Pot Set Yoghurt

I have managed to get my yogurt perfect after 3 trial runs. I used a little less milk than the EDC suggests and wrapped the thermoserver in a wool blanket (Thanks for the tip Meg) for 14 hours of resting. Anyway this is what I got. Thick and creamy with a smooth texture and flavour. Not tart at all.

Spelt Bread Rolls

Spelt is an ancestor of modern day wheat and is used as a healthier alternative when making wheat products. Spelt has high water solubility, so nutrients are easily absorbed by the body making it easy to digest. In comparison with other grains spelt has generally more vitamins and basic minerals.

Average mg/100 grams	Barley	Rye	Wheat	Oats	Spelt
Vitamin B1	0.43	0.35	0.48	0.52	0.649
Vitamin B2	0.18	0.17	0.14	0.17	0.227
Potassium	-	-	481.00	335.00	385.00
Calcium	38.00	115.00	43.70	79.60	38.00
Iron	2.80	5.10	3.30	5.80	4.17
Manganese	1.70	2.40	2.40	3.70	2.90
Copper	0.30	0.50	0.44	0.47	0.62
Zinc	2.70	1.30	3.36	4.00	3.40

Sources: product analysis souci, milupa (11. 11.88) and SCI-TEK Lab.  from http://www.biodistributors.com.au/ProdInfFiles/spelt.php

I had a go at some spelt breadrolls last week and even the kids loved them. Everyday Cookbook p113

Cindi Omeara Lecture

I can only describe this as life changing. What an inspiring day. I have left this talk with motivation to make real dietary changes at home. (And I only really went to see what all the fuss was about).

Reasons for change (some notes I took during the talk)
1. I am now really quite frightened after hearing about what is in almost all the food we eat

2. After tasting the alternative foods (which are taste delicious, no mung beans in sight) I am motivated.

3. I think the most confirming part is that the thermomix is the tool that can make producing natural healthy food actually POSSIBLE and EASY even if we don't have hours on end to spend in the kitchen.

I have added links to some her website for your info. I can recommend checking out the recipes page

Hot and Spicy

 Our kitchen has the most amazing smells coming from it lately. I have been working through the Indian Cookbook (no I did not know that it was going to be a promotion for October). I made garam masala the other day and the recipe made ALOT. The flavours are so much better than the packet stuff. I also feel really glad Kongs is just down the road so sourcing all the spices was pretty easy too.



After 45 seconds



Before





Later I made a simple Chickpea Curry with rice, Raita and Naan Bread. The chickpea curry was so easy and freezes really well and the Naan Bread puffed up in the oven in 3 minutes and then it was time to eat. And it took only 3 minutes to make the silkiest dough.  

Naan dough with cumin seeds





Converting Recipes

In response to a few questions about converting your own recipes I have found the following;

Victorian TM consultant Steph Berg has a great blog for beginners and those looking to find out more about the Thermomix. She discusses how to go about Converting Recipes from your old style of cooking to the TM. She also has an A to Z Index of around 500 recipes and even discusses ebay ripoffs of thermomix products.

And while I was looking through 'Meat on The Menu' I came across a page dedicated to converting recipes. I have pasted it below. Hope it helps

A weekender with my thermomix

Last weekend we went to the farm. Normally I spend quite a bit of time cooking and preparing meals beforehand because I really dislike going on a 'break' and spending a huge amount of time in the kitchen (especially after a 3 hour drive). But this time it was different.

We arrived at 3pm and I quickly whipped up a chocolate custard for the kids desert (straight to the fridge for later) 7 mins. Afterwards I made a advocado dip for us in 3 mins. An aioli mayonnaise (YUM) 7mins. A coleslaw 2 mins. Then a peppercorn sauce for the steaks in prep of the BBQ later on 10 mins.

Then I had a glass of wine and relaxed!

TOTAL TIME TAKEN about 40mins (including all the cleaning done)

I should also mention that I didn't need to pack the esky full of ice etc for the travelling bit either :)

Comfort food

Mashed potato is my favourite comfort food. I was impressed when I discovered my potato ricer 6 years ago. But again, the TM has surpassed my expectations for perfectly creamy and easy mash. (without a painful cleanup) I have been told that some of the best Perth restaurants make their mash using the TM. I can see why.