Ricotta and Banana Hotcakes

What’s there not to love about weekend breakfasts? Especially when it’s easy and delicious, and everyone thinks it’s a treat even when it’s quite healthy and nutritious.  These Ricotta and Banana Hotcakes are a staple in our home for birthdays, mother’s and father’s day or just any weekend that we feel like something special.

Ricotta and Banana Hotcakes

We love them topped with fresh strawberries, blueberry compote, Greek yoghurt, and occasionally a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. With the eggs and ricotta these hotcakes are high in protein and light and fluffy.  Having two Thermomix bowls makes it easier to beat the eggs whites in one then use a 2^nd bowl for the mixture but I also managed just fine with one.  It can also be easily made in a mixmaster.

 

Well what are you waiting for? Put a smile on your family’s face and make them.

Thermomix perfect egg whites!

Cook until just a few bubbles burst

 Ricotta and Banana Hotcakes

4 free range eggs separated
350g Ricotta
140g milk
1 banana
80g wholemeal flour
80g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp raw sugar (optional)

• Heat frying pan to moderately hot with a little butter to coat if required
• Ensure Thermomix bowl is clean and dry, insert butterfly and beat egg whites for 2 minutes on speed 4 at 50° then set aside
• Add all other ingredients including egg yolks and mix for 20 seconds on speed 4.  Scrape down with spatula and repeat for 5 seconds
• Insert butterfly and add egg whites and gently mix for around 3 seconds on speed 3 without loosing lightness of the egg whites
• Pour batches into preheated frying pan and cook for about 2 minutes until a few bubbles start to burst
• Flip and cook for only 1 minute on the other side

Serve warm with berries, extra bananas, yoghurt or whatever favourite toppings you desire

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Sausage Rolls

It was grand final weekend and as most people do we decided to watch the game with some friends and have “footy food”.  As vegetarians the food I chose to make and share was Vegetarian Sausage Rolls.  We had all good intentions of watching the game but with young kids who really cannot sit still we decided to venture outdoors to explore instead.

Vegetarian sausage rolls

We headed to a nearby parkland to kick the footy but soon Summer lead us into the forest to where “the fairies used to live...” As her imagination and storytelling ran wild the younger 2 followed in awe as we crept through the lush growth with the sunshine peaking through in a real fairy land kind of way.  It really was pure magic.

The kids in fairy land...

 Back to the Vegetarian Sausage Rolls which are super tasty and even look strangely meaty.  I’m not one to try and make vegetarian food look “fake” but even my friends were a little confused when I turned up with sausage rolls.  They are nutritious and have plenty of protein with the addition of walnuts, sunflower seeds, lentils and cottage cheese and most importantly the kids love them.  In fact they're a great way to "hide" lots of goodness for fussy ones.  And while there may seem like a lot of ingredients, this recipe makes quiet a lot so there’s plenty to share or even pop in the freezer for a rainy day.  Dip them in some tomato sauce or chutney and they’re a really tasty and healthy treat.  Yum!

Brainfood - walnuts

Remember breadcrumbs are easily made from frozen left over bread.  Lentils can be cooked in Thermomix by placing in basket with enough water to cover and cooked for 30 minutes on speed 3 at 100° or using the canned variety is just fine.

 Vegetarian Sausage Rolls

5 sheets of store bought or homemade puff pastry
100g cooked green lentils
100g walnuts
½ MC sunflower seeds
50g breadcrumbs
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
10g olive oil
1 carrot
1 zucchini
70g mushrooms
50g rolled oats
100g cottage cheese
3 eggs (a little reserved for brushing)
1 tbls soy sauce
1 tsp vege stock
2 tbls tomato paste
Sesame seeds for sprinkling (optional)

• Preheat oven to 200° and grease or line baking trays
• If using frozen puff pastry remove from freezer and separate to thaw
• Add walnuts and sunflower seeds to Thermomix bowl and chop for 6 seconds on speed 6 then remove from bowl and set aside
• Add onion and garlic and chop for 5 seconds on speed 7
• Add olive oil and sauté for 2 minutes on speed 1 at 100°
• Add carrot, zucchini and mushrooms and chop for 5 seconds on speed 6
• Add all other ingredients except tomato paste and blend for 10 seconds on speed 6, scrape down with spatula then repeat for another 5 seconds on speed 6
• Cut pastry in half and spread with tomato paste
• Spread mixture down centre of each piece of pastry, roll up with overlapping pastry and brush with beaten egg
• Sprinkle with sesame seeds
• Place on baking trays and make ¾ cuts at 2 inch intervals
• Bake for 20 minutes or until golden

Enjoy with your favourite sauce or chutney!

