Fruit Jam

It's the first week back at school for my kids after the long summer holidays so I have been trying to get back into the routine of preparing lunch boxes for them.

I thought it might be nice to include a treat for my little ones and had made pancakes the day before which is always a favourite so I wanted to include one in their lunch box.  I thought putting some jam on it would be especially nice but realised at about 9pm that I'd just run out of jam.  

Seeing as we had some fruit that had probably past their prime and were starting to become a little 'squooshy' as my kids would say, I thought it might be a great chance to use these up as I really don't like wasting food.  The good part about this recipe is that you can pretty much substitute whatever fruit you have that you think would taste good as jam!

You will need:

Zest of 1/2 lemon (I cut it off with a knife and blitzed it in the TM)
Approximately 350g fruit roughly chopped (I used apricots, plums and nectarines) - make sure you remove the stones
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Juice of half a lemon
180g sugar

Preparation:
Once you've blitzed your lemon zest, add the fruit, cinnamon and lemon juice and mix in TM for 10 seconds on speed 9.

Here's my fruit added to the lemon zest

Add the sugar and mix again for 10 seconds on speed 9.

Heat for 35 minutes at 100 degrees Celsius on speed 2.

I then continued to heat for another 4 minutes on Varoma temperature on speed 2.  To ensure the setting point is reached, carefully tip the jam towards teh top of the TM bowl and you will notice it beginning to 'gel'.

It is best to store in a sterilised glass jar that is stored upside down to form an airtight seal.  Store in the fridge.

My little ones absolutely loved this and it was a great treat for the lunch box!

Lemon and Coconut Slice

I made this recipe recently to take to a family morning tea.  It turned out really great and was so easy to make.  Two good combinations for me so I will definitely be making this again!

I have converted this recipe from tenina.com/2012/01/thermo-mixer-iced-lemon-coconut-slice/.

For the base you will need 
Zest of 1 lemon (I used the thermomix to blitz the zest I cut off the lemon)
140g coconut butter (or you can just use butter)
50g almonds
250g pkg Arnotts Milk Arrowroot biscuits (or you can use plain sweet biscuits)
1 tsp vanilla essence

For the icing you will need
300g icing sugar (I milled my own in the TM using raw sugar)
Juice ½ lemon (around 35g)
30g coconut butter (or butter, cubed)
Enough shredded or dessicated coconut to cover icing to taste


Place all base ingredients into TM bowl and blend 20 sec on speed 8 or until well blended and coming together.

Line a square baking tin (about 20cm) with baking paper and press the mixture into it. Refrigerate for while making icing.

Make icing by placing all ingredients except the coconut into TM bowl and blend for 20-30 sec on speed 6.

Spread on top of slice and top with the coconut and place into fridge until ready to serve. Slice when cool.

Chocolate Fruit and Nut Balls

I am going to add a couple of sweet things now that I really enjoyed making (and more importantly eating!).

The first is a recipe that I took from the official Thermomix forum and changed a little to suit my family.  These are a great no guilt treat when you feel like having something sweet.

You will need:

120 grams mixed nuts (I used almond and cashew)
50 g of seseme seeds
70 grams pitted dates
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 tablespoon honey
40 grams desicated coconut plus extra for rolling them in (I used the coconut flour from my previous blog here http://inspiredcookingdaily.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/making-coconut-flour-and-coconut-butter.html)
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1/4 or 1/2 MC of water (add small amounts at a time until the desired consistency is reached)

All you need to do is add all the ingredients to the TM bowl and blend for 5 seconds on speed 6.   While the blades are running, add water until a sticky consistency is reached.  Use a teaspoon to scoop some mixture and roll into a ball and cover in the extra coconut.

Thai Basil Chicken

Here is the recipe for the yummy Thai Bail Chicken that I made up with the fresh coconut milk.  It was quite an easy dish to make and tasted really good.  Even my kids ate up every last bite which is always a good sign!

I took the original recipe from Nico Moretti found here  http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=784.0 and tweeked it a little.

This recipe serves 4 people.

Here's what you need:

600g chicken thighs cut into thin slices
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 cloves garlic
1 red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped
1-1/2 tblsp olive oil
1 tblsp fish sauce
1tblsp sweet chilli sauce
1tblsp soy sauce
1 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
3 tsp dried coriander
200g coconut milk
4 tsp cornflour mixed with enough coconut water (or plain water) to make a smooth paste

fresh basil for garnish

Preparation:
Blitz garlic in TM for 4 seconds on speed 9.  Add onion and deseeded chilli and chop for 5 seconds on speed 7.

Add oil and saute for 5 minutes at 100°C on speed 1 with MC removed.

Add fish sauce, sweet chilli sauce, soy, basil and coriander and cook for 1 minute at Varoma temperature on Reverse + speed 1.

Insert Butterfly. Add sliced chicken breasts and coconut milk and cook for 30 minutes at 90°C on Reverse + soft speed until chicken is tender and cooked through. At 28 minutes, add the cornflour mixture and continue to cook as above.

Serve with rice and garnish with fresh basil leaves.