Saturday, February 16, 2013

Thermomix Asian chicken salad

Thanks to Karen Martini for the inspiration ... here is the original recipe if you don't own a Thermomix.


I thought I would work through this, add some tweaks and calculate the Weight Watchers ProPoints and run with it at Cafe Disarray.

So for the salad:
1 cooked chicken
2 cucumbers sliced into ribbons
couple handfuls bean sprouts
couple handfuls sugar snaps topped, tailed and halved
two spring onions sliced diagonally
handful mint 
handful Thai basil



Ribboning the cucumber is actually quite challenging. I used a good sharp vegie peeler but if you are a bit of a control freak and expect symmetry, then you should give up before you start. The ribbons are very pretty though. After eating it I have decided that next time I will use cucumber batons and wombuk cabbage.


And for the dressing I went off to the Aladdin's cave that is my local Asian supermarket, we came home with a heap of other random stuff, noodles with no English on the packet, a butter size tub of chili paste and steamed pork buns (yum!) You don't need any of my impulse buys to make this salad.





For the dressing:
1 clove garlic
a thumb of fresh ginger
6 kaffir lime leaves sliced finely
green chilli halved and seeds removed (this is so more people in my house will eat it, you can leave in if you like)

Put these all in TM31 and blitz at speed 7 for 3 seconds

Scrape down and add:
2 teaspoons Tom Yum paste
Juice of 2 limes
2 teaspoons fish sauce
60g light coconut cream
30g almond paste (my newest fetish)

Mix speed 5 for 15 seconds, or longer if you want a smoother consistency. Eew my fingers smell like fish sauce.

Assemble the salad on a platter - greens and some herbs on the bottom and chicken pieces on top. Scatter remaining herbs over the salad.

Pour dressing over, garnish with 4 tablespoons fried shallots (more goodness from the Asian store)  and enjoy!



This has a total of 60 Weight Watchers ProPoints and will serve about 6 people. Ten ProPoint dinner - what's not to like?





Sunday, February 3, 2013

Raspberry frangipani cake

This is a Thermomix version of a couple of recipes pulled out of magazines or library books - I think it is pretty well perfect. Deliciously perfect anyway

Place 200 g white sugar and the rind of 2 lemons in the Thermomix grind 5 seconds at speed 10. I take the rind off using a vegetable peeler.



Add 200 g unsalted butter (I use the groovy Western Star 100g portions) cut into cubes
Blend 30 seconds at speed 5
Add 4 eggs one at a time blend 5 seconds at speed 5 after each egg is added

Scrape down the sides, add 200 g almond meal and 30 g cornflour blend 20 seconds speed 5
Scrape down the sides again and blend 20 secs at speed 5

Pour into a wide shallow dish - I use the Chef's Toolbox pie mold which sadly appears to be discontinued - the slice tin would do the trick...

Then decorate the top with sixteen raspberries - I just use frozen ones



And bake at 175 for about 25-30 minutes till just starting to brown around the edges

Turn out and leave to cool - I turned it out by using two plates and flipping it quickly.


This is great with yoghurt cream...
To make yoghurt cream just whip cream and then fold through an equal quantity of yoghurt

last night we had it with Weight Watchers Raspberry Dessert Sauce which is seriously yum! Serves 12
9 ProPoints per serve and worth every mouthful!



Saturday, February 2, 2013

Cauliflower, zucchini and butter bean soup

It is so hot here that we are eating soups and salads all week long

I just made a batch of this heavenly Roast Tomato and Zucchini soup for tomorrow, and while excavating in the depths of the vegetable drawer I located half a cauliflower. Seeing they are back to $5.00 each in the shops I decided to make sure this didn't go to waste.

Place the cauliflower (cut into florets), a zucchini and a can of butter beans (drained) in the TM31. Add a generous pinch of sea salt and 600ml water.



Cook 15 minutes 100 degrees speed 1

Add 1 level tablespoon plain flour, olive oil and almond meal

Cook 5 minutes 100 degrees speed 1

Blend 1 minute speed 9

Season with salt and pepper


4 serves of 4 PP velvety goodness - and 2-3 of your daily vegetables wow!