Spinach, Pesto and Feta Scrolls

We love visiting family and friends on the weekends and I can’t help myself but to always take a yummy treat to share.  Today we were visiting close friends in their new home.  They wanted to see my Thermomix in action and had a beautiful home grown pumpkin to use so we planned to make my Morrocan Pumpkin and Red Lentil Soup followed by a Torta Caprese from the Thermomix EDC.  Too easy and a great way to inspire. 

Spinach, Pesto and Feta Scrolls

I decided to whip up my very popular Spinach, Pesto and Feta Scrolls to go with the soup and they were the best yet!  It’s basically a simple bread recipe shaped into a rectangle after the first rise, spread with a pesto of your choice, sprinkled with plenty of feta, and followed by a some fresh baby spinach leaves.  This is then rolled, sliced and baked and most importantly enjoyed fresh straight out of the oven.  While I usually cook these at home before venturing out to visit, today I left them to have a second rise during the car ride so they were super light and fluffy. 

The scrolls didn’t quite make it as a side for the soup.  More of a delicious entree and could easily be a lunch on their own.  I’ve also made these successfully with a tomato based pesto.  Yum!

 
100g wholemeal bread flour or other milled grain
400g unbleached white bread flour
300g lukewarm water
7g dry yeast
20g olive oil
½ - 1 tsp salt
¼ cup home made or store bought basil pesto
100g feta
Handful baby spinach leaves

• Add wholemeal flour to Thermomix bowl and further mill 5 seconds speed 6
• Add yeast and water and mix for 1 minute speed 2 to activate yeast
• Add remaining flour, oil and salt and knead for 2 min 30 sec on Interval Setting
• Wrap in Thermomat or other silicone mat and allow to rise in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size (remember the longer the rise the better the final product)
• Gently stretch and shape to a long rectangle about 1.5cm thick on mat or floured surface
• Spread with pesto, sprinkle with crumbled pesto and spinach
• Carefully roll from long edge to form a long roll then using back of spatula cut into approximately 7 pieces
• Arrange in a springform tin lined with baking paper and allow to rise for a final 30  minutes
• Bake at 220° for 25-30 minutes until golden and hollow sounding when knocked

Best eaten straight from the oven

Enjoy!

Immune Boosting Green Soup

It’s that time of year when everyone in the house has a bit of a running nose and is feeling a bit run down.  Time for some immune boosting and what better way to do that than with a yummy soup, filled with nutrients and goodness.  And even better it’s easy to make and easy to eat.  It’s one of those things that the Thermomix does best.


Immune Boosting Green Soup with homemade Tortillas

 

Any of your favourite bread such a some ciabatta would be delicious but today I served this soup with some cheesy toasted homemade tortilla – my latest bread discovery!

Lemon and Silverbeet

 There are heaps of ways to boost your immune system and this soup contains just a few:

• Garlic is a powerful immune booster that stimulates infection fighting white cells, boosts natural killer cell activity, and increases the efficiency of antibody production.
• Vitamin C increases production of infection fighting white blood cells and antibodies especially interferon, the antibody that coats cell surfaces and prevents the entry of viruses.
• Vitamin E is found in sources such as sunflower seeds and has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits.
• Zinc plays an important role in the immune defence system and can be found in legumes and seeds. Soaking them increases their bioavailability which is important for vegetarians.  Dulse and other sea vegetables also contain Zinc and Vitamin E.
• Omega-3 fatty acids such as those found in flax seed oil act as immune booster by increasing the activity of phagocytes, the white blood cells that eat up bacteria.

Fresh Broccoli and Silverbeet

So make you and your family a big pot of this immune booster to keep the chills away or at least reduce their stay.

