Delicious Chilli Lime Hummus

Supposed to be going out now... this is what I made today - I didn't get progress pics but the multitudes are loving the result

Place in bowl
1 chilli deseeded and halved
1 large clove garlic
2 strips lime rind
Process at speed 8 for 5 seconds three times, scraping down sides in between

Add to bowl
can of chick peas (drained)
Juice of two limes
2 tblsp tahini
2 tblsp olive oil
large pinch of sea salt

Process at speed 4 for 2 minutes, scrape down sides and repeat until the desired texture is achieved
Taste and adjust seasoning if required

Great for parties and get togethers - serve with carrots, celery and rice crackers to keep your ProPoints low

Go to Lamb Stew from the 4 Blades (with extra wine)

Well because today was my birthday I was planning not to cook, and had gone to great lengths plotting a menu which included lots of leftovers last night. I was driving around today and listening to the 4 Blades Podcast and wouldn't you know it they were doing a recipe which sounded easy, delicious and would use up  some of the split pumpkin out in the garden as well as the exact leftover vegetables I had in my fridge. This was obviously meant to be so I bought 800g of diced lamb and came home to try out my best birthday present - a new camera with a food setting!

The recipe can be heard here or you can just read it here The only thing I really did differently was double the wine and that was because I wasn't paying attention.

This is really easy to do ahead and you could walk the dog, transport the kids or put your feet up with a gin and tonic while it cooks.

First you go out in the garden and pick a chilli and some parsley. Put them in the TM with the garlic and onion.

 Then you scrape down and fry it and the kitchen smells heavenly

Add lamb (I had 800g)

 

 and tomatoes and pumpkin

 and vegetables I used capsicum, broccoli, and cauliflower

and wine and stock. I was listening to another episode of the podcast and got completely distracted and put in 250 ml of wine instead of 100 ml (WHOOPS!)

As Bec says it is very full when you start

Here is where the MC sat

after 10 mins it started to smell really good

after 40 minutes it looked like this

so I took out the MC and put the basket on it to hopefully reduce it a little

And in an hour we had this and it was absolutely delicious! Sorry about the picture quality (still making friends with my camera) - there is a nice one at the original place here 

6 serves easy - and only 6 Weight Watchers Pro Points per serve so you can have bread, rice, pasta, dessert, whatever you like!

Thai Beef Salad

This has become one of our favourite meals, especially since we got the Thai basil and mint well established in the garden.

so for us step one is go outside,  enjoy the sky, and pick mint, coriander, thai basil, limes and chilli.

Then come in, fill a glass and do this:

Make the salad base:
2/3 cup Thai basil
2/3 cup mint
1/3 cup chopped Thai coriander
1 bag salad leaves
1 punnet cherry tomatoes (halved) I am looking forward to picking our own again soon

mix these together using your hands in a large bowl or on a platter

Top with
1 lebanese cucumber cut into ribbons using a vegetable peeler
3 spring onions chopped on the diagonal
1 large red chilli de seeded and sliced

Then slice your beef into thin strips. I buy skirt steak especially for this kind of recipe as it is beautifully tender when cut right. I used 400g skirt steak

put all the meat in a bowl and top with the marinade ingredients:
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
juice of one lime
1 tablespoon oil (I used rice bran oil)
Mix through.  I use chopsticks to mix, as it helps build strength and dexterity when using them. All the marinade stays on the meat too, I find if you use a spoon the marinade sticks to the spoon rather than the meat.

For the dressing shake these ingredients together in a jar.
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
juice of one lime
2 tablespoons palm sugar (chopped finely)
A shake of sesame oil

Cook the meat in batches in a fry pan or on the barbecue

this is Taff's hand, not mine

Assemble at the last minute

pile on the meat then pour on dressing then sprinkle 1/2 cup fried shallots (from an Asian supermarket) over the salad

Enjoy. This is another 6 propoint meal, if you use a Chef's toolbox pan and only brush a teaspoon of oil over it for cooking. And it's OK to go back for seconds...

Lamb, pomegranate and roasted vegetables

Take 2 small sweet potatoes, a red onion and half a cauliflower.
Cut them into small pieces and place on silicon sheets to bake in the oven
Drizzle each tray with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and a little chopped garlic

Bake 25-30 minutes until browning nicely, take out, combine gently and dump on a bed of baby spinach

While that is cooking roll some lamb backstraps in oregano rub

And grill or barbecue them till they are done. Slice and place on top of the salad. Squeeze the juice of one lemon and two pomegranates over the top. If you bang the pomegranate with a wooden spoon the seeds will come out and look really pretty

Enjoy! This is definitely WW friendly - only 6 ProPoints per serve based on a 400g backstrap for 4 serves

Oregano rub

Take the following:

3 tablespoons dried oregano
3 tablespoons sea salt
3 tablespoons white peppercorns
1 tablespoon sichuan pepper

Turbo 3-4 times until ground to your preferred consistency

That's it!

Makes a great rub for lamb or chicken

Put a tablespoon in a plastic bag and shake quartered baby potatoes in it then roast them

Tasty fat free goodness!

The BEST Thermomix bouillabaisse

This is just what I used to make on the stove top adapted for the TM31
We have it instead of take away as it is quicker and nicer

So on a chilly Friday you buy some good quality marinara mix and either make or buy some nice bread to go with it. Tonight I have 450g fish, scallops, mussels and prawns.
Grab your veroma and spread the fish evenly through the dish

You also need

a large onion, peeled and halved

2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 red chilli, deseeded and halved

a handful of fresh basil

Place these in the TM31 and chop for 5 seconds speed 5

Then add

6 tomatoes quartered

1000 ml water

1 tablespoon olive oil

2-3 tablespoons stock paste

1/2 cup of white wine

pinch saffron

salt and pepper

Place veroma on top. Cook 20 minutes Veroma speed 2

While it cooks you can set a fancy table or have a relaxing drink or three with anyone else eating with you

When it is done you won't believe how little the seafood has shrunk - it's all plump, juicy and tasty

Spoon into bowls and top with the soup which is absolutely delicious

That's it. Serves 4 or 2 as a complete meal. Preparation time less than 5 minutes, Cooking time 25 including prep. Weight Watchers points 5.

Comfort food - Beef pot roast

Although there is not much call for comfort food in sunny North Queensland some comfort food principles can be applied to give you back part of your weekend.

I grabbed my CT saute pan and browned a piece of blade roast in it

While it is browning coarsely chop 2 brown onions and when you turn it throw them in the hot pan too

Then add:

1 sliced carrot

250g mushrooms (halved or quartered depending on size)

1 red capsicum roughly diced

1 green capsicum roughly diced

3 cloves chopped garlic 

In a separate jug or bowl mix:

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pour over roast and bring to the boil. 

Put lid on with vents closed, turn heat right down and simmer for 2 hours Top up with water if necessary - my beef sprung up and lifted the lid so I have just switched it for the tagine cover to stop evaporation.

About 20 minutes before you want to serve add 3-4 tablespoons of red lentils to thicken the sauce. I put 3/4 cup frozen peas in then too - to save cooking veg separately.

Remove beef and carve

Serve with a green vegetable and mashed potatoes. My potatoes were done in the Thermomix with a teeny piece of pumpkin

.