10-20 sec until combined.

Press into mould or into baking tin lined with baking paper. Cook for 15-20 mins until slightly golden. Cool completely before storing.

I converted this recipe to the thermie from a recipe I came across from Lexie's kitchen:

http://www.lexieskitchen.com/lexies_kitchen/2013/6/3/pumpkin-seed-power-bars.html

Banana, Blueberry and Chia Muffins

Ingredients:
120g coconut oil
65g coconut sugar (could substitute other sugar)
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp bicarb soda
70g milk
200g SR flour
2 tbsp chia seeds
200g blueberries (I used frozen)

Method:
Preheat oven to 180C and line muffin tray with patty pans (makes 12).
Cream coconut oil, sugar and vanilla for 1 min/sp 4.
While blades running on sp 4, add eggs one at a time and combine for about 30 sec.
Add bananas and combine for 30 sec/sp 4.
Dissolve bicarb soda in milk and add milk and flour alternately while blades running on sp 4 over about 1 min.
Add the chia seeds and blueberries and mix for 20 sec/reverse/speed 3.
Place mixture in muffin trays and bake for 20-25 mins.
Allow to cool and ENJOY!!

Thermomix milo (Gluten free)

If you haven't tried the thermomix milo, give it a go! It makes about 450g and lasts for ages stored in the fridge. It is also delicious sprinkled on top of ice cream or porridge!

http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/recipes/homemade-gluten-free-milo-thermomix-recipes-page/76527

I was feeling extra creative today and decided to create my own recipe for chocolate balls incorporating thermomix milo. The result was delicious, if I do say so myself!

Here is the recipe:
Place 120g of dates in bowl and chop for 20 sec on speed 9. Add in 180g of thermomix milo and 1 tsp on vanilla essence. Blend on speed 9 for a further 60 seconds. (Add in a tsp of water if the mixture is too dry). I then added in 1 tbsp of chia seeds (optional), and mixed for 5 seconds on speed 6. Roll into balls and store in the fridge. Makes approximately 20 balls. Let me know what you think!!

Menu plan # 3

Chicken & chickpea soup with pumpkin bread:

This pumpkin bread was so quick and easy to make and complemented the chicken and chickpea soup perfectly. (Everyone was hungry and I forgot to photograph the soup!)

Both recipes are from the recipe community:
Pumpkin bread: http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/recipes/pumpkin-bread/42450
Chicken and chickpea soup: http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/recipes/chicken-chick-pea-soup/17740
I omitted the cayenne pepper as my boys aren't too keen on spicy food yet.

Beef Stifado with steamed brown rice and broccoli:

Another great recipe community find. It makes a large amount with 800g of chuck steak in the recipe, and gives a tender "slow cooker style" result in only 60 minutes cooking time. If you have time you can cook the beef dish first, put on thermoserver and then steam the rice and broccoli at the same time.

http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/recipes/beef-stifado/52301

Julie Goodwin converted marinated chicken drumsticks with chips and salad:

I am a big fan of Julie Goodwin, and am excited that she has recently become a Thermomix ambassador. I use her marinade from her first cookbook "Our Family Table" all the time. It is even quicker to whip up a batch in the thermomix:

Chop 3 cloves of garlic, 60g of peeled ginger and 4-5 coriander roots for 5-10 seconds on speed 7. Scrape down the sides and add in 1/2 a cup of hoisin sause, 60g soy or tamari sauce, 60g rice wine vinegar and a drizzle of peanut oil (or I often substitute with sesame oil). Combine on speed 4 for about 10 seconds. Pour over chicken drumsticks (also great for chicken wings and pork spare ribs) and marinade in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Bake in the oven on 180C for about 40 mins.

Serve with home made chips and salad, with a dollop of thermomix made mayo, Enjoy!!

Pumpkin and cinnamon penne pasta bake:

Another great recipe community recipe. I made this on a night when the kids were home at different times due to after school sport, so I decided to turn it into a pasta bake. It was a hit and I got official approval to add it to "The List" of approved dinners :)

http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/recipes/penne-pumpkin-and-cinnamon-sauce/51510

Spinach pizza pockets:

This is a variation on the spinach and cheese pizza scrolls recipe which can be found on my previous blog post. The boys loved this meal and I felt good that they were at least eating some greens (and without protest). Win, win. I baked them on a pizza stone in the oven on 200C fan forced until they were golden brown.

Spinach and cheese pizza scrolls

These scrolls turn out an interesting greenish colour due to the spinach being incorporated into the flour. They freeze really well and are a very healthy lunch box food!

I got the original recipe from my Group Leader Elisabeth Higgins:

Ingredients:
60g baby spinach
560g bakers flour (I sometimes make them wholemeal by blitzing up about 100g of wheat grain/buck wheat or add in grains)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp/1 sachet yeast
20g oil
280g warm water
60g grated Parmesan cheese
100g grated Cheddar cheese

Method:
Place spinach in TM bowl and cover with bakers flour and blitz for 10-15 sec sec/sp 10.

If you need to grate your cheese do this after making green flour.
Place cubed Parmesan in TM bowl and grate for 10 sec/sp8. Set aside.
Place cubed cheddar in TM bowl and grate 4-8 sec/sp8. Set aside.
No need to wash out bowl, just continue recipe by adding spinach flour back into TM bowl.

Add remaining ingredients and combine on sp 6/ 7 sec.

Scrape down, set dial to closed lid position. Knead for 2 min on Interval setting.

Remove dough and rest until doubled in size (approx 30 min).

Roll out in a rectangular slab and sprinkle cheese (I also used tomato paste, and you could add any other toppings you would like at this stage), leaving a 2cm strip at the top.

Roll up and slice into scrolls.

Place in a cold oven and cook at 200C for 20-30 mins.

Muesli bars

These are the best muesli bars I have made in my thermie to date! Going to be a definite regular in my kids lunch boxes!

Here is the link:

http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/recipes/wheat-nut-dairy-free-muesli-slice-bars/35312

I only had 70g of rolled oats left in my cupboard, used puffed rice (45g) and maple syrup instead of raw honey...