 
Immune Boosting Green Soup
250g green lentils
800g water
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 tbls olive oil
1 large or 2 small potatos cubed
1 stick celery roughly chopped
1 small or ½ a large broccoli roughly chopeed
1 bunch of silverbeet with stalks removed and well rinsed to get rid of any grit and any crawling friends
1 tsp vege concentrate
1 tbls fresh thyme
Juice of half a lemon
Pinch of nutmeg
2 tbls flaxseed oil

• Soak lentils in  water for 4-6 hours
• Place basket in Thermomix bowl and pour in soaked lentils and enough water to cover and cook for 20 minutes on speed 1 at 100°
• Remove basket of lentils and set aside stock water for later
• Place onion and garlic in Thermomix bowl and chop for 5 seconds on speed 6
• Add oil and sauté for 3 mintues at 100° on speed 2
• Add potato and sauté for an additional 5 minutes at 100° on speed 2
• Add celery, broccoli, lentils, thyme, vege stock and water and cook for 10 minutes at 100° on speed 2
• Add silverbeet and lemon juice and cook for a final 5 minutes 100° on speed 2
• Add flaxseed oil and blend for 10 seconds on speed 4

Serve with a dollop of yoghurt and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds

Immune Boosting Green Soup

Enjoy!



Persian Love Cake

Don’t you just love it when you have a special occasion to bake for and you know exactly what you’re going to make?  I’ve had several events recently where I knew straight away that the almost infamous Persian Love Cake was the way to go.  Special events for special people like my sister’s birthday, a fundraiser for Heart Kids, and when a well liked work colleague was moving on. 

Persian Love Cake

 
For those who have already had the pleasure of trying a piece of Persian Love Cake you’ll already know that’s it quite different to any other cake.  In fact it’s not really a cake but perhaps more a like a cheesecake, a custard tart or a pumpkin pie as fellow consumers have described.  And it plays a little on the sense.  First of all the name is intriguing if not alluring.  Secondly, it looks inviting with its dark caramelisation against the pretty pistachios.  The smell is warm and cosy and certainly if you grind your own nutmeg the entire house smells warm and cosy.  Then there’s the uniqueness of the texture.  The almond meal and sugar in the base is also used in the filling with the addition freshly ground nutmeg, eggs and yoghurt so both the flavour and texture carries through. 


Pressing down half the mixture for the base...

And finally the taste, a taste that hits you immediately then continues to linger as you consume and even for some time afterwards.  A taste that sends you somewhere exotic even if you’ve never been there before.  And because of the intensity and fragrance of the taste a little bit goes a long way.  Which either means plenty of decadence for sharing, or plenty for you to enjoy for up to a week which is apparently how long it will keep, however I’ve never had one last for more than 2 days.

Out of the Thermomix bowl and ready to be baked...

 
Did I mention is really quick and easy?  Here’s the link to the original recipe in Gourmet Traveller from Qom restaurant.  My version however has half the amount of sugar and still is very sweet and a slight increase in almonds which I grind for longer to reduce the grittiness I found in my first attempt.  I grind my own almonds which I store in the freezer to maintain freshness. This time I decided to dry roast the almonds for a few minutes in the oven as it warmed up which I feel maintained more lightness in the cake. 

So what are you waiting for?  Invite yourself to something special and get baking. 

Persian Love Cake

40g pistachios
1 clove of nutmeg
400g almonds
110g brown sugar
110g raw sugar
1 tsp salt
120g butter cubed
2 free range eggs
250g Greek style yoghurt


Preheat oven to 175° and line a 23cm springform tin with baking paper
Roughly chop pistachios then set aside.  (This can be done in the Thermomix by using the Turbo button 3 times but I prefer the more structured look of hand cutting)
Place nutmeg in Thermomix bowl and grind for 15 seconds on speed 9.  Set aside
Place almond in Thermomix bowl and mill for 20 seconds on speed 9
Add the sugar and mix for 10 seconds on speed 6
Add the butter and sugar and mix for 15 seconds on speed 5
Pour half mixture into lined springform pan and press (I know half sounds a bit ambiguous but mine measured 12mm – next time I will weight it)
Add eggs and nutmeg to the remaining mix and mix 10 seconds on speed 4 then scrape down
Add yoghurt and mix for a further 10 seconds on speed 4
Pour into tin and scatter pistachios around edge
Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden
 
Serve with your favourite Greek yoghurt

Enjoy!

Olive, Cheese and Rosemary Bread

Now that I’ve been baking my own bread for some time now I’m really looking for different and tasty variations.  Today’s delight started as a Rosemary and Cheese loaf but my gorgeous daughter Summer insisted on her favourite which is Olive Bread. The result was all of the above and it turned out just great.  It even looked quite pretty as the olives I used gave the bread a rather purple tint – perhaps that’s why Summer loved it so much!

Fresh from the oven...

Some rosemary out of the garden, home cured olives and a combination of grana pandano and tasty cheese in a wholemeal and white bread kept the whole family coming back for more.  Of course we all started with a piece fresh out of the oven with home made butter then I had to send them all outside to enjoy the spring sunshine so I could compile some lentil burger and salad sandwiches for the crew. 

A delicious lentil burger and salad sandwich

And of course being outside included playing in the sandpit so when lunch arrived the joke of the day was... “what do witches eat at the beach?”......... “ sandwitches!”

A great accompaniment to home made baked beans

We enjoyed this bread straight from the oven, for a sandwich and lightly toasted to accompany our delicious home made baked beans. Yum!  This recipe could also make fantastic rolls.  Notice there's no added salt as there's plenty of flavour from the olives, cheeses and rosemary. A delicious change from everyday bread.



can you smell the fresh rosemary?

Olive, Cheese and Rosemary Bread
2 tsp fresh rosemary
40g Grana Pandana (or parmesan) cheese
50g tasty cheese
50g pitted olives
300g lukewarm water
8g dry yeast
100g wholemeal flour or milled grains of choice
400g white bakers flour
20g olive oil

• Add rosemary to Thermomix bowl and mill for 20 seconds speed 8
• Add cheeses and mill for a further 10 seconds speed 6 then set aside
• Add water and yeast to thermomix bowl (no need to clean between) and  mix for 1 minute speed 2
• Add flours and oil and knead 2 minutes on Interval setting
• Add rosemary, cheese and olives and knead for an extra 1 minute on Interval setting
• Wrap in Thermomat or lightly oiled bowl and place in a warm spot to double in size
• Shape into desired loaf shape and place on a tray or tin lined with baking paper (I tried a lined springform tin today and this worked just great) and allow a 2^nd rise of about 30 minutes
• Meanwhile preheat oven to 220°
• Spray loaf lightly with water and bake for 30 minutes or until sounds hollow when knocked

Enjoy!

Dough waiting to rise...

Banana, Raspberry and Coconut Loaf

Grandma's beautiful orchids

Isn’t it amazing how much kids love their Grandparents.  My daughter Summer was so excited this morning because Grandma and Grandpa were coming to visit. She even sat at the front window gazing out waiting for them saying repeatedly “I just want Grandma and Grandpa to be here...”  When I asked her what sort of cake I should make for them she suggested a raspberry cake.  I was thinking a banana loaf so guess what we came up with?


Banana, raspberry and coconut loaf with Grandma's orchids

A delicious and delicate tasting wholesome treat.  Bananas keep the loaf moist and healthy, the raspberries add a wonderful burst of flavour (and Summer’s favourite colour), and the coconut adds natural sweetness and even more taste.  Using part wholemeal flour adds extra fibre and nutrition without affecting the texture.  The addition of walnuts adds Omega 3 essential fatty acids which are great for healthy brains (which they even look like!).   And while raw sugar can be used, rapadura sugar is unrefined and retains many vitamins and minerals because the molasses is not separated from the sugar cane juice it is extracted from.  Check out this great document I came across about rapadura on the Quirky Cooking website.

Banana, Raspberry and Coconut Loaf

60g walnuts
2 ripe bananas (mine were approx 180g)
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
80g grapeseed oil
130g milk
80g rapadura sugar
100g SR flour
100g wholemeal SR flour
30g coconut
½ tsp cinnamon
1 cup raspberries (I used frozen but fresh is great if in season)

• Place walnuts in Thermomix bowl and grind for 5 seconds speed 7
• Add bananas, vanilla, eggs, milk, and oil and mix for 10 seconds speed 6
• Add flours, sugar, coconut and cinnamon and mix for 10 seconds speed 4
• Add most of the raspberries and mix on Reverse for 5 seconds speed 1
• Pour into lined loaf pan and sprinkle with remaining raspberries
• Bake at 180° for 45-50 minutes or until inserted skewer comes out clean

Enjoy!